CAT Kit - Developed by Dr. Tony Attwood

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World-renowned expert on Asperger's Syndrome Dr. Tony Attwood has teamed up with Dr. Kirsten Callesen and Dr. Annette Moller Nielsen of Denmark to create a powerful yet user-friendly tool that gets straight to the core of the thoughts and emotions behind behavior. The CAT-kit offers an easy, hands-on way for young people to communicate with adults, and each other.

Years in the making, The Cognitive Affective Training (CAT) kit is a program that consists of visual, interactive, and customizable communication elements for children and young adults. It is designed to help students become aware of how their thoughts, feelings and actions all interact and, in the process of using the various visual components, they share their insights with others. It is an easy and effective way to work with neurotypical children and young adults as well as with people with developmental disabilities.

The CAT-kit has been proven valuable in a variety of environments:

Parents report that the materials are excellent resources in conflict resolution among siblings, and for clarifying differing perspectives between age groups. The uncomplicated design and situation-specific uses of the kit will simplify day-to-day conversation and allow parents to deal with displays of emotion or misconceptions that ordinarily would be difficult to manage.

Teachers and counselors appreciate the CAT-kit for its visual and concrete design. The kit attracts students’ attention and encourages them to talk about their thoughts and emotions in a non-defensive manner. Children are able to communicate their attitudes and emotions by means of the visual aids and are not inhibited by their lack of exact wordings.

Therapists and other professionals consider the CAT-kit an easy, hands-on adaptation of the cognitive-behavioral strategies they are already familiar with. The kit allows professionals to obtain valuable information regarding the thoughts and feelings that exist behind students’ behaviours, while providing a non-stressful environment where professionals can work on students’ self-awareness and self-control. The CAT-kit elements can easily be integrated into comprehensive CBT programs.