Efficacy of Peer-Network Interventions for High School Students with Severe Disabilities and Complex Communication Needs

Abstract

Peer networks are a promising intervention for increasing social interactions between students with severe disabilities and their peers. However, this approach has not been well studied with high school students who have complex communication needs and use augmentative and alternative communication (AAC). In this study, we used a multiple probe across participants design to evaluate the effectiveness of a lunchtime peer-network intervention for three high school students with autism and/or multiple disabilities who had complex communication needs. The intervention involved recruiting peers, sharing practical background information and modeling how to communicate with the student, and then providing support as needed. A functional relation was established between the introduction of the peer-network intervention and both social interactions and social engagement. Interactions increased substantially across communication modalities. This study builds on the peer-network literature by demonstrating how this approach can be tailored for high school students with complex communication needs.

A Scoping Review and Appraisal of AAC Research in Inclusive School Settings

“…This possibility was evident in the study by Anderson et al (2011) in which they noted difficulties with recruitment because "… few children with severe cerebral palsy who used an SGD could be found within the mainstream education system" (p. 89). More recent studies reflect a similar dominance of segregated settings, such that even in inclusive setting studies, it was apparent that many students spent much of their school days in special education classrooms or resource units (e.g., Herbert et al, 2020). Often, their time with peers was limited: it may have occurred regularly (e.g., Schneider & Goldstein, 2010), but for varying amounts of the school day (Biggs & Snodgrass, 2020) or mainly for the purposes of data collection (e.g., Biggs et al, 2018).…”

“…Closer examination of the aims and findings of the SCED studies (Table 1) shows a focus on peers in terms of improving social interactions with students who used AAC in six studies (e.g., Biggs et al, 2018;Hughes et al, 2013), with four also addressing peer mediation on interactions and, in some cases, the student with disability's use of AAC (e.g., Biggs et al, 2017;Herbert et al, 2020;Wu et al, 2020). In considering the potential benefits of school inclusion in both enhancing the extent to which students who use AAC become part of the social milieu and can access the curriculum, the study by Wu et al (2020) is noteworthy.…”

“…In three studies, it was the sole aim: these were to examine the efficacy of the PECS (Ganz & Simpson, 2004) and access to AAC (Stoner et al, 2010), and compare across types of high tech AAC in terms of student preferences and interactions (Fleury et al, 2019). Often, improved AAC use was targeted in addition to other aims: Examples were improving peer interactions (Biggs et al, 2018;Biggs et al, 2017;Kravits et al, 2002), which featured in 10 (36%) studies, with peers also being mediators of the intervention in two (Herbert et al, 2020;Simpson & Bui, 2016). Peers also featured in three studies about friendships experienced by students with complex communication needs (Anderson et al, 2011;Biggs & Snodgrass, 2020;Østvik et al, 2018).…”

Philosophical Perspectives and Practical Considerations for the Inclusion of Students with Developmental Disabilities

“…In addition to peer support arrangements, a number of other peer-mediated interventions have been shown to produce similar reciprocal benefits for students with developmental disabilities and their peers. Examples include peer networks that focus on social interactions in the lunchroom and the hallway [55], recess-focused intervention that involves support for interaction and play, and peer tutoring that focuses on teaching specific academic content [55][56][57]. Taken together, this body of literature provides strong evidence that peer-mediated intervention can enhance outcomes for students with developmental disabilities in inclusive settings and that the peers who provide support also experience unique benefits.…”

Stakeholder Perspectives of Peer-Mediated Intervention in an Inclusive Afterschool Program

“…Within the modern education literature, there are many terms similar to peer mediated intervention: peer training, peer support arrangements, peer support network, peer coaching, and peer teaching. For the purposes of this research, the researcher defines PMI with the following criteria: (1) During PMI, peers are trained how to initiate and respond to bids of attention, how to model appropriate behavior, how to prompt, and how to reinforce appropriate behavior when interacting with students with disabilities (Chan et al, 2009;Herbert et al, 2020); (2) During PMI, trained peers receive ongoing feedback from practitioners and educators to help support their same-age peers with significant disabilities (Carter et al, 2009;Herbert et al 2020); (3) During PMI, peers are selected purposefully based on understanding and experience interacting with peers with differences (Bottema-Beutal et al, 2016;Herbert et al, 2020). While most PMI studies focus on PMI in a classroom setting, the current study analyzes the perspectives of stakeholders in one inclusive afterschool program which uses PMI in its curriculum and framework.…”