Efficacy and Social Validity of Peer Network Interventions for High School Students With Severe Disabilities.
Fifteen-minute daily peer networks create lasting friendships for high-schoolers with severe disabilities.
01Research in Context
What this study did
The team ran a randomized trial in two high schools.
They formed small peer networks. Each network had four typical students and one student with severe disabilities.
The typical peers got one hour of training. Then they met daily for 15 minutes during lunch or homeroom.
The study lasted one semester. The researchers counted how many social contacts and friendships each student with disabilities had.
What they found
Students in peer networks made three times more social contacts than control students.
They also gained an average of two new friendships.
These gains lasted through the next semester.
However, the friendships stayed inside school. Students did not hang out after school or on weekends.
How this fits with other research
Cacciani et al. (2013) warned that peer-tutoring in adapted PE is not yet evidence-based. Their review looked at weaker studies. The new RCT shows that when peer methods are tested more rigorously, they do work for social outcomes.
Spilles (2026) found that competition between teams boosts peer liking in younger grades. Laposa et al. (2017) used cooperation, not competition, yet still gained friendships. Together the studies suggest both cooperative and competitive peer formats can improve social ties.
Groves et al. (2019) showed the Good Behavior Game improves peer interactions by cutting disruption. Laposa et al. (2017) targeted friendship directly. Both studies prove peer-mediated strategies can shape high-school social life, but they attack different pieces of the puzzle.
Why it matters
You can build peer networks with almost no cost. Pick four kind classmates, give them a short script, and set a daily 15-minute meet-up. The student with disabilities gains real friends, not just helpers. Start the network early in the year and keep it running for at least a semester to lock in the gains.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
This randomized controlled trial examined the efficacy of peer network interventions to improve the social connections of 47 high school students with severe disabilities. School staff invited, trained, and supported 192 peers without disabilities to participate in individualized social groups that met throughout one semester. Compared to adolescents in the "business-as-usual" control group (n = 48), students receiving peer networks gained significantly more new social contacts and friendships. Although many peer relationships maintained one and two semesters later, their spill over beyond the school day was limited. Students and staff affirmed the social validity of the interventions. We offer recommendations for research and practice aimed at improving the implementation and impact of peer network interventions in secondary schools.
American journal on intellectual and developmental disabilities, 2017 · doi:10.1352/1944-7558-122.2.118