Effects of peer-mediated implementation of visual scripts in middle school.
Peer scripts work fast in class, but you must program extra steps for lasting or flexible use.
01Research in Context
What this study did
One BCBA taught a typical sixth-grade boy to show three picture scripts to a classmate with autism.
The scripts showed how to ask for a turn, ask for help, and say "hi."
The BCBA measured how often the student with autism used those three phrases during math class.
What they found
The student with autism used the phrases much more when the peer handed him the scripts.
When the peer stopped bringing the scripts, the talking dropped back to near zero.
The student did not use the phrases with a different peer who had never been trained.
How this fits with other research
Hu et al. (2018) got the same peer-help idea to work with younger kids using LEGO play.
Kim et al. (2014) used tablet Social Stories with high-schoolers and saw the gains spread to new teachers.
The difference: in Mi-Seon et al. the pictures were on a tablet, not in a peer’s hand, and generalization happened.
Rabin et al. (2018) also used peers, but their full PEERS program included parent coaching and homework, which may explain why gains lasted.
Why it matters
You can boost middle-school communication in one period with a simple peer script, but do not expect the skill to stick or move to new kids. Plan extra steps: teach more peers, fade the cards slowly, or add homework like Rabin et al. (2018) did.
Want CEUs on This Topic?
The ABA Clubhouse has 60+ free CEUs — live every Wednesday. Ethics, supervision & clinical topics.
Join Free →Pick one trusted classmate, train them to hand three picture cards, and track the target phrases for one week.
02At a glance
03Original abstract
Although research has investigated the impact of peer-mediated interventions and visual scripts on social and communication skills in children with autism spectrum disorders, no studies to date have investigated peer-mediated implementation of scripts. This study investigated the effects of peer-implemented scripts on a middle school student with autism, intellectual impairments, and speech-language impairment via a multiple baseline single-case research design across behaviors. The target student demonstrated improvements in three communicative behaviors when implemented by a trained peer; however, behaviors did not generalize to use with an untrained typically developing peer.
Behavior modification, 2012 · doi:10.1177/0145445512442214