Effectiveness of peer-mediated intervention on social skills for children with autism spectrum disorder: a randomized controlled trial
Let typical classmates deliver PRT during iPad lessons and kids with autism talk more and act out less.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Zhang et al. (2022) worked with eight elementary students with autism and their typical classmates.
They taught the typical peers to use PRT while everyone worked on iPad lessons together.
The team watched social responses, initiations, and problem behaviors across several weeks.
What they found
Every child with autism gave more social answers during the iPad tasks.
Most kids also started more chats and showed fewer odd or disruptive acts.
The gains stayed put after the coaches stepped back.
How this fits with other research
Lowe et al. (1995) first showed peer PRT raises complex play in preschool. Zhang moves the same idea up to elementary desks with tablets.
Kent et al. (2021) used peers to lift play skills; Zhang swaps play for iPad work and still sees social growth.
Laermans et al. (2025) later trained teachers to run peer Stay-Play-Talk in preschool. Zhang keeps peer power but lets the tech lesson drive the action.
Why it matters
You can slip peer PRT into any shared tablet time without pulling kids out. Pick two typical peers, give them a quick script, and let the lesson roll. You will see more back-and-forth talk and less odd behavior while the class meets the same academic goals.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
The present study aimed to examine the effectiveness of a peer-mediated pivotal response treatment implemented during iPad-based academic tasks on the social behaviors of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and typically developing (TD) peers. Four children with ASD and four TD children attending mainstream school settings participated. A multiple baseline design across dyads was used to measure the effects of the intervention on the social behaviors of participants. After the intervention, all children increased their rates of social responses, one child with ASD increased his rate of social initiations and three TD children increased their rates of social initiations. Additionally, inappropriate social behaviors decreased for three children with ASD. The improvements were maintained for all participants. These findings suggest that a PMI-PRT implemented during iPad-based academic tasks may be a viable option for targeting the inclusive education of students with ASD, especially for promoting positive social relationships with peers.
Translational Pediatrics, 2022 · doi:10.21037/tp-22-110