Rural Pilot of PEERS ® for School-Based Professionals Program

This pilot study explored preliminary findings from implementing the Program for the Education and Enrichment of Relational Skills for School-Based Professionals (PEERS-SB) in a rural high school. Participants included seven adolescents receiving special education services and seven educators (two special educators and five paraprofessionals) who delivered the curriculum. Teachers participated in structured professional development that emphasized modeling, role-play, and feedback. Pre- and postassessments using the Test of Adolescent Social Skills Knowledge (TASSK) showed significant gains in teacher knowledge of ecologically valid social behaviors. Student outcomes on the TASSK and Quality of Socialization Questionnaire–Revised were preliminary, nonsignificant, and exploratory, with variability across individuals. The study's core finding is a robust increase in educator capacity, highlighting the potential of PEERS-SB as a replicable model for building teacher knowledge to deliver social skills instruction.