How prepared a child is to start school is an important predictor of overall schooling success. Often, children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) require additional support to ensure that they have the necessary social, academic and emotional skills to enable a smooth transition into school life. This resource is designed to boost parent confidence in their ability to provide their child with foundational skills relevant to schooling, without spending large amounts of money and without huge time commitments. It also provides early years educators with a framework to help increase school readiness in the children with ASD in their care. Underpinned by a strong theoretical framework, this program is designed to be managed and implemented by those with limited specific training. The comprehensive resource sections provide practical and user-friendly ideas and activities for both parents and educators. Suggestions are also given to encourage communication between parents and educators. This cooperation is an additional way to ensure consistency across the child's environments, and to further enhance schooling success. Dr Anna Moffat has worked with children with ASD and their families since 2003. She completed her PhD in psychology in 2012 at Flinders University, focused around improving imitation ability in children with ASD. She managed the Flinders Early Intervention Program between 2011 and 2016 and has recently started a new role at The University of South Australia. Anna remains a strong advocate for programs that successfully partner research and service delivery. Robyn Young is a Professor in the School of Psychology at Flinders University. Her interest in ASD began in 1992 while working on an international genetics project at Stanford University. This led to six years of research resulting in the 2007 publication of Autism detection in early childhood (ADEC), a validated screening tool for identifying ASD and ASD tendencies in children. In 2009 she published Structured program for early childhood therapists working with autism (SPECTRA), a comprehensive intervention reference guide for people working with children with ASD. 216 Pages, Paperback
