Journal of Education & Social Policy

Examining the Efficacy of an Adapted Version of the UCLA PEERS® Program with Canadian Adolescents
Loredana Marchica M.A., Miranda D’Amico Ph.D.

Abstract
The present study examined the effectiveness of an adapted version of the Program for the Education and Enrichment of Relational Skills (PEERS®) with a group of adolescents with ASD and social skills deficits. Social skills were measured using the Social Skills Improvement System-Rating Scales (SSIS-RS)(Gresham & Elliot, 2008) and the Quality of Play Questionnaires (QPQ)(Frankel & Mintz, 2011). Post-tests indicated significant increases in assertion on Student Forms of the SSIS-RS, and improved quality of play. Follow-up tests indicated significant overall improvements on the Student Forms of the SSIS-RS, and the conflict measure of the QPQ. Findings indicate a general improvement in social skills at post-test with statistical significance only seen at follow-up. This suggests that the PEERS® program may be best suited as a 14-week intervention rather than a condensed 7-week intervention. However, future studies should compare both program lengths in order to further understand these results.

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