%0 Journal Article
%T Brief Report: A Pilot Study Examining the Effects of PEERS® for Adolescents Telehealth for Autistic Adolescents.
%A Adler EJ
%A Schiltz HK
%A Glad DM
%A Lehman SA
%A Pardej SK
%A Stanley RE
%A Van Hecke AV
%J J Autism Dev Disord
%V 52
%N 12
%D Dec 2022 23
%M 35870099
%F 4.345
%R 10.1007/s10803-022-05666-0
%X The COVID-19 pandemic sparked a worldwide transition to providing online services overnight, highlighting the urgent need for empirically supported telehealth interventions. The current study examined the effects of PEERS® for Adolescents Telehealth, an adaptation from the original social skills intervention developed for in-person provision, among 22 autistic adolescents and their caregivers. To evaluate the intervention, caregivers completed questionnaires assessing core autistic features and frequency of get-togethers. Adolescents completed questionnaires measuring social knowledge and frequency of get-togethers. Improvements in social skills knowledge, increased get-togethers, and decreased core autistic symptoms were evident. Preliminary results suggest PEERS® for Adolescents Telehealth improves social competence, as found for the in-person version. Further research exploring the equivalence of telehealth to in-person social skills intervention is recommended.