(Press-News.org) Imagine this: You watch your child at the playground, their eyes lighting up as they approach a group of laughing kids. But instead of welcoming them in, the children turn away. No invitation to join, no shared smiles—just an invisible barrier keeping your child on the outside looking in.
For parents, the pain of seeing their child struggle to make friends can be heartbreaking. Every parent wants their child to be included, to experience the joy of companionship, and to feel the warmth of a friendly hand reaching out to pull them into play. But what happens when social skills don’t come naturally? Where do parents turn when their child is struggling to navigate the complex world of friendship?
The PEERS for Preschoolers program, developed at UCLA by Dr. Elizabeth Laugeson, is now one of the only evidence-based solutions designed to help young children (ages 4–6) on the autism spectrum to learn the fundamental skills needed to form lasting friendships. And the world is taking notice.
UCLA’s First-Ever PEERS for Preschoolers Certified Teleconference Draws Global Attention
UCLA recently hosted the first-ever PEERS for Preschoolers Certified Teleconference, training approximately 450 clinicians and educators from 28 countries in the science of teaching social skills to preschool-aged children. Attendees from across the globe — including professionals from the United States, Australia, Brazil, Canada, Chile, China, Italy, Japan, Korea, Saudi Arabia, the United Kingdom and beyond — gathered virtually to learn how to help young children make and keep friends.
“The PEERS for Preschoolers program is a groundbreaking approach to social skills training that has the potential to transform the lives of young children and their families worldwide,” says Dr. Tomoko Yamada from Osaka University in Japan and one of the attendees at the recent teleconference. “Early social development lays the foundation for lifelong relationships, yet many children struggle with the skills needed to connect with their peers. By providing an evidence-based, structured method for teaching social engagement, this program empowers not only children but also their parents and educators.”
This groundbreaking training followed the much-anticipated publication of the PEERS® for Preschoolers Manual, published by Routledge, which compiles over 15 years of research conducted at UCLA on the program’s effectiveness.
Friendship: A Skill That Can Be Taught
While some children seem to form friendships effortlessly, others need a little extra guidance. PEERS for Preschoolers teaches social engagement skills through structured lessons with puppet shows, role-playing, and hands-on practice. The program focuses on:
✔ Turn-taking and sharing
✔ Social engagement
✔ Cooperative play
✔ Good sportsmanship
✔ Parent organized playdates
Unlike traditional social skills programs, PEERS for Preschoolers actively involves parents, ensuring that caregivers are equipped to coach their children at home and reinforce these skills in real-world settings.
“The ability to make and keep friends is critical for lifelong success, and yet, for many young children, social skills do not come naturally,” says Laugeson, a UCLA clinical professor, licensed clinical psychologist, and one of the world’s leading experts in social skills training. “With PEERS for Preschoolers, we’re giving children the tools they need to connect with others, and we’re giving parents the confidence to support them. Friendship isn’t just luck — it’s a skill that can be taught, and we’re thrilled to be sharing these strategies with professionals worldwide.”
More Training Opportunities on the Horizon
Due to overwhelming demand, the UCLA PEERS Clinic will host a second PEERS for Preschoolers Certified Teleconference from July 30 through August 1, 2025. For more information or to register, contact the UCLA PEERS Clinic at peersclinic@ucla.edu.
About PEERS
The Program for the Education and Enrichment of Relational Skills (PEERS) is a world-renowned, evidence-based social skills intervention developed at UCLA by Dr. Laugeson. With programs designed for preschoolers, adolescents, and young adults, PEERS has been translated into over a dozen languages and implemented in more than 150 countries. Programs focus on friendships, dating, and employment.
END
No one to play with? UCLA’s PEERS for Preschoolers program is changing that
Children on the autism spectrum learn fundamental social skills to form lasting friendships
2025-05-07
ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:
New method provides fresh insights into insect decline
2025-05-07
It has long been known that agriculture contributes to the decline in insect biodiversity. The loss of host plants, frequent mowing, and pesticide use all deprive many species of their habitats.
Now, a research team from the Julius-Maximilians-Universität Würzburg (JMU) has discovered—using innovative analytical methods—that the impact of agricultural land use on insect diversity is even more dramatic than previously assumed. The findings are based on an analysis of insect species from 400 families collected across a wide range of habitats in Bavaria.
The study was led by Professor Jörg Müller, Chair of Conservation ...
Foot traffic can predict COVID-19 spread in New York City neighborhoods
2025-05-07
A new study published in the journal PLOS Computational Biology reveals how foot traffic data from mobile devices can enhance neighborhood-level COVID-19 forecasts in New York City. The research, led by researchers at Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health and Dalian University of Technology, provides a novel approach to predicting the spread of the SARS-CoV-2 virus and improving targeted public health interventions during future outbreaks.
The COVID-19 pandemic hit New York City hard, with infection rates varying dramatically across neighborhoods. ...
Janice R. Lachance, J.D., FASAE selected for top position of global earth and space science association
2025-05-07
WASHINGTON — The American Geophysical Union Board of Directors and Executive Search Committee is pleased to announce AGU’s new Executive Director and CEO will be Janice R. Lachance, J.D., Fellow of the American Society of Association Executives and the National Academy of Public Administration.
“Janice has served as an exceptional interim Executive Director and CEO during the last two years, said AGU President Brandon Jones, Ph.D. “She has demonstrated the leadership qualities ...
Eating ultra processed foods may speed up early signs of Parkinson's disease
2025-05-07
MINNEAPOLIS — People who eat more ultra processed foods like cold breakfast cereal, cookies and hot dogs are more likely to have early signs of Parkinson’s disease when compared to those who eat very few ultra processed foods, according to a study published in the May 7, 2025, online in Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology. The study does not prove that eating more ultra processed foods causes early signs of Parkinson’s disease; it only shows an association.
