Barbara Boroson

Licensed Master Social Worker,
Scholastic & ASCD author,
National Speaker & Autism Inclusion Specialist
 
~providing practical, dynamic autism support for general educators~

“Wow, wow, wow! I loved your webinar! We've just gone into Covid lockdown in Western Australia, and your suggestions are gold!”

Eileen Flanagan, STEM Teacher of Indigenous Students, Fremantle, Western Australia

Barbara‘s presentation was fantastic. I learned more about autism spectrum disorder in this one hour than I did in all my thirty years of teaching!

—Debbie Dermady, NYSRA/ILA State Coordinator

“An engaging, thoughtful and valuable resource. Highly recommended!”

—Matt Stoeckel, PsychCentral

"I could not put this book down! It has helped us all understand that there are no limitations on students who are on the spectrum!"

—Monica Rainey, 4th-grade inclusion teacher, Ripley, MI

”Barbara's presentation was absolutely worthy of the standing ovation she received.“

—Kathryn Greene, Executive Director, The Light House, Groton, CT

“Concise, crystal clear, clever, supportive, and even funny, while always thorough.”

—Dr. Paul Farrell, School Psychologist, NY

”We can't wait to have Barbara back next year!”

—Dr. Michael Shaw, Director, NCTE Reading Collaborative

“Teachers need understanding, practical answers, and strategies like these. This is a terrific book.”

—Glenn Roark, teacher, Hohenfels MS/HS, Hohenfels, Germany

“Check out this great resource. Boroson’s book covers it all!”

—Brian Smith, 2017 Teacher-of-the-Year, Alexander County, NC

“[This book] provides a profound understanding of the complexity of ASD... while still celebrating the beauty and strength of every individual child."

—Cathy Rodriguez, SpEd Teacher, Pelham, NY

“This book IS AWESOME!”

—Debra Frantz, parent

“We are using your book around the world! Well done, and thank you.”

—LeAndra Smith, SpEd Teacher, US Dept. of Defense Education in Europe & the Southwest Pacitic

“I cannot think of anything better the author could do. Yes, it is that good!”

—Steven Swiger, general education teacher, US Department of Defense Education in Europe

“Barbara has a wealth of experience to share with her audience. She is an engaging, and wonderful speaker."

—Julie Piepenbring, Exec. VP/CCO, Adelbrook Behav. & Devel. Services

“When Barbara spoke to my graduate students in psychology, it was as memorable a class as they ever had."

—Dr. Paul Farrell, School Psychologist, NY

“My speech/language pathology graduate students were absolutely spellbound by Barbara’s presentation."

—Vicki Ettenger, Adj. Professor, Mercy College, NY

“Barbara’s keynote address and breakout sessions were exactly what our district needed…. A perfect presentation."

—Tony Thurman, Ph.D., Superintendent, Cabot Public Schools, AR

“Because of Barbara’s unique and compelling perspective on autism, my life as an educator was changed forever."

—Brian Evans, President, BoE, Cabot Public Schools, AR

“Authoritative and articulate, warm and wise; a wonderful learning experience with a true expert."

—Mark Heller, Head of School, Academy at the Lakes, FL

“Terrific class! I learned so much! I can’t wait to attend any other workshops Barbara offers in the future!"

—Anna Maria Parejo, Gen. Ed. Teacher, TX

“I loved the collaborative format of the course, supported by Barbara's expert input."

—Laura D'Amato, Reading Specialist, Bellmore, NY

"A BIG THANK YOU!  Your book...is the best resource I have had in my 17 years as a teacher! Wow!"

—Kathryn Reedy, Intervention Specialist K--5, Ohio

“Educators and parents were equally enlightened and captivated during Barbara’s presentation."

—Lynda Bedri, Board Member, The Light House, Groton, CT

“Barbara was an inspiration."

—Cecelia Davidson, Ph.D. CCC-SLP, Faculty, Bank Street College of Education, NY

“Incredibly engaging and practical session….You ‘hooked’ me!"

—Thom Ronk, Teaching & Learning Senior Manager, Teaching Tolerance

“It was wonderful brainstorming together and learning from the experience Barbara has collected from her different roles as an educator, administrator, and parent."

—Krista Zucker, Special Education Teacher, NY

“Fantastic presentation! I especially appreciated Barbara's emphasis on partnerships between parents and teachers as crucial to ensuring that children with various needs are successfully integrated into the classroom.” 

