PEERS helps students navigate friendships, handle tough social moments, and feel more confident in who they are.
Improve Social Functioning
PEERS (Program for the Education and Enrichment of Relational Skills) is a 16-week evidence-based social skills program offered at Tapestry. It is one of the only research-supported social skills programs proven to improve social functioning for teens and young adults.
What Is PEERS?
PEERS was developed by Elizabeth Laugeson at the University of California Los Angeles. It is designed for teens and young adults challenged with autism spectrum disorder, ADHD, depression, anxiety, and twice-exceptional profiles with social impairments.
What Students Learn
The program teaches ecologically valid social skills, the same skills that socially accepted peers naturally use, and has been shown to produce gains that are maintained three to five years after the program ends.
- How to use appropriate conversational skills
- How to find common interests by trading information
- How to use humor appropriately
- How to enter and exit peer conversations
- How to handle rejection, teasing, and bullying
- How to handle rumors and gossip
- How to be a good host during get-togethers
- How to navigate phone and electronic communication with friends
- How to choose appropriate friends
- How to be a good sport
- How to handle arguments and disagreements
- How to change a bad reputation
Parent Involvement
Parental participation is a key part of PEERS. Research shows that parental support and supervision significantly benefit the development of friendships. Parent groups run at the same time as the student groups so families can reinforce what their teens are learning at home.
Why PEERS at Tapestry?
Tapestry offers PEERS because we believe that academic achievement and social connection go hand in hand. When students feel confident in their relationships, they show up more fully in the classroom. PEERS gives students concrete tools to build and maintain real friendships.
Learn more about the research behind PEERS