PEERS Social Skills Program

A guide to the PEERS program: UCLA's evidence-based social skills intervention for teens and young adults, especially those on the autism spectrum.

10 min readLast reviewed: March 28, 2026

What Is the PEERS Program?

PEERS — the Program for the Education and Enrichment of Relational Skills — is an evidence-based social skills intervention developed at the UCLA Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior by Dr. Elizabeth Laugeson and Dr. Fred Frankel. Originally designed for adolescents with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), PEERS has since been adapted for young adults, school-age children, and individuals with a range of social difficulties including ADHD, social anxiety, and depression.

What sets PEERS apart from other social skills programs is its specificity. Rather than teaching vague concepts like "be a good friend," PEERS breaks social interaction down into concrete, teachable steps. It covers the actual mechanics of how to start conversations, how to enter group conversations already in progress, how to handle disagreements, how to use humor appropriately, and how to navigate the complex social terrain of friendships and dating.

weekly sessions in the standard PEERS program, each with parallel parent and teen groups

Source: UCLA PEERS Clinic

PEERS is one of the few social skills programs for teens and young adults with a robust evidence base from multiple randomized controlled trials. It has been translated into over a dozen languages and is used in clinics, schools, and community settings worldwide.

Who Is PEERS For?

PEERS serves several populations:

Adolescents (ages 12-18) with autism spectrum disorder. This is the original and most extensively studied population. PEERS helps autistic teens who want to make and keep friends but struggle with the unwritten social rules that neurotypical peers seem to understand intuitively.

Young adults (ages 18-35) with autism spectrum disorder. The PEERS for Young Adults program addresses the social challenges specific to college, employment, and adult social life, including dating and romantic relationships.

Adolescents and young adults with ADHD. Social difficulties are common in ADHD, and PEERS provides the structured skills training that can help.

Adolescents and young adults with social anxiety. When social anxiety is accompanied by genuine skill deficits (not just avoidance of situations the person could handle), PEERS provides the concrete skills that give confidence a foundation.

Adolescents and young adults with other social difficulties. This includes those with depression, learning disabilities, and other conditions that impact social functioning.

PEERS is designed for individuals who are motivated to improve their social connections. It is most effective when participants genuinely want friendships but do not know how to build them — as opposed to those who are content with limited social interaction.

How PEERS Works

The Structure

The standard adolescent PEERS program consists of 16 weekly sessions, each lasting approximately 90 minutes. Each session has two components running simultaneously:

The teen group. Teens meet with the PEERS clinician to learn a specific social skill. Skills are taught through didactic instruction, role-play demonstrations, behavioral rehearsal, and in-session practice. The atmosphere is supportive and structured, with clear expectations and consistent positive reinforcement.

The parent group. Parents meet separately with another clinician to learn the same skill their teen is learning. This parallel structure ensures that parents can coach and support their teen's social skill practice throughout the week. Parents learn how to facilitate social opportunities, provide feedback without being intrusive, and troubleshoot social challenges.

The Curriculum

PEERS covers a carefully sequenced set of social skills:

Conversational skills. How to trade information during conversations, find common interests, and show interest in what others are saying. PEERS teaches specific conversational rules, such as asking follow-up questions, sharing related information, and avoiding conversation killers like interrogating, bragging, or monopolizing.

Electronic communication. How to use texting, social media, and other digital communication appropriately to develop and maintain friendships. This reflects the reality that much of modern adolescent social life happens online.

Entering conversations. One of the most challenging social tasks is joining a conversation already in progress. PEERS teaches a step-by-step method: listening first, waiting for a pause, moving closer, making a relevant comment, and gauging whether the group is receptive.

Exiting conversations. Equally important but rarely taught, PEERS covers how to gracefully end a conversation without being rude or abrupt.

Choosing appropriate friends. PEERS helps participants identify the characteristics of good friendship candidates and recognize when someone is not a good match. This includes understanding social hierarchies and finding peer groups where one is likely to be accepted.

Get-togethers. PEERS teaches the concrete logistics of planning and executing social get-togethers — how to invite someone, what activities work well, how long the get-together should last, and how to be a good host.

Handling disagreements. Conflict is inevitable in friendships. PEERS teaches specific strategies for managing disagreements without damaging the relationship, including when to compromise, when to let things go, and how to apologize.

Handling rejection and bullying. PEERS provides practical strategies for dealing with teasing, bullying, exclusion, and rejection. Rather than generic advice like "just ignore them," PEERS teaches specific verbal and behavioral responses that research shows are most effective.

Humor. PEERS covers how to use humor appropriately in social situations, including what kinds of humor tend to land well and what kinds tend to alienate.

Dating skills (Young Adult version). The young adult PEERS program includes modules on appropriate dating behavior, including how to show romantic interest, plan dates, and navigate the early stages of romantic relationships.

Homework and Practice

Each week, participants are assigned social homework — real-world social tasks that put the week's skill into practice. This might include having a phone call with a peer, inviting someone to a get-together, or practicing a new conversational strategy. Parents play a crucial role in facilitating these homework assignments without being overbearing.

What to Expect

Before the Program

Most PEERS programs conduct an intake assessment to determine whether the program is a good fit. This typically involves:

A clinical interview with the teen and parents
Assessment of the teen's social functioning and motivation
Screening for co-occurring conditions
Discussion of group expectations and commitment

PEERS requires a significant time commitment (16 weekly sessions), and both the teen and at least one parent must attend. Motivation matters — the program works best when the teen genuinely wants to improve their social life.

