Peer Training to Facilitate Social Interaction for Elementary Students with Autism and Their Peers

There is increasing evidence that peer-mediated interventions for students with autism are effective in increasing participation in natural settings. Still unknown are the contributions peers make to the generalization of social behaviors. Results from two investigations of this issue are reported. In Study 1, social interaction with peers increased during interventions compared to controls; however, students in cooperative learning control groups showed higher levels of generalization than those in social groups. In Study 2, videotaped probes of 34 students indicated greater generalization of skills from groups with trained peers, and less from groups with untrained and stranger peers. Implications are discussed regarding the value of ongoing peer training and structured groups to establish relationships and generalization of skills over time.