No description available.

No description available.

During the past few years, mainstream education has become more and more inclusive all over the world. This fact calls for effective teaching methods, supporting the participation and learning of all the students in a class. Such methods are the ones that occupy peer-mediated learning and methods related to them. This study aims to investigate strategies of interventions involving peer-mediated learning between children in need of special educational support and typically developing children 3-12 years of age and their effects on them. In order to achieve that, a systematic literature review was conducted, for which five databases were researched. Eight articles came up, each describing a different strategy occupying peer-mediated learning or a strategy related to it, which had multiple benefits for the participating children on engagement, social and cognitive level. Further research is needed, though, to address the gaps in literature.

There is increasing interest in the role of peers in facilitating the social interaction of pupils with ASD through Peer-mediated Interventions (PMI). A systematic literature review was conducted to provide an overview of methods used to evaluate the impact of PMI and provide examples of innovative practice. Four databases were searched. Following application of inclusion and exclusion criteria and coding of studies, 10 were included in the final review. The review found that measuring the outcome of PMI at the level of target pupils has been a focus, with less attention given to exploring experiences of participants; impact on peers and implementation of PMI within an educational context. An innovative PMI was implemented within a mainstream primary school to promote the social inclusion of a Year 3 male pupil with ASD, with his class and five peers. Key elements of the PMI included development of the programme with school staff, whole class awareness raising and a small group peer network. The intervention was evaluated through structured playground observations of pupil-peer interaction, interviews with the target pupil and school staff and a peer focus group. Findings indicated that this small-scale PMI had a positive impact at the level of the target pupil and peers. Key factors facilitating the implementation of this intervention within a school context were also identified. A structured dissemination strategy that involved consultation activities with key stakeholders explored the refinement of an ecologically valid and feasible model for delivery in mainstream schools. Future considerations in developing the intervention framework include; refining elements of the programme based on feedback from key stakeholders and trialling the delivery of the intervention by school staff trained in the programme. Implications for Educational Psychologists (EPs) in the development and delivery of the intervention are discussed.

Peer mediated interventions have been effective in teaching academic and social skills to students with disabilities. The present study assesses the effectiveness of students with autism spectrum disorder serving as the tutor and tutee. Four peer mediators and four students with autism spectrum disorder used technology and the simultaneous prompting procedure to teach acquisition of social studies vocabulary. Results indicate that both students with and without autism spectrum disorder effectively delivered instruction using technology and all students learned a portion of the vocabulary taught by a same-aged peer.

Children with autism, by diagnostic criteria, experience a lack of age appropriate play and social skills (American Psychiatric Association, 1994). This study evaluated three typically developing peer's ability to implement Pivotal Response Training strategies during recess with a child with autism in their third grade class. A concurrent multiple probe baseline across peers design was used to assess peers ability to implement Pivotal Response Training strategies with the target child and the effects of intervention on the play and communication behavior of the target child. Generalization measures were taken in an untrained environment. Measures of social validity in the form of peer interviews and teacher questionnaire were completed. Results displayed that peers were able to use Pivotal Response Training strategies during recess with a child with autism. During post-training/intervention and follow-up sessions the child with autism engaged in higher levels of communication to peers, and slightly lower levels of communication to self. The target child also experienced a decreasing trend in levels of solitary play, an increasing trend in levels of play with peer trainers and levels of parallel play remained near baseline levels. Peers were also able to generalize these skills to an untrained environment to an extent.

Interactive play in the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) provides crucial opportunities for young children to develop a range of skills which are important for social development. Play Bank provides structured opportunities based on ‘Resilient Peer Treatment’ (Fantuzzo et al. 1996; 2005) for children to engage in peer-mediated play sessions, and has been found to increase the play interaction of shy and withdrawn preschool children in an initial small-scale study by the current author. This research seeks to extend the evidence base for Play Bank in UK schools by examining perceptions of change in young children’s peer interaction and social competence, as well as school staff’s views of the facilitators and barriers to carrying out the intervention. One primary school was identified within the researcher’s current Local Authority and five target children were identified on the basis of teacher observations and EYFS profile scores. The views of 18 peers, two teaching staff and five parents were sought. A multiple embedded case study design was employed, using mixed methods of data collection at three time intervals. The quantitative methods comprised teacher and parent measures of children’s play-based social competence, whole class sociometric nominations and structured observations of children’s free play. Qualitative data were gathered in a semi structured group interview with the two teaching staff. Quantitative data were summarised using descriptive statistics and qualitative data were transcribed and a thematic analysis applied. The findings indicated that children who participated in Play Bank sessions displayed increased peer interaction and play-based social competence over the course of time. The study extends understanding regarding implementation issues for Play Bank and provides further evidence for the effects of Play Bank on young children’s peer interaction and social competence.

Background: Students with ASD are facing challenges in inclusive school settings. Despite some research have explore some components of peer-mediated intervention, there is gap between the practical implementation and current knowledge. Research aim: The research aims to synthesize the knowledge about school-based peer-mediated intervention for children with ASD. Method: The systematic review was applied in this research. Intervention component analysis to identify the component of PMI. Reichow’s evaluation instrument were used to assess the quality of included studies.  Conclusion: The content of peer-mediated intervention includes the PMI types, intervention intent and the combination of phases. Intervention outcome includes the measure methods and the result of outcome. The shared phases of conducting peer-mediated interventions are students recruitment, peer training and students meeting. The components of peer training are training package, deliver method and intensity. The components of students meeting are setting, context and intensity. Three of studies were assessed as strong quality of research, ten studies were assessed as adequate quality of research.

No description available.

The purpose of this study is to analyze the effects of a peer-mediated social skills intervention (PMI) on children 6-12 years of age diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Current literature discusses the effects of peer-mediated social skills interventions for children with ASD in schools and on the playground but has not been conducted in an Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) clinic or in an Early Childhood Education/ABA-integrated preschool. Three dyads, each consisting of a typical peer and a target child diagnosed with ASD, participated in this study. The frequency of participants' initiations, responses, and continuations were collected throughout all phases, and levels of social anxiety were collected from both members of the dyad periodically using the Severe Measure for Social Anxiety Disorder Child Age (11-17) questionnaire (SMSAD). A multiple baseline across participants design featuring a baseline phase, peer training, intervention without materials, intervention with materials, and generalization probes was used to evaluate the effectiveness of the procedures on communication. The results demonstrate an increase in responses across two target children. The frequency of continuations increased for one target child and initiations increased in another target child. Levels of social anxiety decreased for two dyads while the SMSAD questionnaire was not administered to the other dyad. The results of this study indicate that there may be a relationship between peer-mediated interventions and social anxiety levels. The results also indicate that peer-mediated interventions may provide positive outcomes in social interactions between children with ASD and neurotypical peers in ABA settings. Implementing peer-mediated interventions in ABA settings may provide opportunities that could ease the social transition from ABA services to an integrated setting by increasing the number of social interactions between children with ASD and their peers. Peer-mediated social skills interventions may have more of an impact on children who emit limited, independent interactions with peers.