Editorial: a Very Special Issue.

The authors tested a short BST package that teaches autistic teens to ask partner-focused questions and comments. Three adolescents joined the study. The team used a multiple-baseline design across participants.

All three teens asked more questions and comments that showed interest in their peer. Social-validity scores said the talks felt more natural and friendly.

Ayvazo et al. (2024) extends this work. They kept the brief BST core and added daily self-monitoring plus a short video model. Their teens also gained better turn-taking and on-topic talk.

Schaaf et al. (2015) is a close predecessor. That team used BST to teach younger kids to ask questions when listeners looked bored. The 2016 study shifts the focus to teen peer chats instead of child repair skills.

Koegel et al. (2024) used the same multiple-baseline design with autistic teens. They wrapped the social goals into a longer clinic-home-school manual. Both studies show gains, but the 2016 package stays ultra-brief and easy to drop into one session.

You can run this whole package in under an hour. Script two partner questions, model, role-play, give feedback, and send the teen to lunch. No extra staff, no take-home folders. If you need even more mileage, pair it with Ayvazo’s daily 5-minute video check. Either way, you get measurable peer conversation gains that hold without weeks of meetings.