Brief Report: Does Gender Matter in Intervention for ASD? Examining the Impact of the PEERS® Social Skills Intervention on Social Behavior among Females with ASD

A paucity of research has been conducted to examine the effect of social skills intervention on females with ASD. Females with ASD may have more difficulty developing meaningful friendships than males, as the social climate can be more complex (Archer, Coyne, "Personality and Social Psychology Review" 9(3):212-230, 2005). This study examined whether treatment response among females differed from males. One hundred and seventy-seven adolescents and young adults with ASD (N = 177) participated in this study. When analyzed by group, no significant differences by gender emerged: PEERS® knowledge (TASSK/TYASSK, p = 0.494), direct interactions (QSQ, p = 0.762), or social responsiveness (SRS, p = 0.689; SSIS-RS, p = 0.482). Thus, females and males with ASD respond similarly to the PEERS® intervention.