peers for pre-schoolers

The PEERS® (Program for the Education and Enrichment of Relational Skills) is UCLA's highly acclaimed social skills program for teens pre-schoolers 4-6 years of age. The PEERS® program is one of the only evidence-based interventions focusing on social skills for pre-schoolers with autism spectrum disorder, and has also been used clinically for adolescents with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), anxiety, depression and other social challenges.

PEERS® is a 16-week evidence-based program to help teens learn how to make and keep friends whilst considering some of the common social complexities that come with being an adolescent. The PEERS® program, which was developed by Dr Elizabeth Laugeson, Founder and Director of the UCLA PEERS Program and Dr Fred Frankel, enables individuals with social challenges:

Listening and following directions

• Asking and using names

• Greeting friends

• Sharing and giving turns

• Asking friends to play

• Joining ongoing games

• Keeping cool during play

• Being a good sport

• Transitioning to new play activities

• Asking for and giving help

• Using good volume control

• Maintaining good body boundaries

We are now looking for candidates who may be interested in this local program. Contact us now as spots are limited!

 PEERS® for Preschoolers Research

• Examining Feasibility and Outcomes of the PEERS® for Preschoolers Program (Factor et al., 2022).

• An Initial Pilot Study Examining Child Social Skills, Caregiver Styles, and Family Functioning in the PEERS® for Preschoolers Program for Young Autistic Children and their Caregivers (Factor et al., 2021).

• Long‑Term Treatment Outcomes of PEERS® for Preschoolers: A Parent‑Mediated Social Skills Training Program for Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (Tripathi et al., 2021).

• PEERS® for Preschoolers preliminary outcomes and predictors of treatment response (Antezana et al., 2022)

• Parent-Assisted Social Skills Training for Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder: PEERS for Preschoolers (Park et al., 2022)

• Pilot Study Examining Caregiver–Child and Family Functioning in PEERS® for Preschoolers (Factor et al., 2022)

• Parent perspectives on treatment: A mixed methods analysis of PEERS® for Preschoolers (Tripathi et al., 2023)