A randomized controlled trial evaluating the Hebrew adaptation of the PEERS® intervention: Behavioral and questionnaire-based outcomes

Shai Joseph Rabin, Sandra Israel-Yaacov, Elizabeth A. Laugeson, Irit Mor-Snir, Ofer Golan

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

48 Scopus citations

Abstract

Social interaction deficits form a core characteristic of ASD that is commonly targeted through social-skill groups. The Program for the Education and Enrichment of Relational Skills (PEERS®) is a well-established parent-assisted intervention for adolescents, which addresses key areas of social functioning. PEERS® has been mainly studied in North-America and its evaluations were mostly questionnaire based. The aim of the current study was to test the effectiveness of the adapted and translated Hebrew version of the PEERS® intervention in a randomized controlled trial, using behavioral measures of peer interaction, in addition to self, parent, and teacher reports. Forty-one participants with ASD and no intellectual impairment, aged 12–17 years, were randomly assigned to an immediate intervention or a delayed-intervention group. All participants were assessed before and after the immediate intervention, and again at follow up, after the delayed intervention took place. Results revealed intervention-related behavioral improvements on adolescents’ engagement, question-asking, and physical arousal. Parental reports indicated improved social skills, and reduced ASD symptoms. Adolescents reported on more social encounters, greater empathy, and scored higher on social-skill knowledge. Most of these effects maintained at a 16-week follow-up. Teacher reports' yielded effects only on pre-post intervention analysis. Adolescents’ improvement on behavioral engagement predicted parent-reported social skills improvement. Our findings support the effectiveness of the adapted Hebrew version of PEERS® for adolescents with ASD, through significant behavioral and questionnaire-based outcomes, which maintained at follow-up. Autism Res 2018, 11: 1187–1200.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)1187-1200
Number of pages14
JournalAutism Research
Volume11
Issue number8
DOIs
StatePublished - Aug 2018

Bibliographical note

Publisher Copyright:
© 2018 International Society for Autism Research, Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Funding

We are grateful to the Bait Echad centers of the Association for Children at Risk, for their support in running the PEERS® groups, and to Roni Navon, Elisheva Miron, Roni Golan, Hanale Gilberg, Shulamit Deitch, Noa Reinhardt, Lior Weil, Anat Chomsky and Heli Cohen for assisting with data collection and coding. This study was funded by the Israel Science Foundation (ISF), grant number 1009/15. Dr. Elizabeth Laugeson receives royalties from Routledge for sales of the PEERS® Treatment Manual.

FundersFunder number
Association for Children
Israel Science Foundation1009/15

    Keywords

    • adolescents
    • clinical trials
    • intervention – behavioral
    • skill learning
    • social cognition
    • treatment research

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