Impact of Social Knowledge and Skills Training Based on UCLA PEERS® on Social Communication and Interaction Skills of Adolescents or Young Adults With Autism: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Asian Journal of Psychiatry

Cheng, Y., Shi, J., et al. (2025).

Asian Journal of Psychiatry, 106, 104422.

<div>This systematic review and meta-analysis explores the impact of the University of California, Los Angeles' Program for the Education and Enrichment of Relational Skills (UCLA PEERS) program on social knowledge and skills in adolescents and young adults on the autism spectrum.&nbsp;</div>

Jiamusi University (China)

From database inception to December 9, 2024

<div>No exclusions regarding study designs</div>

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<div>UCLA PEERS had the following effects for adolescents and young adults on the autism spectrum:</div> <div> <ul> <li><strong>Test of Adolescent Social Skills Knowledge (TASSK):&nbsp;</strong>There was a significant, positive effect on social skills knowledge as measured by the TASSK (standardized mean difference (SMD) = 2.20) compared to a waitlist control.</li> <li><strong>Social Responsiveness Scale (SRS):&nbsp;</strong>PEERS had a significant, positive effect on parent-reported social skills per the SRS (SMD = -0.47), with no significant difference for teacher-reported social skills.</li> <li><strong>Social Skills Rating System (SSRS):</strong> While there was improvement in SSRS total scores and for subtests of cooperative and self-control skills, these differences were not statistically significant.&nbsp;</li> <li><strong>Quality of Socialization Questionnaire (QSQ): </strong>Children who received PEERS intervention scored more highly for socializing in get-togethers (SMD = 0.96) and in conflict (SMD = -1.75). There were no statistically significant differences between self-report and care partner-report in these measures.&nbsp;</li> <li><strong>Quality of Play Questionnaire (QPQ):</strong> There was a significant, positive effect on quality of play per the QPQ (SMD = 0.69) compared to a waitlist control. There was no significant difference in self-report and care partner-report for this measure.&nbsp;</li> <li><strong>Empathy Quotient (EQ): </strong>There was a significant, positive effect on empathy as measured by the EQ (SMD = 0.53) compared to waitlist controls.&nbsp;</li> </ul> <div>There was no statistically significant difference in PEERS outcomes when delivered in schools versus clinics and other institutional settings.&nbsp;<br><br>Limitations to this review include small sample sizes, significant risk of bias in the majority of included studies, and the limited number of studies within each subgroup analysis. Additional, high-quality research is indicated.&nbsp;</div> </div>