Faculty Collaboration Database

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

09/16/2016

Pubmed ID

27628940

Pubmed Central ID

PMC5310211

DOI

10.1007/s10803-016-2911-5

Scopus ID

2-s2.0-84987646143 (requires institutional sign-in at Scopus site)   71 Citations

Abstract

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 AV

Authors

Nakia 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 Disorder
Behavior Therapy
Empathy
Female
Humans
Loneliness
Male
Peer Group
Phobia, Social
Social Skills
Treatment Outcome
Young Adult