@article{735acc1c0e064fbb88c1c2f11be34015,
title = "Effects of Peer Support Interventions on the Communication of Preschoolers with Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Systematic Review",
abstract = "Many young children with autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) experience difficulty in the development of communication skills. Teaching peers to make use of communication support behaviors has been investigated as a strategy to increase communication for young children with ASD in early childhood settings. The purpose of this systematic review was to examine (1) the overall effects of peer support interventions on the communication of young children with ASD and (2) any possible moderating variables related to participant and intervention characteristics. The social support model was used as a framework for the study of intervention components. Eighteen single-case experimental design studies (48 children with ASD) met the inclusion criteria and were advanced to the full coding and analysis phase of the investigation. Descriptive analyses and effect size estimations using the improvement rate difference (IRD) metric were conducted. Overall, peer support interventions were found to be effective across a range of young children with ASD and intervention approaches. Evidence was also identified for the use of the social support model as a framework to guide the development of peer interventions in early childhood settings. The use of friendship groups, the selection of play materials based on the interests of the child with ASD, and the provision of augmentative and alternative communication appeared to be associated with positive communication outcomes.",
author = "Shelley Chapin and David McNaughton and Susannah Boyle and Salena Babb",
note = "Funding Information: Portions of this article were submitted by the first author in partial fulfillment of the doctoral program requirements at the Department of Educational Psychology, Counseling, and Special Education; Pennsylvania State University. This project was supported, in part, by funding to the Rehabilitation Engineering Research Center on Augmentative and Alternative Communication (RERC on AAC) from the National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research (NIDILRR grant no. 90RE5017), which is a center within the Administration for Community Living, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The first author is also supported by a grant from the U.S. Department of Education (no. H325D090042). The content does not necessarily represent the policy of these funding agencies; readers should not assume endorsement by these agencies. Funding Information: Financial: The authors{\textquoteright} research is funded by a grant from the National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research (NIDILRR grant no. 90RE5017) to the Rehabilitation Engineering Research Center on Augmentative and Alternative Communication (RERC on AAC). NIDILRR is a Center within the Administration for Community Living (ACL), Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). In addition, the first author is also supported by a grant from the U.S. Department of Education (no. H325D090042). Nonfinancial: No relevant nonfinancial relationships exist. Publisher Copyright: {\textcopyright} 2018 by Thieme Medical Publishers, Inc. Copyright: Copyright 2019 Elsevier B.V., All rights reserved.",
year = "2018",
doi = "10.1055/s-0038-1670670",
language = "English (US)",
volume = "39",
pages = "443--457",
journal = "Seminars in Speech and Language",
issn = "0734-0478",
publisher = "Thieme Medical Publishers",
number = "5",
}