Asperger Information: Targeting Information to Parents and Professionals

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The Hidden Curriculum: Practical Solutions for Understanding Unstated Rules in Social Situations
By Brenda Smith Myles, Melissa L. Trautman, and Ronda L. Schelvan

The following review is by Alison Simonelli:

The hidden curriculum refers to the set of rules or guidelines for social situations that are often not directly taught but are assumed to be known. The hidden curriculum contains items that impact social interactions, school performance, and safety, as well as idioms, metaphor, and slang. These are things most people "just pick up" or learn through observation or through subtle cues, including body language. However, many children, including those with Asperger Syndrome and autism, need explicit instructions about what is appropriate in various social situations. This is where this great reference guide comes in, based on the extensive knowledge and experience of the authors. The authors offer numerous examples of hidden curriculum items covering most aspects of human interactions, such as bathroom rules, birthday parties, clothing, eating, and many more.
As educators and parents, we sometimes forget to teach our children about the items of the hidden curriculum. Yet, lack of knowledge and understanding in this area can have a profound and often negative impact on our children when they are attempting to make friends or otherwise interact with others. This book can help prevent potentially embarrassing moments and more serious consequences, and is a great reminder of all of the things that we assume our kids will "just learn on their own."
The book is easy to read and provides specific examples and appropriate solutions to an endless list of social situations. The section on idioms and figurative speech is a quick and straightforward guide to phrases that we use all the time. This is a great guide for parents and teachers to use to jumpstart lessons about the hidden curriculum!

This book may be purchased by clicking this link to the Autism Asperger Publishing Company. A percentage of any purchases made by linking from this website will help support the Asperger Information website.

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