The aim of the study is to examine the effect of Peer-Mediated Interactions (PMI) on the social skills of children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). A nonequivalent control group time series design will allow the researcher to measure the dependent variable four times: twice pre-intervention and twice post-treatment. A purposive sampling method will obtain 40 autistic third-grade students from four public elementary schools in New York City. Twenty students will attend schools that plan to integrate PMIs into classrooms, and twenty students will serve as a control. The NYC public school records will identify schools planning to implement PMIs and children with ASD. A parent-teacher questionnaire will measure social skills on a Likert-Type Scale from 1 (lowest) to 5 (highest). The researcher predicts that those who receive the intervention will experience a greater improvement in social skills. Implications of the findings and directions for future research will be addressed.
Gabi MacNaughton is a senior at NYU, pursuing a Bachelor of Science degree in Applied Psychology in the Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development. Both her research and clinical interests focus on children and adolescents with anxiety disorders and disruptive behavior disorders, as well as children with Autism Spectrum Disorder. She has explored these areas of interest through her time spent as a classroom volunteer in a residential mental health facility for children and adolescents, through her position as a job and social skills coach for teens with autism, as well as through her internship at KPCPC, which was completed under the supervision of Dr. Steven Kurtz. She is currently a research assistant in Dr. Anil Chacko’s Families and Children Experiences Success Lab (FACES). Gabi plans to pursue a Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology and would like to work with children and adolescents in a clinical setting.
- Gabrielle MacNaughton: She is a senior at NYU, pursuing a Bachelor of Science degree in Applied Psychology in the Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development. Both her research and clinical interests focus on children and adolescents with anxiety disorders and disruptive behavior disorders, as well as children with Autism Spectrum Disorder. She has explored these areas of interest through her time spent as a classroom volunteer in a residential mental health facility for children and adolescents, through her position as a job and social skills coach for teens with autism, as well as through her internship at KPCPC, which was completed under the supervision of Dr. Steven Kurtz. She is currently a research assistant in Dr. Anil Chacko’s Families and Children Experiences Success Lab (FACES). Gabi plans to pursue a Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology and would like to work with children and adolescents in a clinical setting.