Peer-Supported Inclusive Social Skills Instruction for Elementary Students with Emotional and Behavioral Disorders

This study examined the effectiveness of an intervention package consisting of individualized lessons, adult-directed prompting, and peer support, in the acquisition and generalization of social skills by three elementary participants with emotional and behavioral disorders in an inclusive natural school environment. Prior to intervention, each participant exhibited deficits in social engagement compared to same-age peers. The study was conducted in two phases. In phase 1, assessment data were collected from a variety of sources to determine the social skills deficits and training targets for each student. During phase 2, the intervention package was implemented. Based on visual and statistical analysis of data, results demonstrated increased social engagement in the lunchroom (Tau-U = 1.00) and generalization of acquired social skills to an untrained inclusive environment (Tau-U = 0.80 and 0.94) for all participants. Implications, limitations, and directions for future research are presented.