An Examination of the Effectiveness of a Community Implementation of the Program for the Education and Enrichment of Relational Skills (PEERS) for Teenagers with Autism

• Author / Creator

  Archuk, Ashley L

• The Program for the Education and Enrichment of Relational Skills (PEERS) is a parent-assisted social skills intervention for teens with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The purpose of this study was to examine whether the PEERS program can be effectively implemented with fidelity in a community setting and achieve positive results for teenagers. Seven teens and their parents participated in the study. Results revealed that overall teens made significant improvement with their social skills that were similar to the findings of the program developers (Laugeson et al., 2009). Social anxiety and autistic symptomatology decreased and durability of treatment was upheld at three month follow-up. According to instructor records of program delivery and evaluations of program instructional quality, the PEERS program was implemented as intended with high quality instruction. These findings support and extend recent research on the positive impacts of the PEERS program and provide evidence of effectiveness in community settings.

• Subjects / Keywords

  • Program for the Education and Enrichment of Relational Skills
  • PEERS
  • Autism

• Graduation date

  Spring 2013

• Type of Item

  Thesis

• Degree

  Master of Education

• DOI

  https://doi.org/10.7939/R3FW7H

• License

  This thesis is made available by the University of Alberta Libraries with permission of the copyright owner solely for non-commercial purposes. This thesis, or any portion thereof, may not otherwise be copied or reproduced without the written consent of the copyright owner, except to the extent permitted by Canadian copyright law.