Parent-Child Reciprocity and the Effectiveness of PEERS

Early adolescence marks a significant development in teens' social abilities, shifting from play to conversation-based activities, and having stronger and more intimate friendships. Parents contribute to this shift by practicing reciprocal social interaction with their teens. For teens with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) this shift in their peers' social abilities extends their characteristic social deficits even further. Social skills deficits in individuals with ASD are associated with poor adaptive functioning and increased psychopathology. Parents play a pivotal role in caring for and tutoring their children with ASD into adulthood. However, the effect parent-teen reciprocity has on the social skills of adolescents with ASD has not been tested. Furthermore, whereas parent-child reciprocity predicted intervention outcome in young children with ASD, no study has examined this effect in teens with ASD. The proposed study aims to test these questions using the Program for the Education and Enrichment of Relational Skills (PEERS), an evidence-based parent-assisted social skills training program for teens with ASD.