February 2 & 3, 2007
8:30am—4:30pm
Fort Mason Center
San Francisco, CA

Seminar Description
The Integrated Play Groups (IPG) and Friend 2 Friend (F2F) models come together in this two-day seminar to address the unique social, play and friendship needs of children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) and related special needs. These complementary models draw upon state-of-the-art evidence-based practices to foster children’s peer play and friendships within inclusive school, home and community settings. This seminar uses interactive games, video, slides, art, stories and real-life experiences to illustrate the program models.

Day 1 will provide the conceptual foundation for the IPG and F2F models and introduce the steps for designing effective and meaningful peer play and friendship programs.

Day 2 will focus on tools and techniques for implementing the practices of the IPG and F2F models to support children’s social interaction, communication, play, imagination and friendships across settings.

The Integrated Play Groups (IPG) model is designed to support children of diverse ages and abilities on the autism spectrum (novice players) in play with typical peers and siblings (expert players), in school, home and community settings. Through an individualized system of support, emphasis is placed on maximizing each child’s developmental potential and intrinsic desire to play, socialize and form meaningful peer relationships.

The Friend 2 Friend (F2F) model is designed to foster mutual friendships for children with ASD by building awareness, empathy and understanding in their peers, siblings and classmates. F2F offers innovative educational programs that include Puppet presentations and Simulation-Games. Presented in an age-appropriate and sensitive manner, F2F demystifies autism by modeling, labeling, explaining and normalizing characteristics as well as teaches specific friendship skills.

Join us to Discover...

• The importance of play and friendships in childhood
• The nature of play and friendships in children with ASD
• The principles and practices of the Integrated Play Groups Model
• The principles and practices of the Friend 2 Friend Model
• How to assess and monitor children’s social, communication, play, imagination and friendship development
• How to enhance social interaction, communication, play, imagination and friendships
• How to design quality peer play and friendship programs in school, home, community and therapy settings
• How to design quality programs and activities to support peer play and friendships

Who should participate...
This seminar is designed for parents/family members, educators, therapists and others who care for children with ASD and related special needs.

About the Speakers
Pamela Wolfberg, Ph.D. is a special education professor at San Francisco State University and director of the Autism Institute on Peer Relations and Play As creator of the IPG model, she is an internationally renowned autism expert. She is the recipient of several distinguished awards for her scholarship, research and practice. She is widely published and the author of Play and Imagination in Children with Autism and Peer Play and the Autism Spectrum: The Art of Guiding Children’s Socialization and Imagination.

Heather McCracken is the founder and executive director of the Friend 2 Friend Social Learning Society in Vancouver, British Columbia and a mother of three children, one with ASD. As creator of the F2F model, she is a sought after international speaker. She actively delivers programs to children in schools and community groups, as well lectures at the University of B.C. and other post-secondary institutions. She has numerous publications and is the author of That’s What’s Different About Me: Helping Children Understand Autism Spectrum Disorder.