Skip to main content

Advertisement

SpringerLink
Log in

Using a CBT Approach to Teach Social Skills to Adolescents with Autism Spectrum Disorder and Other Social Challenges: The PEERS® Method

  • Published:
Journal of Rational-Emotive & Cognitive-Behavior Therapy Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Deficits in social functioning are one of the hallmark features of autism spectrum disorder (ASD), yet very few evidence-based social skills programs exist for adolescents with ASD and other social challenges. The purpose of this paper is to provide an overview of one of the only empirically supported social skills programs for youth with ASD: The Program for the Education and Enrichment of Relational Skills (PEERS ®). Developed at the UCLA Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior, PEERS® utilizes the principles of cognitive behavior therapy (CBT) to improve social functioning for youth with ASD and other social difficulties. One of the only empirically-supported social skills programs to disseminate published treatment manuals for mental health professionals and educators, the PEERS® approach applies CBT methods of instruction including: didactic lessons (psychoeducation), role-play demonstrations, cognitive strategies, behavioral rehearsal exercises, performance feedback, homework assignments and review, and parent involvement within a small group treatment format. Results from four randomized controlled trials and one quasi-experimental study reveal significant improvements in overt social skills, frequency of peer interactions, and social responsiveness following this treatment protocol.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Anderson, S., & Morris, J. (2006). Cognitive behavior therapy for people with asperger syndrome. Behavioral and Cognitive Psychotherapy, 34(3), 293–303.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Barry, T. D., Klinger, L. G., Lee, J. M., Palardy, N., Gilmore, T., & Bodin, S. D. (2003). Examining the effectiveness of an outpatient clinic-based social skills group for high-functioning children with autism. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 33, 489–507.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bauminger, N. (2007a). Brief report: Individual social-multi-modal intervention for HFASD. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 37(8), 1593–1604.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Bauminger, N. (2007b). Brief report: Group social-multimodal intervention for HFASD. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 37(8), 1605–1615.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Bauminger, N., & Kasari, C. (2000). Loneliness and friendship in high-functioning children with autism. Child Development, 71, 447–456.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Beebe, D. W., & Risi, S. (2003). Treatment of adolescents and young adults with high-functioning autism or asperger syndrome. In M. A. Reineck, F. J. Dattilio, & A. Freeman (Eds.), Cognitive therapy with children and adolescents: A casebook for clinical practice (2nd ed., pp. 369–401). New York, NY: The Guilford Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Blagys, M. D., & Hilsenroth, M. J. (2002). Distinctive activities of cognitive-behavioral therapy: A review of the comparative psychotherapy process literature. Clinical Psychology Review, 22(5), 671–706.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Cappadocia, M. C., & Weiss, J. A. (2011). Review of social skills training groups for youth with asperger syndrome and high functioning autism. Research in autism spectrum disorder, 5(1), 70–78.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Capps, L., Sigman, M., & Yirmiya, N. (1995). Self-competence and emotional understanding in high-functioning children with autism. Development and Psychopathology, 7(1), 137–149.

    Google Scholar 

  • Carter, A. S., Davis, N. O., Klin, A., & Volkmar, F. R. (2005). Social development in autism. In F. R. Volkmar, R. Paul, A. Klin, & D. Cohen (Eds.), Handbook of autism and pervasive developmental disorders: Vol. 1. Diagnosis, development, neurobiology, and behavior. Hoboken, NJ: Wiley.

