Peers have the capacity to provide significant influence on the lives of students with ASD. They may take on a number of roles including friend, model, supporter, skill builder or information provider.
Students with ASD tend to want to interact and have fun with their peers but often lack the skills to do so effectively and/or are not always able to sustain interactions for the same length of period as their peers.
When supporting students with ASD to develop positive peer relationships, adults may assist by considering what support and explicit teaching is required by the student with ASD and by the peers. Supporting students to develop positive peer relationships is a complex task and must consider:
- the developmental level of the students
- when and how adults intervene with peer interactions
- resilience
- the environment.
The following tip sheets provide information to assist with: