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Enhancing Social Skills of Kindergarten Children with Autism Through the Training of Multiple Peers as Tutors

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Abstract

Many students with autism are being served in inclusive settings. Early intervention programs, traditionally home-based, are beginning to create center-based options which incorporate typically developing peers. One of the arguments for the use of inclusive programs is that students with autism will benefit from their exposure to and interactions with typical peers. Unfortunately, research suggests that in inclusive settings, typical peers and peers with autism do not always interact without prompting from an adult. This study used an ABAB design to determine if a peer buddy approach in which all students were trained to interact in dyads would increase non-adult-directed interactions. Data collected on the students with autism indicate that the peer buddy approach significantly increased their appropriate social interactions. Follow-up data on one of the students indicates generalization of appropriate social interactions to a new classroom.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Educational Psychology and Special Education, Georgia State University, Georgia State University, Atlanta, Georgia, 30303-3083

    Kelle M. Laushey & L. Juane Heflin

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  1. Kelle M. Laushey
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  2. L. Juane Heflin
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Laushey, K.M., Heflin, L.J. Enhancing Social Skills of Kindergarten Children with Autism Through the Training of Multiple Peers as Tutors. J Autism Dev Disord 30, 183–193 (2000). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1005558101038

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