Joanne Romano, OCT, Special Education Teacher with Dufferin Peel Catholic School Board, Ontario, Canada

“A powerful presentation that honoured both educators and parents. Indispensible workshop for all teachers at any stage of their career.” 

Betsy Reilly, Teacher Educator, Western University, London, Ontario

Barbara Boroson

Licensed Master Social Worker 
Scholastic & ASCD author
National Speaker & Autism Inclusion Specialist
~providing practical, dynamic autism support for general educators~

“Wow, wow, wow! I loved your webinar! We've just gone into Covid lockdown in Western Australia, and your suggestions are gold!”

Eileen Flanagan, STEM Teacher of Indigenous Students, Fremantle, Western Australia

Barbara‘s presentation was fantastic. I learned more about autism spectrum disorder in this one hour than I did in all my thirty years of teaching!

—Debbie Dermady, NYSRA/ILA State Coordinator

“An engaging, thoughtful and valuable resource. Highly recommended!”

—Matt Stoeckel, PsychCentral

"I could not put this book down! It has helped us all understand that there are no limitations on students who are on the spectrum!"

—Monica Rainey, 4th-grade inclusion teacher, Ripley, MI

”Barbara's presentation was absolutely worthy of the standing ovation she received.“

—Kathryn Greene, Executive Director, The Light House, Groton, CT

“Concise, crystal clear, clever, supportive, and even funny, while always thorough.”

—Dr. Paul Farrell, School Psychologist, NY

”We can't wait to have Barbara back next year!”

—Dr. Michael Shaw, Director, NCTE Reading Collaborative

“Teachers need understanding, practical answers, and strategies like these. This is a terrific book.”

—Glenn Roark, teacher, Hohenfels MS/HS, Hohenfels, Germany

“Check out this great resource. Boroson’s book covers it all!”

—Brian Smith, 2017 Teacher-of-the-Year, Alexander County, NC

“[This book] provides a profound understanding of the complexity of ASD... while still celebrating the beauty and strength of every individual child."

—Cathy Rodriguez, SpEd Teacher, Pelham, NY

“This book IS AWESOME!”

—Debra Frantz, parent

“We are using your book around the world! Well done, and thank you.”

—LeAndra Smith, SpEd Teacher, US Dept. of Defense Education in Europe & the Southwest Pacitic

“I cannot think of anything better the author could do. Yes, it is that good!”

—Steven Swiger, general education teacher, US Department of Defense Education in Europe

“Barbara has a wealth of experience to share with her audience. She is an engaging, and wonderful speaker."

—Julie Piepenbring, Exec. VP/CCO, Adelbrook Behav. & Devel. Services

“When Barbara spoke to my graduate students in psychology, it was as memorable a class as they ever had."

—Dr. Paul Farrell, School Psychologist, NY

“My speech/language pathology graduate students were absolutely spellbound by Barbara’s presentation."

—Vicki Ettenger, Adj. Professor, Mercy College, NY

“Barbara’s keynote address and breakout sessions were exactly what our district needed…. A perfect presentation."

—Tony Thurman, Ph.D., Superintendent, Cabot Public Schools, AR

“Because of Barbara’s unique and compelling perspective on autism, my life as an educator was changed forever."

—Brian Evans, President, BoE, Cabot Public Schools, AR

“Authoritative and articulate, warm and wise; a wonderful learning experience with a true expert."

—Mark Heller, Head of School, Academy at the Lakes, FL

“Terrific class! I learned so much! I can’t wait to attend any other workshops Barbara offers in the future!"

—Anna Maria Parejo, Gen. Ed. Teacher, TX

“I loved the collaborative format of the course, supported by Barbara's expert input."

—Laura D'Amato, Reading Specialist, Bellmore, NY

"A BIG THANK YOU!  Your book...is the best resource I have had in my 17 years as a teacher! Wow!"

—Kathryn Reedy, Intervention Specialist K--5, Ohio

“Educators and parents were equally enlightened and captivated during Barbara’s presentation."

—Lynda Bedri, Board Member, The Light House, Groton, CT

“Barbara was an inspiration."

—Cecelia Davidson, Ph.D. CCC-SLP, Faculty, Bank Street College of Education, NY

“Incredibly engaging and practical session….You ‘hooked’ me!"

