A Peer-Delivered Social Interaction Intervention for High School Students with Autism

Abstract

Limited social interaction typically occurs between high school students with autism and their general education peers unless programming is introduced to promote interaction. However, few published social interaction studies have been conducted among high school students with autism and their general education classmates. These few typically have involved considerable researcher assistance in arranging and supporting opportunities for interaction. This study represents a departure from previous interventions by teaching general education peers a strategy to prompt themselves to increase their interactions with classmates with autism. Three general education high school students were taught to set goals and monitor their interactions with a peer with autism in their classes. Goal setting was associated with increased social interaction among participants. Based on findings, recommendations are provided for future research and practice.