Current Projects

• PEERS for adolescence is an evidence based social skills intervention for motivated teens in middle and high school who are interested in making and keeping friends and or handling conflict and rejection.
• Teens and parents attend 14 weekly group sessions for 90 minutes per week
• Teens are taught social skills through didactic lessons and role-play demonstrations, and practice these skills during group socialization activities.
• Parents attend separate sessions simultaneously and are taught how to assist their teens in making and keeping friends.
• Teen and parent research participation is required to participate in the intervention

PEERS is an evidence-based and empirically-supported interventions designed to help motivated teens learn how to make and keep friends. Teens are taught and shown important social skills, and are given the opportunity to practice these skills during socialization activities. While teens are in their own session, parents/caregivers have their own facilitated sessions where they learn how to assist their teen by expanding their social network and providing feedback through coaching during weekly socialization homework assignments. 

The program is designed for adolescents ages 13-18 (PEERS) with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder who are themselves motivated and interested to participate. Involvement includes parent/caregiver and teen attendance at all sessions. Each session is 1.5 hours and is held weekly at the University of Calgary. 

Participant Requirements:

• Teens must have a diagnosis of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder
• Teens must be in middle school or high school (12-18 years of age)
• Teens must have friendship problems
• Teens must be interested in attending the program voluntarily
• Parents must be willing to participate

** PEERS is being conducted a part of a research study; thus, to participate all participants must be willing to participate in research (e.g., completing questionnaires).

The Strengths in ADHD Research Lab offers PEERS on a no cost basis as it is a part of a research study. In order to participate in PEERS, both teens and parents must be willing to participate in research by completing survey’s at pre-intervention, post-intervention, and 6 month follow up.

Teens will learn about:

• Developing and maintaining friendships
• Conversation skills
• Entering and exiting conversations
• Electronic communication
• Using humor appropriately
• Organizing get togethers
• Being a good sport
• Handling disagreements
• Changing a bad reputation
• Handling teasing and bullying