PEERS Curriculum

PEERS^® (Program for the Education and Enrichment of Relational Skills) was developed by Elizabeth Laugeson at the University of California Los Angeles (read more at The UCLA PEERS^® Clinic website). The group was created to be a parent-assisted social skills training for youth and young adults challenged with autism spectrum disorder, attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder, depression, anxiety, and the twice exceptional with social impairments.

The group is tailored for teens and young adults who are motivated to learn the ecologically valid skills (or what people who are socially accepted naturally do) that are proven to improve their abilities to make and keep friends.

Among the few social skills programs that exist, the vast majority do not provide evidence to support their claims of improving social skills, nor do they provide parent assistance. To date, the only known research-supported social skills program available for teens and young adults with ASD and other social challenges is PEERS^®.

Recent research has demonstrated that gains made over the course of this program are maintained 3-5 years later (Laugeson et al., 2013).

PEERS^® is unique and unlike other social skills programs in that it:

• Is evidence-based;
• Includes parents;
• Teaches ecologically valid social skills; and
• Tailors teaching methods to shared social skills.

Students will learn:

• How to use appropriate conversational skills
• How to find common interests by trading information​​
• How to appropriately use humor
• How to enter and exit conversations between peers
• How to handle rejection, teasing, and bullying
• How to handle rumors and gossip
• How to be a good host during get-togethers
• How to make phone calls and navigate other electronic communication with friends
• How to choose appropriate friends
• How to be a good sport
• How to handle arguments and disagreements
• How to change a bad reputation

Parental participation is a key component of our PEERS^® program. Research shows that parental support, instruction, and supervision significantly benefit the development of friendships. Parent groups run concurrent with teen/young adult groups.