Welcome to the Attention Deficit Disorder Expert Podcast Series by Attitude magazine.

Good afternoon and welcome. I'm Wayne Cowan and you're listening to

Attitude Magazine's weekly ADHD experts audio broadcast. If you're a parent of a child diagnosed with ADHD or learning disabilities or even

autism spectrum disorder, you know how challenging making friends can be. I think some of the most heartfelt moving

letters and emails we receive here at Attitude have to do with children who have

no friends or who feel left out and dislike because they haven't been invited to a birthday party or

another social event.

It just breaks parents hearts and it makes children feel very bad about themselves.

Today's topic, Why don't I Have a Best Friend,

will be of great interest to many parents.

We will get lots of practical ideas and strategies

for helping a child make and keep friends. Today we're very

fortunate to have Fred Frankel with us. Fred is author of Friends Forever,

how parents can help their kids make and keep friends.

Fred has also directed the Parenting and Children's Friendship Program at

UCLA for almost three decades.

Today, Fred will give parents tips and a game plan to help your child make and keep friends.

Everything from how playground behavior affects friendships,

games to exclude during playdates,

whether to include siblings in the playdates,

and how to network with other parents

when looking for a potential friend for your child.

...