During Sessions

A typical PEERS session follows a predictable structure:

Homework review. Teens report on their social homework from the previous week. Successes are celebrated, and challenges are discussed and problem-solved.
Lesson. The clinician teaches the week's social skill using clear rules, concrete examples, and demonstrations.
Role-play and rehearsal. Teens practice the skill through structured role-plays with peers and clinician feedback.
Socialization activity. Teens have unstructured social time to practice skills in a natural context while clinicians observe and provide coaching.
Homework assignment. The clinician assigns the week's social homework.

Meanwhile, in the parent group, parents learn the same lesson, discuss how to support their teen's practice, and troubleshoot issues from the week.

After the Program

The skills learned in PEERS are designed to be lasting. Research shows that social skill gains are maintained at follow-up assessments months and even years after the program ends. Many families report continued improvement after the program as teens apply their skills in more situations.

Some clinics offer PEERS "booster" groups or reunions for graduates who want refresher sessions.

What Conditions Does PEERS Address?

While PEERS is not a mental health treatment per se, it addresses social difficulties associated with:

Autism spectrum disorder: The primary population studied. PEERS helps autistic individuals decode and practice the implicit social rules that can be particularly challenging.
Social anxiety: When social anxiety is accompanied by genuine skill deficits, PEERS provides concrete skills that reduce anxiety by building competence.
ADHD: Social impulsivity, difficulty reading social cues, and trouble maintaining friendships are common in ADHD. PEERS addresses these specific challenges.
Depression: Social isolation is both a risk factor for and symptom of depression. By building social connections, PEERS can contribute to improved mood.
Learning disabilities: Social skills can be affected by learning differences, and PEERS provides the explicit instruction that these individuals benefit from.

What the Research Says

PEERS has one of the strongest evidence bases of any social skills program for teens and young adults:

Multiple

randomized controlled trials demonstrate significant improvements in social skills, friendship quality, and social engagement

Source: Laugeson et al., UCLA PEERS Clinic

Key findings from the research:

A 2012 randomized controlled trial published in the Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders found that teens who completed PEERS showed significant improvements in social skills knowledge, social responsiveness, and frequency of get-togethers with friends, with gains maintained at 14-week follow-up.
A 2015 study of PEERS for Young Adults found similar improvements in social skills knowledge, empathy, social engagement, and a decrease in autism-related social symptoms.
Research has consistently shown that PEERS produces improvements not only on clinician-rated measures but also on parent and teen self-reports, suggesting that the changes are noticed in daily life.
Studies conducted in South Korea, Japan, Hong Kong, Israel, and other countries have replicated the program's effectiveness across cultures.

How PEERS Compares to Other Approaches

Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA): ABA teaches social skills through behavioral reinforcement, often one-on-one. PEERS is a group-based program that uses peer practice and real-world homework. PEERS is better suited for verbally fluent teens and young adults who want peer friendships.
CBT: CBT addresses the cognitive distortions and avoidance behaviors that maintain social anxiety. PEERS teaches concrete social skills. For individuals with both social anxiety and skill deficits, the approaches can complement each other.
Group therapy: Traditional group therapy provides a social environment for processing emotions and experiences. PEERS is more structured and skill-focused, with a specific curriculum and homework.
Generic social skills groups: Many clinics offer social skills groups, but few use an evidence-based, manualized curriculum. PEERS is distinguished by its specific, research-backed content and its unique parallel parent component.

Is PEERS Right for Your Teen or Young Adult?

PEERS may be a strong fit if:

Your teen or young adult wants to make friends but does not know how
They have autism, ADHD, social anxiety, or other conditions affecting social skills
They are verbally fluent and can participate in a group discussion format
They are motivated to improve their social life (even if they are nervous about the group)
You (as a parent) are available and willing to attend the parallel parent group
You can commit to 16 weekly sessions

PEERS may be less ideal if:

Your teen is not motivated to improve social connections
The primary issue is behavioral rather than social-relational
Your teen needs more intensive, individualized support than a group format provides
Language or cognitive limitations would make it difficult to participate in the group format

Frequently Asked Questions

No. While PEERS was originally developed for teens with autism, it has been successfully used with teens who have ADHD, social anxiety, depression, and other conditions that affect social functioning. The key criterion is that your teen wants to improve their social skills and can participate in a group format.

The parent component is a core feature of PEERS, not an optional add-on. Parents learn the same skills their teens learn and serve as social coaches throughout the week. Research shows that the parent component is critical for generalizing skills from the group setting to daily life. Parents help facilitate social opportunities, provide feedback, and reinforce skill use.

This is very common and completely understandable. PEERS groups are structured and predictable, which tends to reduce anxiety. The clinicians create a supportive, non-judgmental environment. Most teens report feeling more comfortable after the first one or two sessions. The group format is actually therapeutic — practicing social skills with peers who share similar challenges is more effective than practicing with a therapist alone.

Yes. During and after the COVID-19 pandemic, many PEERS programs transitioned to telehealth delivery. Research on online PEERS has shown comparable effectiveness to in-person groups. Online PEERS can also be a good option for families who do not live near a certified PEERS provider.

The UCLA PEERS Clinic maintains a directory of certified PEERS providers. You can also ask your child's school, pediatrician, or mental health provider for referrals. Some schools and community organizations run PEERS groups. If there is no certified provider in your area, online options are available.

The standard PEERS for Adolescents program is designed for teens ages 12 to 18. PEERS for Young Adults targets individuals ages 18 to 35. There is also a PEERS for Preschoolers program and adaptations for school-age children. The appropriate version depends on your child's age and developmental level.

Social Skills Can Be Learned

PEERS provides the concrete, step-by-step social skills that can transform your teen's or young adult's ability to make and keep friends.