2016 TASH Conference

Careful planning and support are needed to ensure students with complex communication needs fully participate in inclusive settings at school. Educators need feasible and effective strategies to support studentsŸ?? learning, membership, and social interaction. Peer support arrangements and peer network interventions have been shown to be effective improving the social interaction between students with disabilities and their peers within academic and non-academic settings at school. However, students with complex communication needs who use augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) have rarely been included in empirical evaluations of these interventions. This presentation draws from two single-case design studies evaluating the effects of these interventions for students with complex communication needs. The first study used a multiple-probe-across-participants design to investigate collaborative planning and peer support arrangements to increase peer interaction in general education classrooms. The second study used a multiple-probe-across-participants design to evaluate peer network interventions to improve studentsŸ?? participation and communication in social, non-academic settings. This presentation focuses on presenting the aim, method, and results of both studies, sharing key implications for researchers, educators, and family members committed to supporting students with complex communication needs. By the end of this session, participants will be able to: (1) Summarize the research-based evidence for using peer support arrangements and peer network interventions with students with complex communication needs to improve studentsŸ?? participation and peer interaction in academic and non-academic inclusive settings (2) Describe the steps to implement these two intervention strategies (3) Use printed resources to plan for these interventions (4) Discuss critical features of the training and support peers need to be effective communication partners and natural supports