UCLA PEERS Clinic at the International Meeting for Autism Research (IMFAR) Conference 2016 (CA UCEDD)

May 31, 2016

On May 11-14, Dr. Elizabeth Laugeson and members of her research team presented recent study findings on the PEERS® intervention at the International Meeting for Autism Research (IMFAR) in Baltimore, Maryland. Dr. Laugeson is the Director of Training at the Tarjan Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities at UCLA, and is the Founder and Director of the UCLA PEERS® Clinic, an outpatient program providing an evidence-based, parent assisted social skills intervention for adolescents and young adults with Autism Spectrum Disorder.

Presentations from PEERS® team members included: "The Influence of Self-Esteem in predicting Social Anxiety in Adolescents with ASD Following the UCLA PEERS® School Based Curriculum" by Jordan Albright, M.A.; "Examining the Role of Social-Communication in Explaining Treatment Gains for Adolescents with ASD Following the PEERS® Social Skills Intervention" by Courtney Bolton, Ph.D; Examining the Relation Between Social Anxiety and Social Engagement Outcomes among Adolescents with Autism Spectrum Disorder Following the UCLA PEERS® Intervention" by Angela Dahiya, M.A.; "Selecting Informants to Assess Social Functioning and Treatment Outcomes for Adolescents with Social Challenges" by Elina Veytsman; "The Relationship Between Friendship Quality, Companionship and Social Engagement in Adolescents with Autism Spectrum Disorder" by James Yang, M.A.; and "The Influence of Cognitive Empathy in Predicting Changes in Social Skills Improvement for Adolescents with ASD Following the UCLA PEER® Program" by Lijing Zhang, M.A.

For more information on the PEERS® research studies, social skills intervention, and Certified Training Seminars, please visit our website at www.semel.ucla.edu/peers or contact the clinic at (310)267-3377.