A Replication and Extension of the PEERS® for Young Adults Social Skills Intervention: Examining Effects on Social Skills and Social Anxiety in Young Adults with Autism Spectrum Disorder. J Autism Dev Disord 2016 Dec;46(12):3739-3754
Date
09/16/2016Pubmed ID
27628940Pubmed Central ID
PMC5310211DOI
10.1007/s10803-016-2911-5Scopus ID
2-s2.0-84987646143 (requires institutional sign-in at Scopus site) 51 CitationsAbstract
Young adults with ASD experience difficulties with social skills, empathy, loneliness, and social anxiety. One intervention, PEERS® for Young Adults, shows promise in addressing these challenges. The present study replicated and extended the original study by recruiting a larger sample (N = 56), employing a gold standard ASD assessment tool, and examining changes in social anxiety utilizing a randomized controlled trial design. Results indicated improvements in social responsiveness (SSIS-RS SS, p = .006 and CPB, p = .005; SRS, p = .004), PEERS® knowledge (TYASSK, p = .001), empathy (EQ, p = .044), direct interactions (QSQ-YA, p = .059), and social anxiety (LSAS-SR, p = .019). Findings demonstrate further empirical support for the intervention for individuals with ASD.
Author List
McVey AJ, Dolan BK, Willar KS, Pleiss S, Karst JS, Casnar CL, Caiozzo C, Vogt EM, Gordon NS, Van Hecke AVAuthors
Christina Casnar PhD Assistant Professor in the Neurology department at Medical College of WisconsinNakia Gordon BS,MA,PhD Assistant Professor in the Psychology department at Marquette University
Jeffrey S. Karst PhD Associate Professor in the Pediatrics department at Medical College of Wisconsin
Amy Van Hecke PhD Professor in the Psychology department at Marquette University
Elisabeth M. Vogt PhD Assistant Professor in the Neurology department at Medical College of Wisconsin
MESH terms used to index this publication - Major topics in bold
Autism Spectrum DisorderBehavior Therapy
Empathy
Female
Humans
Loneliness
Male
Peer Group
Phobia, Social
Social Skills
Treatment Outcome
Young Adult
