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Friendship formation in adults with learning disabilities: peer‐mediated approaches to social skills development
Author(s) -
Moore Tracey,
Carey Louise
Publication year - 2005
Publication title -
british journal of learning disabilities
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.633
H-Index - 39
eISSN - 1468-3156
pISSN - 1354-4187
DOI - 10.1111/j.1468-3156.2004.00292.x
Subject(s) - friendship , generalization , psychology , social skills , developmental psychology , learning disability , peer group , cognitive psychology , social psychology , mathematical analysis , mathematics
Summary Studies have indicated that people with learning disabilities have few friends. Making friends requires both opportunities and skills. This paper focuses on the development of skills in order to facilitate friendship; an area that has received limited attention in the literature. Traditional social skills approaches are considered briefly, before moving on to discuss peer‐mediated approaches. Peer‐mediated approaches appear promising, with positive changes in the social behaviour of children with disabilities reported. It appears few studies have directly investigated maintenance, and evidence of generalization is limited. Factors that may improve generalization and maintenance are discussed. Finally, consideration is given to whether peer‐mediated approaches actually facilitate friendship, rather than simply increasing interaction.