PEERS® Social Skills

I’m Vivian Dunstan, Founder of ADHD Support Australia, and for many years one of the most common questions parents have asked me is whether I can recommend a social skills program that truly supports neurodivergent teens and young adults.

As both a professional and a parent, this question has always mattered deeply to me. For a long time, I couldn’t find a program that felt genuinely suitable — including for my own daughter — and until 2019, I didn’t have an answer I felt confident offering families.

I understand how painful it is to watch your child struggle with friendships and social connection, especially when you want to help but don’t know where to turn. That sense of helplessness can be heartbreaking for parents and young people alike.

When I first learned about the PEERS® Program, I invited Beverley from Definition Diverse to speak at one of our community events in December 2018, to explain how neurodivergent teens and young adults — including those with ADHD and autism — can benefit from explicit, evidence-based social skills support.

I was so impressed by the program’s respectful, practical approach that in January 2019 I completed the PEERS® Young Adult Program provider training with its creator, Dr Elizabeth Laugeson, and became a certified provider.

In early 2020, I went on to complete the certified PEERS® Adolescent Program provider training as well.

Inspired by the program’s impact and guided by the needs of our community, I created an online PEERS® Social Skills Program for neurodivergent teens and young adults — making this evidence-based support more accessible to families across Australia and beyond and I’m incredibly proud to offer this program through ADHD Support Australia.

When social expectations aren’t made clear or taught directly, many teens and young adults — particularly those with ADHD, autism or other neurodivergent profiles — may find it harder to:

• Build and sustain meaningful peer relationships and friendships 

• Feel socially confident, included and understood, which can impact emotional wellbeing

• Navigate further education, employment, dating and adult relationships 

Developing the skills to build and maintain even one or two meaningful friendships can support teens and young adults to:

• Build resilience and cope more effectively with life’s challenges
• Adjust more confidently over time, including during major life transitions
• Strengthen self-esteem, confidence and independence
• Reduce vulnerability to bullying or social exclusion
• Support emotional wellbeing by reducing loneliness, anxiety and low mood

Through structured, supportive learning, neurodivergent teens and young adults develop practical skills to help them navigate social situations with greater confidence and clarity.

Participants learn how to:

• Build and maintain friendships over time
• Develop conversational skills, including listening, turn-taking and topic choice
• Identify shared interests and choose supportive, compatible friendships
• Use online communication appropriately, including texting and social media
• Understand humour, social cues and feedback in a respectful, explicit way
• Start, join and exit conversations more comfortably
• Plan and organise social get-togethers
• Be a good sport and navigate winning, losing and group activities
• Handle disagreements and resolve conflict respectfully
• Respond to teasing, bullying, rumours and gossip using practical strategies
• Shift or move beyond an unwanted social reputation
• Learn dating and relationship skills, including navigating boundaries and communication(Young Adults only)

The program includes:

• Weekly 90-minute small group sessions for teens or young adults, providing structured, supportive opportunities to learn and practise social skills
• Weekly 60–90-minute group sessions for parents or caregivers, designed to help them understand the skills being taught and confidently support practice at home

How the Sessions Work

Sessions are calm, engaging and thoughtfully structured, using evidence-based methods that support learning without pressure.

These include:

• Small, supportive group sizes that prioritise emotional safety
• Clear, step-by-step instruction to make social expectations explicit and predictable
• Guided discussion and reflective questioning to support understanding and insight
• Teaching practical, real-world social skills that can be applied in everyday situation
• Role-play and supported practice, with choice and encouragemen
• Social understanding and perspective-taking, taught explicitly rather than assumed
• Facilitator and caregiver coaching to support learning beyond sessions
• Weekly home practice and feedback, designed to reinforce skills in real-life context

Register your interest to learn more or be notified about upcoming groups here.

PEERS® works best for teens and young adults who:

• Fall within the 13–17 or 12 if in high school (Teens) or 17–30ish (Young Adults) age ranges

• Would like support navigating friendships and social situations

• Choose to participate and are open to learning new strategies

• Can engage in sessions with consistent support and attendance

• Have a support person who can help reinforce skills outside the group

This course focuses on practical, real-world skills that support people to navigate conversations and dating with greater confidence, clarity and respect — at their own pace.

Participants will learn how to:

• Build and sustain conversations, including how to start and exit conversations

• Express romantic interest in clear, respectful ways

• Ask someone on a date and respond to different outcomes

• Navigate dates successfully, including communication and expectations

• Understand consent and boundaries, explicitly and practically

• Apply dating do’s and don’ts in real-world situations

If you’d like to move forward:

• Watch the above 9 minute video to give you an brief overview so we can focus on your individual situation on our call.
• Click here, complete an initial questionnaire and book a Zoom intake meeting with me and your teen/young adult
• We’ll ensure the program is the right fit and I can answer any questions you may have
• If we proceed with your enrolment, intake forms and invoicing will follow
• If PEERS® isn’t the right fit for your family, I’ll let you know.
• If you’re planning to use NDIS funding, I strongly recommend starting that process now, as approvals can take time.

If you’d like please also

• Join the PEERS newsletter for updates.
• Watch my webinar for a  ‘Strategies for Improving Social Skills in Teens & Young Adults – Why It’s Importand and How the PEERS Program Can Help‘

• PEERS® Research Findings And Program Overview – Dr Laugeson
  
• Autism Live Interview With Dr Laugeson
  
• How To Enter A Conversation – Dr Laugeson
  

PEERS® has been validated by randomised controlled trials with long-term results sustained 1–5 years later.

The program is equally effective when delivered online. See the latest research from UCLA here: Estabillo Et Al 2022 – Journal Of Autism And Developmental Disorders.

For more PEERS® research articles, visitThe Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior..