Over the past 25 years, we have been on a journey to discover, describe and teach social skills. The model presented in this book has had many incarnations, from checklists, to diagrams, and even conceived as a picture frame one especially creative year As we began conceptualizing the steps, we learned that each step needed to be broken down into still others, allowing the opportunity to analyze this task that is being social and support those for whom it does not come naturally. The steps are more of an escalator, ever moving and influenced by so much that happens within the day to day interactions of a real person s life. Creating the "Foundation, derived of the desire to understand and communicate the essence of what it means to be engaged with another person, is one of the highlights of this process, and this guide. The Foundation component of the model is currently being implemented as part of a research project related to Fetal Alcohol Syndrome in South Africa affiliation of Stellenbosch University, University of North Carolina, and University of New Mexico. Marci Laurel uses this model extensively in her work in Russia, Nicaragua, and in her private practice (Theraplay in New Mexico. Our goal is to address both a growing understanding of the nature of what it means to be in social relationship with others and how to step on to the learning process on any given day and over time. Indeed, as we have learned from so many extraordinary teachers, the process can be exhilarating It is our hope that people who have an interest in promoting social skills family members, teachers, therapists, and the individuals they care about so deeply will find Social Engagement and the Steps to Being Social to be a meaningful and practical guide."