From Barriers to Belonging: Promoting Inclusion and Relationships Through the Peer to Peer Program

Peer relationships are just as important for students with autism, intellectual disability, and other developmental disabilities. Through their interactions with peers across the school day, students develop new skills, encounter new perspectives, access needed supports, find camaraderie, develop so...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Teaching exceptional children 2020-07, Vol.52 (6), p.426-434
Main Authors: Ziegler, Maureen, Matthews, Amy, Mayberry, Margie, Owen-DeSchryver, Jamie, Carter, Erik W.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Autism
Conferences (Gatherings)
Developmental Disabilities
Elementary Secondary Education
Friendship
Intellectual Disability
Interaction
Peer Relationship
Pervasive Developmental Disorders
Program Development
Program Effectiveness
Program Evaluation
Program Implementation
Social Development
Social Life
Staff Role
Student Needs
Student Role
Students with Disabilities
Teamwork
Training
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Summary:Peer relationships are just as important for students with autism, intellectual disability, and other developmental disabilities. Through their interactions with peers across the school day, students develop new skills, encounter new perspectives, access needed supports, find camaraderie, develop social capital, learn prevailing norms, and elevate their future aspirations (Biggs & Carter, 2017). Yet friendships can be limited for these students. For example, only 29% of high school students with autism and 42% of students with intellectual disability reported that they got together with friends at least once per week during the past year (Lipscomb et al., 2017). Instead, so much of their school day is spent among paraprofessionals, special educators, and other adults. This article describes a time-tested and replicable schoolwide approach for creating meaningful social opportunities and fostering a school climate that is supportive of inclusion.
ISSN:0040-0599
2163-5684
DOI:10.1177/0040059920906519