Contents: Foreword by Gary S. Katz. Preface. I. The Program: 1. Autism And Society Today. 2. Typical Students and Autism. 3. The Importance of Peer Leadership: What the Research Says. 4. Who and What is Autism Ambassadors? 5. What is an Ambassador? 6. Autism Ambassadors at Your School: The Nuts and Bolts of Implementation. 7. Curriculum Overview. II. The Curriculum: 1. Younger/Lower Functioning Students. 2. Pay Attention/ Calm Hands. 3. Being Alone. 4. Logical Sequencing. 5. Passing the Baton Washing Hands at School. II. Academic/ In Class: 1. Asserting Yourself in Class. 2. Taking Notes. 3. Giving an Oral Presentation in Class. 4. Replacing Classroom Items. 5. Switching Desks. 6. Watching a Video in Class. 7. Writing an Intro Paragraph . III. School Related/ Out of Class: 1. Writing a “Chunk” Paragraph. 2. Writing a Concluding Paragraph. 3. Fire/Emergency Drill. 4. Getting to Class on Time. 5. Organizing Your Time. 6. Finding Favorite Books. 7. Organizing Your Notebook. 8. Study Hall. IV. Outing/ Extracurricular: 1. The Bus Class. 2. Trip/ Museum Class. 3. Trip/ Zoo. 4. Interviewing for a High School Job. V. Social: 1. Asking Someone Out on a Date. 2. Cafeteria Etiquette. 3. Cursing and Offensive Language. 4. Explaining Your Diagnosis to Friends. 5. Finding Friends at Lunch. 6. Finding Favorite Popular Music. 7. Joining a Club at School. 8. Making a Plan. 9. School Dance. VI. Sports: 1. Playing Football. 2. Playing Soccer. 3. Playing Tag. 4. Playing Tetherball. III. Appendices: 1. Parent Letter. 2. Frequently Asked. 3. Questions Questionnaire. 4. Evaluation Tool. Every day, thousands of students with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) struggle to stay afloat at school—sometimes bullied, often ostracized. Mastering academics can be hard enough without the added challenge of navigating social situations that neurotypical kids take for granted. If students with ASD had a peer to model and reinforce socially appropriate behavior and coach them through schoolwork, it could help them feel at home in the student population. This inspirational new book describes how to set up just such a peer-mentoring organization in your school or community. With a clear understanding of the needs of students with ASD and the kids who will be their guides, Kukoff provides: Steps for organizing and implementing your own Autism Ambassadors program Clear-cut guidelines on the responsibilities of student “ambassadors,” plus peer-support strategies to improve the ambassador experience More than a hundred specific interventions any student can employ with students with ASD A path for students with ASD to become Autism Ambassadors themselves Based on the methodology of Applied Behavior Analysis—the gold standard in autism intervention—but created and led by students, the Autism Ambassadors curriculum will promote leadership and improve the school experience for all students