Social skills training for young adults with high-functioning autism spectrum disorders: a randomized controlled pilot study.
PEERS with caregiver coaching cuts loneliness and grows real-life social skills in high-functioning young adults with ASD.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Gantman et al. (2012) ran a small randomized trial of PEERS for Young Adults.
All participants were high-functioning young adults with autism.
Caregivers joined every session and practiced coaching at home.
What they found
After the 16-week program, young adults felt less lonely and knew more social rules.
Parents saw better empathy, more get-togethers, and stronger social skills.
Gains stayed positive at follow-up.
How this fits with other research
Boudreau et al. (2015) ran almost the same RCT and got the same good results.
Wyman et al. (2020) used PEERS in high-school classes and saw mixed effects.
Their students with autism learned the rules but did not use them with peers.
The difference is setting: Alexander taught in a clinic with caregiver help, Joshua taught in school without parents.
Lee et al. (2022) kept the caregiver coach but switched the goal to job interviews.
Autistic young adults still gained skills, showing the model extends to work life.
Why it matters
You can trust PEERS when parents practice too.
If you run groups for adults with ASD, invite caregivers and rehearse real places like cafés or work sites.
Watch for generalization gaps—schedule community outings and check in weekly to keep skills alive.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
Despite the psychosocial difficulties common among young adults with autism spectrum disorders (ASD), little to no evidence-based social skills interventions exist for this population. Using a randomized controlled trial (RCT) design, the current study tested the effectiveness of an evidence-based, caregiver-assisted social skills intervention known as PEERS for Young Adults with high-functioning young adults with ASD (ages 18-23) using self- and caregiver-report measures. Results revealed that treated young adults reported significantly less loneliness and improved social skills knowledge, while caregivers reported significant improvements in young adults' overall social skills, social responsiveness, empathy, and frequency of get-togethers. Results support the effectiveness of using this caregiver-assisted, manualized intervention for young adults with ASD.
Journal of autism and developmental disorders, 2012 · doi:10.1007/s10803-011-1350-6