PEERS Social Skills Training

Common Social Deficits Associated with ASD and Other Disabilities Poor Social Communication - Problems with topic initiation - Use repetitive themes - One-sided conversations Poor Social Awareness - Difficulty understanding social cues

Social Deficits Continued Poor Social Motivation - Less involvement in social activities - Lack of peer group entry attempts Poor Social Cognition - Difficulty understanding perspectives of others (Theory of Mind)

Why Target Friendships? Having One or Two Close Friends: Predicts later adjustment in life Can buffer the impact of stressful life events Correlates positively with: – Self-esteem – Independence Correlates negatively with: – Depression – Anxiety

Problems with Peer Rejection One of the Strongest Predictors of: Mental health problems – Depression – Anxiety Juvenile delinquency Poor academic performance Early withdrawal from school Substance abuse Suicidal ideation and attempts

Two Categories of Socially Neglected Teens/Adults Social Neglect - Isolated and withdrawn - Ignored and unnoticed - Anxiety, Depression Peer Rejection - Teasing and bullying - Bad reputations - ADHD, Mood disorders ** Both lack close reciprocal friendships

What Can We Do About It? PEERS Program for Teenagers with Developmental and Autism Spectrum Disorders –Developed by Elizabeth A. Laugeson & Fred Frankel Children’s Friendship Training –Developed by Fred Frankel & Robert Myatt

What is PEERS (Teen/Young Adult)? PEERS (Program for the Evaluation & Entrichment of Relational Skills) Evidence Based Treatment - Developed at UCLA -Relationship building -Core social skill deficits Parent-Assisted Program -Concurrent parent and teen/young adult sessions 14 Weekly Sessions – 90 Minutes per Session

PEERS (Teen/Young Adult) Continued Geared Towards - Teens (Middle & High School) - Adults (18 & over) - ASD, ID, ADHD, etc. Components for Success -Parent/guardian participation -Teen/young adult participation - MOTIVATION

What is PEERS (Children’s Friendship Training)? Evidence Based Treatment -Relationship building -Core social skills deficits -Developed at UCLA Parent-Assisted Program - Concurrent parent and child sessions 12 Weekly Sessions - 60 Minutes per Session

PEERS (Children’s Friendship Training) Cont’d Geared Towards –Children with ASD, ID, ADHD, etc. Child does not need to be motivated to attend Groups are formed based on age and/or developmental level (approx. 1 st - 6 th grade)

Structure of PEERS Program Small Group Format Didactic Lessons - Concrete rules and steps of social etiquette - Ecologically valid social skills Role-Play Demonstrations - Model social behavior - Appropriate and inappropriate demonstrations

Structure of PEERS Program Pt. 2 Behavioral rehearsal exercises - Practice with coaching Homework assignments - Practice in natural social settings - Helps generalize skills Coaching - Parent/Caregiver - Teen/Child

Topic Areas Covered Making and Keeping Friends: - Finding and choosing good friends - Conversational skills - Starting and ending conversations - Electronic communication - Good sportsmanship - Get-togethers

Topic Areas Covered con’t. Handling Conflict and Rejection: - Arguments - Teasing - Cyber bullying - Rumors and gossip - Physical bullying - Bad reputations

Cultivating Good Friendships: Starting an Individual Conversation Find a common interest - Make a comment - Ask a question - Give a compliment Trade information - Ask the person about him/herself - Usually related to common interest - Answer your own questions - Ask follow-up questions - Do not get too personal

Cultivating Good Friendships: Two-Way Conversations Using Questions Appropriately - Ask the other person questions - Answer your own questions - Ask open-ended questions - Ask follow-up questions Sharing the Conversation - Conversation Hog - The Interviewer - Don’t be repetitive - Listen to the other person

Cultivating Good Friendships: Entering and Exiting a Conversation Slipping In Slipping Out Group Conversation vs Individual Conversation Finding the right crowd

Cultivating Good Friendships: Finding the Right Friend RockersMusicians

JocksAthletes

Gamers Video Game Players

Cultivating Good Friendships: Finding the Right Friend BrainiacsGeeks/Nerds

The IN Crowd Popular Kids

Additional Skills to Decrease Rejection Cultivating Good Friendships: Using Humor Joke Teller vs Joke Receiver Avoid –Repeating Jokes –Dirty jokes –Inside jokes –Jokes that could be misinterpreted as insults Humor Feedback

Handling Rejection

Cultivating Good Friendships: Handling Rejection Don’t show you’re upset or tease back Act like what the person said did not bother you Provide a SHORT COMEBACK Then walk away or remove yourself

Comeback Examples: - Whatever! - Anyway … - So what? - Big deal! - Who Cares? - Am I supposed to care? - Is that supposed to be funny? - And your point is? (Roll eyes) or (Shrug shoulders)

Cultivating Good Friendships: Handling Bullying Handling Bullying –Lay low –Avoid the bully –Hang out with other people –Get help from an adult if you are in danger

What does a typical session look like? Parent Session: Review Homework –Phone Calls, Get Togethers Review of Didactic Lesson Assign Homework and Reunification with Teen Group Teen Session Review Homework –Troubleshoot problems Review of Didactic Lesson Behavior Rehearsal –Coaching and feedback from group and instructors; role play by instructors Assign homework and Reunification with parents

Importance of the PEERS coach Parent involvement in Social Skills Acquisition - Integrate teen into social environments outside the home - Assist teen in selecting age appropriate peers and arrange hangouts - Supervise interactions with peers - Assist teen with interpersonal problems

Additional PEERS Curriculum PEERS for Preschoolers Dating for Adults

PEERS Teen & Parent Feedback “Participating in PEERS teen group helped me meet and make positive connections with others with similar social challenges.” -PEERS Teen “Participating in PEERS Parent group provided an outreach of resources for our family and an on-going support system." -PEERS Parent

PEERS Teen & Parent Feedback cont. The social skills that were taught at PEERS were more detailed and practical, plus our daughter had to perform the skills at home with peers from the group as homework. Julie was terrified to do the homework, but she did do it. As the PEERS program and the homework went on, her social skills began improving, but more importantly her self-esteem was improving too. By the end of the PEERS program and her 8 th grade school year, Julie had made friends with new girls with whom she felt comfortable being herself with, and who seem to accept her for who she is. Julie is sometimes invited to parties with those girls, and she sits by them at lunch, instead of by herself.

ESMW Offers PEERS Training! * ESMW certified PEERS Instructors teach PEERS groups in cycles throughout the year *

How to Access PEERS Interested parties can set up funding for PEERS through: - Autism Project funding - Private Pay Contracts - Insurance funding for those with ASD benefit on insurance * For more information about PEERS funding contact Casey Cyr, Director of Autism Services – *

For More Information in Your Area East Northwest Southeast Central Southwest

THANK YOU FOR JOINING US …

References Frankel, F., & Myatt, R. (2003). Children's Friendship Training. New York, NY: Routledge. Laugeson, E., & Frankel, F. (2010). Social Skills for Teenagers with Developmental and Autism Spectrum Disorders: The PEERS Treatment Manual. New York, NY: Routledge Laugeson, E. (2013). The Science of Making Friends: Helping Socially Challenged Teens and Young Adults. San Francisco, California: Jossey-Bass.

Contact Information Casey Cyr, Director-Autism Services KC Easter Seals Midwest 6600 A Royal Street Pleasant Valley, MO (816) Regina Wade Johnson, Transition Coordinator Easter Seals Midwest- Southeast Missouri