(Press-News.org) Love doesn’t come with an instruction manual, but for autistic adults seeking to navigate the complexities of romance, a UCLA Health program offers a roadmap to finding and sustaining meaningful relationships through the launch of a new research study, called PEERS for Dating.
Led by the UCLA Program for the Education and Enrichment of Relationship Skills (PEERS) Clinic, the new 20-week program aims to demystify the often complex social rules surrounding dating and help participants gain a deeper understanding of relationship dynamics
“Romantic relationships can be transformative, but for many autistic adults, the path to connection can feel uncertain,” says Dr. Elizabeth Laugeson, developer of the PEERS program. “With PEERS for Dating, we are committed to providing evidence-based tools to empower participants to approach love with confidence, form lasting connections, and improve their overall quality of life.”
PEERS for Dating: Practical Skills for Real Connections
The PEERS Clinic is currently recruiting participants for the free, 20-week study, set to begin in late January.
Participants will learn practical strategies for initiating and maintaining romantic relationships, including:
Choosing appropriate people to date
Using online dating etiquette
Developing conversational skills
Letting someone know you like them
Asking someone on a date
Going on dates
Handling dating pressure and rejection
Dating do’s and don’ts
In addition to weekly group sessions, participants will also receive support from trained dating coaches who will work alongside adult participants to help them apply what they learn in the real world. This coaching model builds on the success of previous PEERS® programs, which have emphasized the importance of guided social practice in helping individuals achieve lasting progress.
About PEERS: An Evidence-Based Program
PEERS® (Program or the Education and Enrichment of Relational Skills) is an internationally acclaimed, evidence-based social skills program developed at UCLA by Laugeson. It has been taught in over 150 countries, translated into multiple languages, and serves individuals from preschool to adulthood, focusing on skills related to friendships, dating, and employment. The program has even been featured in the hit television series Love on the Spectrum Australia.
The PEERS for Dating program is based on years of research dedicated to understanding and addressing the unique experiences that autistic individuals may encounter in social and romantic contexts. The curriculum reflects insights gathered through extensive focus groups and pilot studies, aiming to provide participants with the skills and knowledge necessary for success in the dating world.
Next Steps for Interested Participants
Spaces are limited and the deadline to apply is late January. If you are interested in participating in the PEERS for Dating study or would like more information, please contact the PEERS Clinic at:
Email: peersclinic@g.ucla.edu
Phone: (310) 267-3377
END
Unlocking Romance: UCLA offers dating program for autistic adults
Researchers are seeking participants for the free, 20-week study
2025-01-07
ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:
Research Spotlight: Researchers reveal the influences behind timing of sleep spindle production
2025-01-07
How would you summarize your study for a lay audience?
Our research focuses on sleep spindles—short bursts of brain activity during sleep that are crucial for stabilizing sleep and supporting memory.
Sleep spindles are of great interest because changes in spindle activity have been linked to many neurodevelopmental and neurodegenerative disorders, such as Alzheimer’s disease and autism.
While many factors influence when and how these spindles occur, such as sleep stages or brain rhythms, we discovered that short-term patterns, like a musical rhythm spanning just a few seconds, play the most ...
New research reveals groundwater pathways across continent
2025-01-07
Researchers from Princeton University and the University of Arizona have created a simulation that maps underground water on a continental scale. The result of three years’ work studying groundwater from coast to coast, the findings plot the unseen path that each raindrop or melted snowflake takes before reemerging in freshwater streams, following water from land surface to depths far below and back up again, emerging up to 100 miles away, after spending from 10 to 100,000 years underground.
The simulation, published Jan. 6 in the journal Nature Water, shows that rainfall and snowmelt ...
Students and faculty to join research teams this spring at Department of Energy National Laboratories and a fusion facility
2025-01-07
WASHINGTON, D.C. - A diverse group of 164 undergraduate students and six faculty will participate in unique workforce development programs at 11 of the nation’s national laboratories and a fusion facility during Spring 2025.
This opportunity is part of a continuing effort by the Department of Energy (DOE) to ensure the nation has a strong, sustained workforce trained in the skills needed to address the energy, environment, and national security challenges of today and tomorrow.
“The ...
SETI Forward recognizes tomorrow’s cosmic pioneers
2025-01-07
January 7, 2025, Mountain View, CA -- The SETI Institute announces the 2024 SETI Forward Award recipients: Gabriella Rizzo and Pritvik Sinhadc. This year's recipients worked on research projects to understand extremophiles in deep-sea hydrothermal vents and to analyze gravitational wave signals for potential extraterrestrial technosignatures. Established by Lew Levy, SETI Forward committee founder and member of the SETI Institute’s Council of Advisors, this award is a beacon for promising young scientists. The goal is to connect students with opportunities that foster their ...
Top mental health research achievements of 2024 from the Brain & Behavior Research Foundation
2025-01-07
The Brain & Behavior Research Foundation (BBRF) has announced the 2024 Leading Research Achievements by BBRF grantees, prizewinners, and scientific council members. It includes important studies of suicide, childhood anxiety, depression, eating disorders, cocaine addiction, and other aspects of brain and behavior illness.
