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This study examined the efficacy of the school-based Program for the Education and Enrichment of Relational Skills on the social functioning of young adults with autism and cognitive deficits. The program was administered bi-weekly at a private school for students with special needs. Students' social etiquette knowledge, friendship engagement and teacher reported levels of their social functioning were assessed pre- and post-intervention. All participants experienced significantly improved knowledge of appropriate social etiquette. Further, students with cognitive deficits, but not those with autism, reported a significant increase in friendship engagement. Overall, the PEERS school curriculum benefited young adults with cognitive deficits, but the students with ASD experienced more challenges applying their new social skills outside of the program.

In the current study, the authors examined whether the fatigue level of children diagnosed with cri du chat syndrome was associated with the expression of autistic symptoms. Sixty-nine children with cri du chat syndrome were compared with 47 children with moderate to severe intellectual disabilities who did not differ on intellectual severity. Participants were assessed using the Infant Sleep Questionnaire (J. M. B. Morrell, 1999) for fatigue-level rating and the Childhood Autism Rating Scale (E. Schopler, R. J. Reichler, & B. R. Renner, 1988) for autism-level rating. In support of the authors' hypothesis, results indicated that children who exhibited high levels of fatigue were more likely to express high levels of autistic symptoms. Contrary to the authors' hypothesis, children in the comparison group who exhibited high levels of fatigue conferred the greatest vulnerability to the expression of autistic symptoms.