Overview:
Students on the autism spectrum often face social isolation—exacerbated by overreliance on paraprofessionals—but peer-mediated support offers an effective, evidence-based strategy to foster authentic social interaction, build empathy, and create more inclusive school communities.
A Need to Belong
My memories of being bullied in middle school and high school are still vivid. As an individual on the autism spectrum, the complexities of social relationships were especially challenging during my formative years. It is with great empathy that I now approach the challenge of inclusive settings as an educator. I see so much of myself in many of the students I have worked with over the years. Many of these students, who are also on the autism spectrum, have isolated themselves socially. This is especially true as students transition into high school, where social complexities peak.
Barriers to Social Inclusion
Particularly at the high school level, the presence of a paraprofessional in a mainstream setting can diminish social opportunities. According to a study by Carter et al. (2015), in general education settings, the presence of a paraprofessional can cause peers to hesitate in engaging socially with the supported student. This effect appears more pronounced as students age. When students are poorly equipped socially and are presented with additional barriers, it is not hard to see why many experience poor social outcomes.
High school students are a rare breed—one that I never fully understood. This contributed significantly to my own distress as a student. I do know what doesn’t fly in a high school classroom: the eyes and ears of a prying adult. The presence of a paraprofessional limits the ability to goof off or be the student who hears the gossip. The truly rich social interactions between high school students tend to happen when the authority figure is absent or otherwise engaged. Disabled students need typical peer models who can guide them in navigating the rich social tapestry of a high school classroom. As adults, paraprofessionals are limited in their ability to fill this role.
Peer-Mediated Support as an Inclusive Strategy
Peer-mediated support offers an accessible and practical strategy for increasing access to inclusive settings for students with disabilities. This evidence-based practice has been shown to produce positive outcomes for both students in need of additional resources and their peers who provide structured support. It is a strategy that can be implemented with very limited resources in virtually any setting.
Brock and Carter (2013) noted that, given high-quality training, the support provided by a paraprofessional has a very positive influence on outcomes for the supported student. With nearly 400,000 paraprofessionals employed at the time of this study, the positive impact this group of educators makes truly exceeds measurement. Peer-mediated support does not eliminate the role of the paraprofessional—this distinction is incredibly important. Instead, the paraprofessional helps oversee the peer support relationship while also assuming a broader support role in the classroom. The increased physical distance between the paraprofessional and the supported student literally makes room for social engagement with peers.
Long-Term Social Benefits
Peer-mediated supports can be employed to assist disabled students in gaining a wide range of skills. The usefulness of this strategy is not limited to the social arena. However, its application to the complexity of social engagement is particularly compelling. Proactively using peer-mediated support at the elementary school level may diminish the need for structured social support in later years. By employing peer support during recess, students can learn to navigate social relationships at a young age. This would help address the drastic gap in social understanding often observed between disabled students and their neurotypical peers in high school.
Implementation Process
Peer-mediated supports are typically implemented in four distinct stages. Successful implementation of these procedures depends on thorough planning and preparation in the initial stage. During the first stage, students, peers, and goals are identified. The logistics of their roles and the support to be provided are planned and clearly outlined. This might include finding a peer who can help a disabled student greet classmates or a student who could invite a learner with unique needs to join playground games. Individualization is essential—professionals know the needs of their students. The applications of this strategy are broad, making it ideal for creative teachers seeking unique avenues to support their students.
The second stage is where students get involved and prepare for their roles. It is essential to invite, not assign, a student to serve as a peer support. Both the peer model and the disabled student must offer enthusiastic consent before the strategy is implemented. Student motivation and comfort are essential—not all students will want to be involved in peer support. Providing training and general orientation enhances outcomes and promotes a positive experience for all participants. Paraprofessionals play a critical role in the training and oversight of peer-mediated support. Building rapport with student participants is a primary focus at this stage of implementation.
During the third stage, students assume their identified roles, and the strategy is carried out in a general education setting. The paraprofessional remains available but increases distance from the student with disabilities. While general coaching is provided, the paraprofessional primarily monitors the relationship between students and intervenes only as needed. This allows for a more natural fading process during the final stage. As structured support fades, students have the opportunity to celebrate success and continue building their new relationships.
Empathy and Leadership Through Inclusion
The impact of these relationships can be far-reaching. Carter et al. (2015) noted that students who provided peer support gained skills in advocacy and support while enriching their empathy and increasing their understanding of the importance of inclusion. These skills are essential as students move into leadership roles and begin to influence policy and law. The inclusive environments of the future will be built by the empathetic individuals who learn to appreciate diversity as students. As teachers, we can directly influence the availability of inclusive settings through the application of peer-mediated support—directly teaching empathetic leadership and inclusion awareness.
The negative social experiences I had as a youth can end with my generation. Educators today are empowered with new tools to create lasting change for students with disabilities. Isolation does not have to be the default for students with limited social skills. The future of inclusion relies on teachers today. By using peer-mediated support, immediate benefits are measurable for the students involved, with far-reaching effects that continue to emerge. The generation of students in our classrooms today will define what inclusion looks like tomorrow. By utilizing peer-mediated support, we can work to ensure that definition reflects empathy, connection, and belonging.
References
Brock, M. E., & Carter, E. W. (2013). Effects of a professional development package to prepare special education paraprofessionals to implement evidence-based practices. The Journal of Special Education, 47(3), 170–185.
Carter, E. W., Asmus, J., Moss, C. K., Biggs, E. E., Bolt, D. M., Born, T. L., Brock, M. E., Cattey, G. N., Cheney, D., Fesperman, E., & Vincent, L. B. (2015). Randomized evaluation of peer support arrangements to support the inclusion of high school students with severe disabilities. Exceptional Children, 82(2), 209–233.
