Improving Academic Executive Functioning for Autistic Middle Schoolers

Improving Academic Executive Functioning for Autistic Middle Schoolers is an intervention manual comprised of a structured curriculum for clinicians with the primary goal of providing support and strategies to caregivers and autistic adolescents. Achieving Independence and Mastery in School (AIMS) is an 8-week intervention that targets the development and improvement of academic executive functioning skills (e.g., problem solving, organization, planning) to facilitate positive outcomes at home and school. AIMS consists of weekly 90-minute sessions attended by both the caregiver and their autistic adolescent in the outpatient setting. The evidence-based, manualized curriculum includes content and handouts for each session that can be easily administered by clinicians. This book is an integral purchase for clinicians who seek to fill the gap in academic support for autistic adolescents. Not only does it provide clinicians with direct instruction on strategies targeting executive functions that are challenging to autistic teens but also incorporates the caregiver as a coach who can continue supporting the teen in utilizing these essential skills as they transition to high school and the adult world.