Hi, I'm Fred Frankel, author of “Good Friends are Hard to find: Help your child find make and keep friends.” Perspective Publishing, 1996. This, my first book, was translated into six languages, adopted by over 500 libraries and won a National Parenting Publication award. Recently, I have updated this book for today’s parents. I published it as, “Friends forever: How parents can help their kids make and keep good friends.” San Francisco: Jossey-Bass Publishers, 2010.
Before I wrote these books, I developed Children’s Friendship Training, a class that teaches children how to make and keep friends. Over the years, I have helped over 1,500 children at UCLA with friendship problems. I have learned much from the children I have helped, as well as from my own children, now ages 26, 9 and 6. Recently, my colleagues and I studied what happened to some of the children 3 years after they finished my class. I was gratified to learn that many of them not only continued to have friends but were regularly getting invited on play dates.
I helped to develop the same kinds of techniques for teens, co-writing for therapists, “Social skills for teenagers with developmental and Autism Spectrum Disorders: The PEERS treatment manual.” New York: Brunner-Routledge Publishers, 2010. I also wanted to help teachers help teens to fit in and co-wrote, “Social skills success for students with Autism/ Aspergers: Helping adolescents on the spectrum fit in.” San Francisco: Jossey-Bass Publishers, 2011.
As I continue to teach friendship skills, I realize that our social world is always changing. Parents and children are constantly faced with new challenges. My best teachers are the parents and children I help, my own children and my readers. I encourage you to write to me with your observations, comments and concerns. My email is ffrankel@mednet.ucla.edu.
