The Autism Society Event and Education Recordings Archive

Peer Buddy Programs have been around for years, but how effective are they in improving student growth and fostering lasting friendships? Let me show you how to take Peer Mentoring to the next level- with no curriculum, no materials and no cost to your school district. Long before the National Professional Development Center identified Peer-Mediated Instruction and Intervention as one of the 27 evidence-based practices for children and youth with Autism Spectrum Disorder and Asperger’s Syndrome, parents and professionals have been well aware of the social benefits of mainstreaming and inclusion. Peer Buddies and LINK Programs are far from new approaches and can be found in nearly every school across the country.  But how effective are they in improving student growth and achievement?  How successful are they in teaching the skills necessary for building friendships and maintaining lasting relationships? In Discover the Power of Peers, I will show participants how to take peer mentoring to the next level, to go beyond the traditional buddy program, with no curriculum, no materials, and no additional cost to the school district.  I will share my professional journey and personal stories which led to the creation of LIFT (Learning in Friendship Together), a credited high school course for students on and off the spectrum, and disclose the remarkable findings.  Participants will discover that a well-organized peer mentorship program not only improves social skills for students on the spectrum, but also has the potential of improving executive functioning, theory of mind, communication, self-regulation, behavior, classroom and community participation, self-advocacy, teamwork, organization, attendance, and overall academic achievement.  But even more meaningful, a well-designed peer mentorship program provides students, both on and off the spectrum, a safe environment to learn how to build and maintain “lasting relationships”- friendships extending outside of the classroom, school day, and well beyond graduation.

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