Description:
Passport to Friendship: Facilitating Peer Play for Children With ASD is a 37-minute video on DVD aimed at teaching parents how to help their children play with others and organize appropriate playdates. You can watch the video straight through, or jump to scenes on "The Joy of Relationship," "Establishing Goals," "Preparing for Playdates," "Conducting the Playdate," and "Finding Peers and Scheduling." It's distributed by Brookes Publishing Company, with a price of $49.95.
What's Included:
An "Extras" folder on the DVD contains three pdfs you can print out for further guidance: "Constructive Play Activity Ideas," "Popular Manufactured Playdate Games," and "Playdate Game Ideas." There are no other booklets or add-ons to this DVD package, just a box and a disc.
Background:
Passport to Friendship was created by the
Behavioral Intervention Association, a California-based agency that, according to a menu item on the DVD, "provides treatment and remediation to young children diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorders. BIA also provides workshops on a variety of topics including the development of play skills and facilitating peer play." BIA's
founders and co-directors, Hilary Baldi and Deanne Detmers, are psychologists with more than 20 years experience working with kids on the autism spectrum.
From the Back of the Box:
"Peer play is complex, but the skills required for interactive play can be taught to children with autism spectrum disorders. With Passport to Friendship, parents and educators get a step-by-step approach to helping children engage in successful peer play -- and enjoy the enhanced communication and social skills friendships provide. This hands-on DVD provides the lessons you'll need to facilitate positive peer play experiences. Demonstrations, tips from parents, and expert commentary make this DVD a must-have for anyone working with young children with ASD."
First Impressions:
The subject matter and suggestions here reminded me a great deal of those in the book
The Socially Included Child. The book is more comprehensive and about a third of the price; but you probably can't read the whole thing in 37 minutes.
Professional Opinion:
I asked Sandy Furia, co-author of T.A.S.C.: Tools for Achieving Social Confidence and a speech-language pathologist who specializes in strengthening social skills for children with autism, to give us her thoughts on whether Passport to Friendship would be useful for parents. Her review:
"Passport to Friendship Facilitating Peer Play for Children with ASD is an excellent training video for both parents and professionals. This video is designed for those who are teaching children who are approximately age three to six how to have successful social play experiences. Passport to Friendship describes all aspects of setting organized playdates with peers in a structured manner in order to allow for comfort, predictability, and enjoyment for both children involved in the play experience. It clearly defines the complexity of social interaction and teaches those working with children how to develop specific measurable goals in order to improve play skills of the participants.
"The video presents some ideas on therapeutic adaptations and establishing a user-friendly environment as well as suggestions for the length of the playdate. It outlines different types of play activities with accompanying rationale for facilitating each type of play. Finally, Passport to Friendship provides suggestions for parents in terms of their role in the playdate, selecting peers for their children, and maintaining interest level in both children. I highly recommend any individual working with children on the spectrum watch this video."
