UCLA PEERS ® CLINIC
The Program for the Education and Enrichment of Relational Skills (PEERS®) was originally developed at UCLA by Dr. Elizabeth Laugeson, Founder and Director of the UCLA PEERS® Clinic, and Dr. Fred Frankel in 2005 and has expanded to locations across the United States and the world. PEERS® is a manualized, social skills training intervention for youth with social challenges. It has a strong evidence-base for use with adolescents and young adults with an autism spectrum disorder but is also appropriate for preschoolers, adolescents, and young adults with ADHD, anxiety, depression, and other socioemotional problems.
SERVICES:
- PEERS® for Adolescents: We offer a 16-week evidence-based social skills intervention for motivated adolescents in middle school or high school who are interested in learning ways to help them make and keep friends. For more information, please visit the PEERS® for Adolescents section.
- PEERS® for Young Adults: We offer a 16-week evidence-based social skills intervention for motivated young adults (18-35 years old) who are interested in learning ways to help them make and keep friends, and to develop romantic relationships. For more information, please visit the PEERS® for Young Adults section.
- PEERS® for Preschoolers: We offer a 16-week evidence-based social skills intervention for children diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder between 4 to 6 years of age who have difficulty in their peer interactions and friendships. For more information, please visit the PEERS® for Preschoolers section.
Director: Elizabeth Laugeson, Psy.D.
Site: Semel Institute/NPI
PODCAST-
RESOURCES
From the Director Dr. Laugeson-
Role play videos for social skills.
Conversational Skills
Starting Individual Conversations
  Starting an individual conversation (bad example) |
 Starting an individual conversation (good example) |
Entering Group Conversations
 Entering a group conversation (bad example) |
 Entering a group conversation (good example) |
Exiting Conversations
Electronic Communication
Appropriate Use of Humor
Appropriate Use of Humor
Good Sportsmanship
Get-Togethers
 Beginning a get-together (bad example) |
 Beginning a get-together (good example) |
 Ending a get-together (bad example) |
 Ending a get-together (good example) |
Handling Arguments
Handling Teasing
 Handling teasing (male example) |
 Handling teasing (female example) |
Handling Rumors and Gossip
 Spread the rumor about yourself (bad example) |
 Spread the rumor about yourself (good example) |
Building Momentum in Schools 