Researchers looked for signs of prodromal Parkinson’s disease, which is the earliest stage, when neurodegeneration ...
Sleep apnea during REM sleep linked to memory-related brain changes
2025-05-07
MINNEAPOLIS — Obstructive sleep apnea, a condition that causes lower oxygen levels during sleep, is linked to degeneration of brain regions associated with memory through damage to the brain’s small blood vessels, according to a study published May 7, 2025, online in Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology. The study found the brain changes were strongly associated with the severity of drops in oxygen levels during rapid eye movement (REM) sleep. The study does not prove that sleep apnea causes this degeneration; it only shows an association.
Obstructive sleep apnea occurs when throat muscles relax during sleep, blocking ...
Vaccines of the future: harnessing the immune system for long-lasting protection
2025-05-07
WEHI scientists have uncovered a promising new way to enhance the effectiveness of vaccines by tapping into the potential of a specific type of immune cell, opening the door to long-lasting vaccines for viruses and enhanced cancer therapies.
The WEHI-led study used a novel approach combined with cutting-edge mRNA vaccine technology to increase the formation of a type of T cell which has remarkable self-renewing capacity and can remember threats for years and even decades.
The mouse-based study, published in the ...
GigaScience Press wins inaugural Crossref Metadata Award for highest quality publishing metadata standards for their journal GigaByte
2025-05-07
GigaScience Press is a winner of the inaugural Crossref Metadata Awards, recognising efforts in scholarly publishing metadata completeness and enrichment in their journal, GigaByte. Thanks to River Valley Technology’s state-of-the-art publishing platform, the journal was selected amongst over the nearly 150,000 journals from 22,000 members using Crossref infrastructure for having the highest metadata completeness in the small publishers category.
Presented for the first time at the Crossref Midyear ...
Eating disorders: The hidden health crisis on college campuses
2025-05-07
What does a person with an eating disorder look like? The picture may not be as clear-cut as many people think. Researchers at Washington University in St. Louis led a groundbreaking study with an important lesson: Eating disorders don’t discriminate.
“There’s been a perception that eating disorders mostly affect thin, white women,” said Ellen Fitzsimmons-Craft, an associate professor of psychological and brain sciences. “Our study of college students dispels that myth.”
The study, funded by a National Institute of Mental Health grant, surveyed 29,951 students from 26 colleges and universities, including ...
New study reveals striking differences in life expectancy across U.S. states
2025-05-07
New Haven, Conn. — A sweeping new study led by researchers at the Yale School of Public Health (YSPH) reveals stark disparities in life expectancy across U.S. states and Washington, D.C. over the past century – offering new insights into how a region’s public health policies, social conditions, and environmental factors can shape people’s lifespans.
Analyzing more than 179 million deaths between 1969 and 2020, the multi-institutional research team traced life expectancy trends by birth cohort — a more precise measure for following the life experiences of a population than traditional year-by-year summaries of mortality, which ...
Global study finds political left more trusting of climate scientists than right
2025-05-07
A sweeping 26-country study reveals a consistent gap in trust toward climate scientists based on political ideology, with right-leaning individuals reporting lower trust than their left-leaning counterparts. The divide is especially stark in wealthier democracies and English-speaking nations, according to the research, published in the Journal of Environmental Psychology (link is external and opens in a new window). The findings expand on past studies focused primarily on Western, English-speaking contexts.
“While climate scientists ...
LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:
Fat may play an important role in brain metabolism
New study finds no lasting impact of pandemic pet ownership on human well-being
New insights on genetic damage of some chemotherapies could guide future treatments with less harmful side effects
Gut microbes could protect us from toxic ‘forever chemicals’
Novel modelling links sea ice loss to Antarctic ice shelf calving events
Scientists can tell how fast you're aging from a single brain scan
U.S. uterine cancer incidence and mortality rates expected to significantly increase by 2050
Public take the lead in discovery of new exploding star
What are they vaping? Study reveals alarming surge in adolescent vaping of THC, CBD, and synthetic cannabinoids
ECMWF - delivering forecasts over 10 times faster and cutting energy usage by 1000
Brazilian neuroscientist reveals how viral infections transform the brain through microscopic detective work
Turning social fragmentation into action through discovering relatedness
Cheese may really be giving you nightmares, scientists find
Study reveals most common medical emergencies in schools
Breathable yet protective: Next-gen medical textiles with micro/nano networks
Frequency-engineered MXene supercapacitors enable efficient pulse charging in TENG–SC hybrid systems
Developed an AI-based classification system for facial pigmented lesions
Achieving 20% efficiency in halogen-free organic solar cells via isomeric additive-mediated sequential processing
New book Terraglossia reclaims language, Country and culture
The most effective diabetes drugs don't reach enough patients yet
Breast cancer risk in younger women may be influenced by hormone therapy
Strategies for staying smoke-free after rehab
Commentary questions the potential benefit of levothyroxine treatment of mild hypothyroidism during pregnancy
Study projects over 14 million preventable deaths by 2030 if USAID defunding continues
New study reveals 33% gap in transplant access for UK’s poorest children
Dysregulated epigenetic memory in early embryos offers new clues to the inheritance of polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS)
IVF and IUI pregnancy rates remain stable across Europe, despite an increasing uptake of single embryo transfer
It takes a village: Chimpanzee babies do better when their moms have social connections
From lab to market: how renewable polymers could transform medicine
Striking increase in obesity observed among youth between 2011 and 2023
[Press-News.org] No one to play with? UCLA’s PEERS for Preschoolers program is changing thatChildren on the autism spectrum learn fundamental social skills to form lasting friendships