Research: Parent-Assisted Social Skills Training to Improve Friendships in Teens with Autism Spectrum Disorders

Authored by Laugeson, EA, Frankel F., Mogil C., and Dillon AR in J Autism Dev Disorder, Volume 39, Issue 4, p. 596-606, (2009).

Article summary (posted Jul 1, 2010):

Parents may be able to help teens with autism learn social skills and deepen friendships.

This study looked at whether parent-assisted social skills intervention could help 33 teens (13-17 years of age) with autism to improve social skills and friendships. The study used the program PEERS (Program for the Education and Enrichment of Relational Skills). This study found that parents and teens believed that the teens learned social skills with the PEERS program. Teachers did not report changes in social skills in kids in the program. The authors think that this is because very few teachers turned in the reports on the teens.

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You can access the original abstract and the complete paper is sometimes available for free via Google Scholar (look for entries that say "PDF" or "HTML" on the right side of the page).
autism, autism spectrum disorder (ASD), education, intervention, parent, social skills groups, teenager
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