Development and preliminary testing of the Dutch version of the Program for the Education and Enrichment of Relational Skills (PEERS®)

• Published in: Research in Autism Spectrum Disorders
• Main Author: Idris S.B.; Jagersma G.; van Pelt B.J.; Jacobs S.; Laugeson E.A.; Hillegers M.H.J.; van Haren N.; Greaves-Lord K.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier Ltd 2020
• Online Access: https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-85089423186&doi=10.1016%2fj.rasd.2020.101629&partnerID=40&md5=6ba28939508ae16611e0889315b47473

The content of interventions targeting social behavior is sensitive to cultural differences in etiquette and societal customs. Here we describe (1) the process of linguistic and cultural adaptation of the PEERS® social skills program to the Dutch language and culture, and (2) the results from a preliminary adaptation test among 32 adolescents (12–18 years old) with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Although some important cultural adaptations were made, the similarities in effective social behaviors across cultures were most striking. At post-test, autistic adolescents significantly improved their social skills knowledge. In addition, parent-reported and self-reported social engagement (hosted get-togethers) increased. Also, social skill impairment decreased according to parent-reports. Of the 32 adolescents who completed the program, 31% (n = 10) achieved a clinically significant change on the SRS-2 (ΔSRS-2 > 11.12). Future research examining the effectiveness of the Dutch version of PEERS® should include a larger randomized controlled trial, for which we provide several methodological considerations. © 2020