"I want friends."
My son, like so many other children I know with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), wants one thing that most children his age want - to have friends. When you ask people "What do you remember most about school?" the answer is almost always "my friends"; Friendships are what motivate children to get up in the morning and go to school. Imagine what it must be like for a child on the autism spectrum to attend school each day knowing no one will ask you to sit beside them at lunch, or invite you to play after school or to go to their birthday party?

"I wonder why school is hard?"
Watching my son suffer from social isolation I felt compelled to do what I could to change this situation, not only for my son, but for other children who experience these same social difficulties. I began reading everything I could get my hands on about friendships between typical children and those with special needs. I came across a book written by Dr. Pamela Wolfberg called "Play and Imagination in Children with Autism". The "Integrated Play Groups" program developed by Dr. Wolfberg involves bringing children with and without autism together in such a way that true friendships begin to emerge. Dr. Wolfberg’s book inspired me to learn more about peer education and how this approach could help my son feel part of his peer group.

"I worry about people that don’t understand me."
After extensive research and development the concepts of the Friend 2 Friend Programs emerged. I felt the key to fostering friendships between children with autism and their peers is to build understanding, acceptance and empathy in the typical children in an age-appropriate and sensitive manner. My son’s classmates needed to "walk a mile in my son's shoes". This meant that I would have to find a way to give young children a sense of what it felt like to have autism by taping into their world of play and imagination!

While shopping one day, I stumbled upon a wonderful child-sized puppet at a local toy store. I took the puppet to my daughter’s preschool and was overwhelmed by the reaction of the children. I instantly recognized the possibilities of using puppets as a child-friendly way of helping typical children better understand their classmates on the autism spectrum.

In September 2002, Friend 2 Friend Social Learning Society was founded and started to deliver Puppet Presentation, Simulation Game Presentations and later added our Seminars for Parents and Professionals, That’s What’s Different About Me Program, Satellite Training Program and Integrated Play Groups Program to children aged 3-18. To date, we have visited over 50,000 children and 25,000 adults through North America.

"I dream of the land of chocolate"
I know that however successful Friend 2 Friend is at delivering our message, it isn’t nearly enough. As parents and professionals, we need to continually look for opportunities to model the value of friendships with these extraordinary individuals with autism.

When I dream of the land of chocolate, it is a place where children with autism are happy, safe, and understood within their school and community. Hopefully, Friend 2 Friend Programs will move us a little closer to making this a reality.

Heather McCracken