Twenty-three students sit in chairs configured in a circle in a classroom at William Paterson University's Valley Road Campus in Wayne, N.J. Lesley sits in the one chair at the center. 

The past week has been hard on Lesley Dishuk. She tells the group how she had to go to the doctor and stay home from work due to illness. Then her mom fractured her foot and Lesley found herself taking on the role of caregiver. "It's hard to stand up and be the adult," Lesley lamented to the group.

This wasn't group therapy, but it was an exercise to help individuals, like Lesley and her peers, who have Asperger's syndrome to open up and trust others with their innermost feelings.

After Lesley finished, Alexandra Gitter, Supervisor of the National Institute for People with Disabilities of New Jersey's Asperger's Skill Building Network (ASBN), asked the rest of the participants to come up behind Lesley and stand in her shoes.

Meeting Some Members of Our ASBN

This exercise is based on Dr. Dan Tomasulo's psychodrama technique and the participants have dubbed it "empathy practice." "Participants share stories, they listen to each other, and then get to relate back to what is said," Gitter said. Empathy practice is just one creative technique ASBN incorporates in its curriculum to help individuals cultivate their listening and relationship skills.

ASBN, which consists of four separate groups with 12 participants each, meets 2 days a week from 10 a.m.-3 p.m. at William Paterson University.  The program, which started in 2010, is now expanding into Warren. Throughout its three years of operation, ASBN has helped 150 adults with Asperger's improve their social, behavioral and job interview skills.

The purpose of the program is to fill the gap of adult support groups for individuals with Asperger's.

"So far I've learned about interviewing for job skills, about social skills, and the basics of conversation," Sam Reilly said. "I am enjoying this group so far and if I could I would go four days of the week."

The groups that are led by one lead and one assistant facilitator employ an array of creative techniques such as: acting games, mock interviews, team building exercises, art projects, video and yoga and stress reduction strategies to build confidence in a social situations and enhance employment skills.

"I have a long commute, but I think this group is worth going to two days a week," Johnny Regan said. "What I like especially about it is that we go on outings." Some of those outings have been has been: the Turtle Back Zoo, the Yogi Berra  Museum in Montclair, bowling, and pumpkin picking at Fairfield Farms.