LEGO® therapy is a structured social skills group that develops turn taking skills, collaborative skills, it teaches children skills in negotiation and how to ask for and accept help and clarification. Generally, one adult leads a group of three children, each adopting a role for the model building focal task This intervention has been shown to be particularly effective for children with ASC and social communication needs.

The children are each given a role, that of architect (or engineer), supplier or builder. The children can have a badge or sticker indicating a role and younger children respond well to props; the architect having a clipboard, the supplier having a Hi-Viz jacket and the builder with a toy hardhat.

Apart from learning to use the associated vocabulary and concepts and how to use them precisely to convey the message planned, all participants learn how to correct another appropriately and how to praise and indicate to the others that they have made the right choice.

 Intended Outcomes:

· To understand what information the listener needs and convey that to the correct person.

· To be able to ask for clarification in an appropriate manner,

· To be able to take turns and stay within the designated role.

What can you do to help at home?

· Role play: Engage in role play activities with adults and other children to simulate social situations (e.g. going shopping, going to the park, visiting grandparents).

· Turn-taking games: Engage in turn taking games, such as board games to teach the child that it is ‘okay to lose’.

· Facial expressions: Look at facial expressions and discuss the feelings associated with the facial expressions.

· Miming: Practice through miming making faces that show different feelings.

· Describing activities: Look at pictures together to encourage descriptive language about a topic or thing, with the adult prompting to keep the child on topic.

· Puppets: Take part in role play or puppet shows after watching a modeled situation.

· Comic strips: Use appropriate comic strips that illustrate social situations (do’s or don’ts) and talk explicitly about what is happening.

· Social skills groups: Work with the school to set up small structured groups where social skills can be practiced (e.g. turn taking, waiting, responding, staying on topic, questioning).

· Social stories: Develop social stories that depict how to behave and respond in certain social situations.

· Greetings: Encourage your child to say ‘hello’ and ‘goodbye’ in social interactions.