    Google Scholar 

  • Chamberlain, B., Kasari, C., & Rotheram-Fuller, E. (2007). Involvement or isolation? The social networks of children with autism in regular classrooms. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 37(2), 230–242.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • DeRosier, M. E., Swick, D. C., Davis, N. O., McMillen, J. S., & Matthews, R. (2011). The efficacy of a social skills group intervention for improving social behaviors in children with high functioning autism spectrum disorders. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 41, 1033–1043.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Gantman, A., Kapp, S., Orenski, K., & Laugeson, E. A. (2012). Social skills training for young adults with autism spectrum disorders: A randomized controlled pilot study. Journal for Autism and Developmental Disorders, 42(6), 1094–1103.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hudson, J. L., & Kendall, P. C. (2002). Showing you can do it: Homework in therapy for children and adolescents with anxiety disorders. Journal of Clinical Psychology, 58(5), 525–534.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Humphrey, N., & Symes, W. (2010). Perceptions of social support and experience of bullying among pupils with autistic spectrum disorders in mainstream secondary schools. European Journal of Special Needs Education, 25, 77–91.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kazantzis, N., Deane, F. P., & Ronan, K. R. (2000). Homework assignments in cognitive and behavioral therapy: A meta-analysis. Clinical Psychology: Science and Practice, 7(2), 189–202.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kendall, P. C. (1993). Cognitive-behavioral therapies with youth: Guiding theory, current status, and emerging developments. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 61, 235–247.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Koning, C., Magill-Evans, J., Volden, J., & Dick, B. (2013). Efficacy of cognitive behavior therapy-based social skills intervention for school-aged boys with autism spectrum disorders. Research in Autism Spectrum Disorders, 7, 1282–1290.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kroeger, K. A., Schultz, J. R., & Newsom, C. (2007). A comparison of two group-delivered social skills programs for young children with autism. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 37, 808–817.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Laugeson, E. A. (2013). The science of making friends: Helping socially challenged teens and young adults. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.

    Google Scholar 

  • Laugeson, E. A. (2014). The PEERS curriculum for school-based professionals: Social skills training for adolescents with autism spectrum disorder. New York: Routledge.

    Google Scholar 

  • Laugeson, E. A., & Frankel, F. (2010). Social skills for teenagers with developmental and autism spectrum disorder: The PEERS treatment manual. New York: Routledge.

    Google Scholar 

  • Laugeson, E. A., Frankel, F., Gantman, A., Dillon, A. R., & Mogil, C. (2012). Evidence-based social skills training for adolescents with autism spectrum disorders: The UCLA PEERS program. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 42(6), 1025–1036.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Laugeson, E. A., Mogil, C., Dillon, A. R., & Frankel, F. (2009). Parent-assisted social skills training to improve friendships in teens with autism spectrum disorders. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 39, 596–606.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Laushey, K. M., & Heflin, J. (2000). Enhancing social skills of kindergarten children with autism through the training of multiple peers as tutors. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 30, 183–193.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Lopata, C., Thomeer, M. L., Volker, M. A., & Nida, R. E. (2006). Effectiveness of cognitive-behavioral treatment on the social behaviors of children with asperger disorder. Focus on Autism and Other Developmental Disabilities, 21, 237–244.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mandelberg, J., Laugeson, E. A., Cunningham, T. D., Ellingsen, R., Bates, S., & Frankel, F. (2014). Long term treatment outcomes for parent-assisted social skills training for adolescents with autism spectrum disorders: The UCLA PEERS program. Journal of Mental Health Research in Intellectual Disabilities, 7(1), 45–73.

    Google Scholar 

  • Moree, B. N., & Thompson, E. D. (2010). Cognitive-behavioral therapy for anxiety in children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorders: Modification trends. Research in Autism Spectrum Disorders, 4(3), 346–354.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Overholser, J. C. (1993). Elements of the socratic method: I. Systematic questioning. Psychotherapy: Theory, Research, and Practice, 30(1), 67–74.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rao, P. A., Beidel, D. C., & Murray, M. J. (2008). Social skills interventions for children with asperger’s syndrome or high-functioning autism: A review and recommendations. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 38, 353–361.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Rapee, R., Wignall, A., Hudson, J., & Schniering, C. (2000). Treating anxious children and adolescents: An evidence-based approach. Oakland, CA: New Harbinger.

