This inventive picture book by Joel Shaul uses the metaphor of a train to teach basic conventions of conversation to children with autism.
Locomotives are like greetings; they get the train going. Train cars are like conversation turns; it is good to have at least a few when you are in conversation. A switch track is like a tactful change in the topic of conversation. When a conversation veers off-topic it is like a derailed train.
As well as attractive colour photographs of trains, the book contains engaging fill-in-the-blank worksheets and colouring pages to help promote generalisation of skills. This highly visual approach to conversation is ideally suited to children with autism aged approximately 5-13 years.
