The Program for the Education and Enrichment of Relational Skills (PEERS®) for Adolescents is a 16-week evidence-based social skills intervention for students in 5th-12th grade who are interested in learning new ways of making and keeping friends. During each class, students are taught important social skills and are given the opportunity to practice these skills in-person with their peers. Social skills are taught through instruction, role-play video demonstrations, and weekly socialization activities. Parents attend a separate weekly virtual class and are taught how to be social coaches to assist their tweens/teens in making and keeping friends. Regular attendance is imperative to program success.

 

PEERS® may be appropriate for students with Autism Spectrum Disorder, ADHD, social pragmatic communication disorder, or other social and behavioral challenges. Weekly attendance for parents/caregivers is a program requirement. Students must also be willing to participate and be enrolled in an extracurricular activity to practice the skills taught in the group.