    Google Scholar 

  • Reaven, J. A., Blakeley-Smith, A., Nichols, S., Dasari, M., Flanigan, E., & Hepburn, S. (2009). Cognitive-behavioral group treatment for anxiety symptoms in children with high-functioning autism spectrum disorders: A pilot study. Focus on Autism and Other Developmental Disabilities, 24(1), 27–37.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Reichow, B., Steiner, A. M., & Volkmar, F. (2013). Cochrane Review: Social skills groups for people aged 6 to 21 with autism spectrum disorders (ASD). Evidence-Based Child Health: A Cochrane Review Journal, 8(2), 266–315.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Reichow, B., & Volkmar, F. R. (2010). Social skills interventions for individuals with autism: Evaluation for evidence-based practices within a best evidence synthesis framework. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 40, 149–166.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Rogers, S. J. (2000). Interventions that facilitate socialization in children with autism. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 30(5), 399–409.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Schohl, K. A., Van Hecke, A. V., Carson, A. M., Dolan, B., Karst, J., & Stevens, S. (2013). A replication and extension of the PEERS intervention: Examining effects on social skills and social anxiety in adolescents with autism spectrum disorders. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders. doi:10.1007/s10803-013-1900-1.

  • Sze, K. M., & Wood, J. J. (2007). Cognitive behavioral treatment of comorbid anxiety disorders and social difficulties in children with high functioning autism: A case report. Journal of Contemporary Psychotherapy, 37(3), 133–143.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Tantam, D. (2003). The challenge of adolescents and adults with asperger syndrome. Child Adolescence and Psychiatric Clinics of North America, 12, 143–163.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Van Hecke, A. V., Stevens, S., Carson, A. M., Karst, J. S., Dolan, B., Schohl, K.,… & Brockman, S. (2013). Measuring the plasticity of social approach: A randomized controlled trial of the effects of the PEERS intervention on EEG asymmetry in adolescents with autism spectrum disorders. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders. doi:10.1007/s10803-013-1883-y.

  • White, S. W., Albano, A. M., Johnson, C. R., Kasari, C., Ollendick, T., Klin, A., et al. (2010). Developmental of a cognitive-behavioral intervention program to treat anxiety and social deficits in teens with high-functioning autism. Clinical Child and Family Psychology Review, 13(1), 77–90.

    Article  PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • White, S. W., Keonig, K., & Scahill, L. (2007). Social skills development in children with autism spectrum disorders: A review of the intervention research. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 37(10), 1858–1868.

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgments

The authors would like to gratefully acknowledge the hard work and dedication of the PEERS research labs at the UCLA Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior and The Help Group—UCLA Autism Research Alliance. Most particularly, the authors wish to thank Shannon Bates, M.A., Yasamine Boularian, M.A., Jessica Hopkins, Lara Tucci, M.A., Ruth Ellingsen, M.A., Jennifer Sanderson, Psy.D., Enjey Lin, Ph.D., Ashley Dillon, Josh Mandelberg, M.D., Andrew Leuchter, M.D., Peter Whybrow, M.D., James McCracken, M.D., and Barbara Firestone, Ph.D. We also wish to thank the families who participated in the research upon which this paper is founded, and the generous support of our funders and partners, The Help Group—UCLA Autism Research Alliance, the National Institutes of Health, the Organization for Autism Research, the Friends of the Semel Institute, and the Shapell and Guerin Family Foundation. The contents of this publication are solely the responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official views of the granting agencies.

Conflict of interest

The first author has a potential conflict of interest in that she receives royalties for the sales of Social Skills Training for Teenagers with Developmental and Autism Spectrum Disorders: The PEERS Treatment Manual (Laugeson and Frankel 2010), The Science of Making Friends: Helping Socially Challenged Teens and Young Adults (Laugeson 2013), and The PEERS Curriculum for School-Based Professionals: Social Skills Training for Adolescents with Autism Spectrum Disorder (Laugeson 2014).

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior, University of California, Los Angeles, 760 Westwood Plaza, Ste. 48-243B, Los Angeles, CA, 90024, USA

    Elizabeth A. Laugeson & Mi N. Park

  2. The Help Group – UCLA Autism Research Alliance, 13164 Burbank Avenue, Sherman Oaks, CA, 91401, USA

    Elizabeth A. Laugeson

Authors
  1. Elizabeth A. Laugeson
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Mi N. Park
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Elizabeth A. Laugeson.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Laugeson, E.A., Park, M.N. Using a CBT Approach to Teach Social Skills to Adolescents with Autism Spectrum Disorder and Other Social Challenges: The PEERS® Method. J Rat-Emo Cognitive-Behav Ther 32, 84–97 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10942-014-0181-8

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10942-014-0181-8

Keywords

Search

Navigation