—Thom Ronk, Teaching & Learning Senior Manager, Teaching Tolerance

“It was wonderful brainstorming together and learning from the experience Barbara has collected from her different roles as an educator, administrator, and parent."

—Krista Zucker, Special Education Teacher, NY

“Fantastic presentation! I especially appreciated Barbara's emphasis on partnerships between parents and teachers as crucial to ensuring that children with various needs are successfully integrated into the classroom.” 

Joanne Romano, OCT, Special Education Teacher with Dufferin Peel Catholic School Board, Ontario, Canada

“A powerful presentation that honoured both educators and parents. Indispensible workshop for all teachers at any stage of their career.” 

Betsy Reilly, Teacher Educator, Western University, London, Ontario

Helping Your Child Make New Friends

by Jessica Efird

Most child development milestones are monitored closely by parents from a very young age: Can my child walk? Check! Use a cup to drink? Check! Jump on one foot? Recite the ABCs? Check and check! Then there are child development “soft skills”—social and emotional skills that can be harder to judge and even more challenging to teach. Skills like sharing, empathy and respect aren’t instantly obtained, but developed. Perhaps the most basic social-emotional skill children must develop is making friends, especially when they begin attending school.

“Friendships are very important when it comes to emotional health,” explains Julia Cook, a former teacher and school counselor who authored “Making Friends Is an ART!” Continues Cook, “To a child, even having just one good friend can make a huge difference.” While some children make friends with ease, others may need encouragement. “Some people tend to think it just comes naturally, and for some [children] it does, but for many, it doesn’t,” observes Stacey Brown, a counselor from Fort Myers, Florida.

If your child is shy or has struggled with making friends in the past, there are many things you can do to help. Here are some ways you can help your child make lasting friendships without putting too much pressure on them:

Talk About It
Talk about or brainstorm a list of “friend qualities” with your child. Cook suggests using concepts such as: being friendly, being honest, laughing and having fun, willingness to share, being kind, and learning how to place others’ needs ahead of their own. Once your child understands what sort of qualities make a good friend, you can then discuss, observe other children or even role play these qualities.

Connecting Through Conversations
Since being able to share thoughts and ideas is so important to any friendship, you can help your child understand how to build and maintain a conversation. “Remind kids to look for connections between what was just said and what they will say next,” shares Barbara Boroson, a mom, Scholastic author, and autism spectrum educator. “I like to encourage kids to think of conversation as being like a Lego tower: in order for a conversation to keep going and growing, the various pieces must connect and fit together tightly. If they don’t, the tower will fall and the conversation will collapse.”

Also remember to acknowledge past success as a way to open the door to discussion of new social skills. “Parents can say, ‘You are such a good talker, but I’ve noticed it seems hard for you to think of things to say when you are with your friends. Do you feel that way?’ Focusing on previous successes, no matter how small, helps build confidence,” explains Brown. Cook agrees: “Give constructive feedback—always start by telling your child what he or she is doing right. Remember to teach, not criticize.” Acknowledge social success through positive reinforcement, for example, “It was great to see you and Eric share how you’re both learning to write your first name!”

Organize Play Dates or Activities
If a child continues to struggle or feel less than confident in their friend-making skills, be proactive in organizing play dates for kids. “After-school play dates can support socialization in many ways, [by allowing] social practice in an environment that may feel more forgiving than school,” says Boroson. “Socializing can be much easier in one-on-one situations … and the greatest potential benefit is the creation of a shared experience, a bond that the two children can then build on at school.”

Likewise, a shared bond between your child and another child can be formed through choosing enjoyable after-school and extracurricular activities. Choosing activities that your child finds fun will most likely create new friendship opportunities, as there is already a shared interest between the participants.

Be Realistic
At the same time, be sure to not have unrealistic expectations of your shy or socially reserved child. “Some children are more outgoing than others. It’s just their personality. Comparing siblings or other children to yours can be dangerous and skew your perspective,” warns Brown.

Making an Inclusive Classroom Work

  Barbara Boroson Licensed Master Social Worker,Scholastic & ASCD author,National Speaker & Autism Inclusion Specialist   ~providing practical, dynamic autism support for general educators~ Barbara‘s presentation was fantastic. I learned more about autism...

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