Trained Peers Better at Aiding Autistic Kids with Social Skills

Trained Peers Better at Aiding Autistic Kids with Social Skills | Psych Central News

A new study suggests training peers can help children with autism spectrum disorder improve their social skills, even more than a direct adult-led intervention.

Researchers led by Connie Kasari, Ph.D., discovered children with ASD who attend regular education classes are more likely to improve their social skills if their typically developing peers are taught how to interact with them.

Notably, the indirect educational method appears to improve skills better than if the ASD children are directly taught such skills. The National Institutes of Health-funded study suggests a shift away from more commonly used interventions that focus on training children with ASD directly may provide greater social benefits for children with ASD.

The study was published online ahead of print in the Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry.

More @ http://psychcentral.com/news/2011/12/01/trained-peers-better-at-aiding-autistic-kids-with-social-skills/32062.html