Students with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) have severe impairment in social skills, which affects all areas of development. Researchers have indicated peer-mediated intervention (PMI) may improve social skills of children with ASD. PMI involves training carefully selected nondisabled peers to teach academic or social skills to students with disabilities using strategies such as modeling, prompting, and reinforcement in an inclusive education setting. However, a review of the literature suggests that PMI in and of itself may be beneficial, but not sufficient, to enhance social interaction among students with ASD and their peers. The literature suggests that incorporating components that encourage student interaction in the PMI procedures may enhance its effectiveness.
The purpose of this study was to compare the effects of peer training and peer training with contingency contracting on the frequency of social interactions between children with ASD and their nondisabled peers. I chose contingency contracting in the study because it involves the use of systematic prompting and reinforcement to increase student interaction. Three students with ASD and six typically developing peers enrolled in an inclusive elementary school in Saudi Arabia participated in the study. I conducted the study using a multiple-baseline design across participants. The results showed that peer training alone did not improve or maintain the social interactions between the participants. When the intervention included contingency contracting, the frequency of social interactions significantly increased.