A review of peer-mediated social interaction interventions for students with autism in inclusive settings.

Watkins et al. (2015) read every study they could find on peer-mediated social interaction for students with autism in regular classrooms.

They looked at who joined the research, how peers were trained, and what happened to social skills later.

The review says peer-mediated interventions keep helping kids talk and play with classmates even after the program ends.

No single setup fits every student; you pick the version that matches the child’s social gap.

Bao et al. (2017) extends this idea to high-schoolers. They used peer networks and saw more social starts and replies, plus less bullying.

Kasari et al. (2013) came first and urged schools to write clear manuals for any autism intervention; Watkins et al. (2015) narrowed the lens to peer help only.

Stewart et al. (2018) seems to disagree at first glance. Their review shows most school behavior plans happen in separate rooms, while Laci’s paper cheers for inclusive rooms. The gap is topic, not conflict: one studies problem behavior, the other studies social talk.

If you run social-skills groups in public school, peer mediation is your best bet for lasting gains. Match the format to the student: some need a buddy, others need a whole peer circle. Start small, track turns and comments, then fade your prompts and watch the class keep the conversation going.