The 2024 Leading Research Achievements are:
Suicide Risk Fluctuates Across the Menstrual Cycle, Affecting Different Women Differently
Tory Anne Eisenlohr-Moul, Ph.D., University of Illinois, Chicago
Preliminary Trial of Psychoactive ...
FAU names Lewis S. Nelson, M.D., Dean of the Schmidt College of Medicine
2025-01-07
Florida Atlantic University has named Lewis S. Nelson, M.D., as the new dean of the Charles E. Schmidt College of Medicine. Nelson previously served as professor and inaugural chair of the Department of Emergency Medicine and chief of the Division of Medical Toxicology and Addiction Medicine at Rutgers New Jersey Medical School in Newark, and chief of the Emergency Department at University Hospital of Newark, a public safety net hospital. He assumed his role as dean on Jan. 6.
Nelson has more than 30 years of academic and clinical leadership experience with a proven record of fostering innovation, research, and clinical excellence. During his eight-year tenure ...
UC Irvine-led study challenges traditional risk factors for brain health in the oldest-old
2025-01-07
Irvine, Calif., Jan. 7, 2025 – A study led by the University of California, Irvine has found cardiovascular conditions such as high blood pressure and diabetes, which are known to contribute to brain blood vessel damage in younger populations, not to be associated with an increased risk of such harm in individuals 90 and older.
The work, published online today in the journal Alzheimer’s & Dementia: The Journal of the Alzheimer’s Association, suggests that the relationship among blood pressure, vascular health and brain aging is more complex than previously thought.
“For decades, we’ve known that factors like high blood ...
Study shows head trauma may activate latent viruses, leading to neurodegeneration
2025-01-07
Concussions and repetitive head trauma in sports like football and boxing, once accepted as an unpleasant consequence of intense athletic competition, are now recognized as serious health threats. Of particular concern is the connection between head injuries and neurodegenerative diseases such as chronic traumatic encephalopathy, Alzheimer’s disease, and Parkinson’s disease, prompting sports governing bodies to adjust protective equipment and rules of play to minimize the risk.
Researchers at Tufts University and Oxford University have now uncovered mechanisms that may ...
Advancements in neural implant research enhance durability
2025-01-07
Crucial research on brain diseases
Neural implants are crucial in order to study the brain and develop treatments for patients with diseases like Parkinson's or clinical depression. Neural implants electrically stimulate, block, or record signals from neurons or neural networks in the brain. For study and treatment, and specifically for chronic use, these neural implants must be durable.
"Miniaturized neural implants have enormous potential to transform healthcare, but their long-term stability in the body ...
SwRI models Pluto-Charon formation scenario that mimics Earth-Moon system
2025-01-07
SAN ANTONIO — January 7, 2025 —A NASA postdoctoral researcher at Southwest Research Institute has used advanced models that indicate that the formation of Pluto and Charon may parallel that of the Earth-Moon system. Both systems include a moon that is a large fraction of the size of the main body, unlike other moons in the solar system. The scenario also could support Pluto’s active geology and possible subsurface ocean, despite its location at the frozen edge of the solar system.
“We ...
LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:
Hematological and biochemical serum markers in breast cancer: Diagnostic, therapeutic, and prognostic significance
Towards integrated data model for next-generation bridge maintenance
Pusan National University researchers identify potential new second-line option for advanced biliary tract cancer
New study warns of alarming decline in high blood pressure control in England
DNA transcription is a tightly choreographed event. A new study reveals how it is choreographed
Drones: An ally in the sky to help save elephants!
RNA in action: Filming ribozyme self-assembly
Non-invasive technology can shape the brain’s reward-seeking mechanisms
X-ray imaging captures the brain’s intricate connections
Plastic pollution is worsened by warming climate and must be stemmed, researchers warn
Europe’s hidden HIV crisis: Half of all people living with HIV in Europe are diagnosed late, threatening to undermine the fight against AIDS
More efficient aircraft engines: Graz University of Technology reveals optimization potential
Nobel Prize-awarded material that puncture and kill bacteria
Michigan cherry farmers find a surprising food safety ally: falcons
Individuals with diabetes are more likely to suffer complications after stent surgery
Polyphenol-rich diets linked to better long-term heart health
Tai chi as good as talking therapy for managing chronic insomnia
Monthly injection helps severe asthma patients safely stop or reduce daily steroids
The Lancet Respiratory Medicine: Monthly injection may help severe asthma patients safely reduce or stop daily oral steroid use
Largest study reveals best treatment options for ADHD
Tsunami from massive Kamchatka earthquake captured by satellite
Hidden dangers in 'acid rain' soils
Drug developed for inherited bleeding disorder shows promising trial results
New scan could help millions with hard-to-treat high blood pressure
9th IOF Asia-Pacific Bone Health Conference set to open in Tokyo
Can your driving patterns predict cognitive decline?
New electrochemical strategy boosts uranium recovery from complex wastewater
Study links America’s favorite cooking oil to obesity
Famous Easter Island statues were created without centralized management
Captive male Asian elephants can live together peacefully and with little stress, if introduced slowly and carefully, per Laos case study of 8 unrelated males
[Press-News.org] Unlocking Romance: UCLA offers dating program for autistic adultsResearchers are seeking participants for the free, 20-week study