Photo of girl with Down syndrome and friend eating ice-cream.

Research Brief Winter 2018

A Qualitative Study of the Impact of Peer Networks and Peer Support Arrangements in Project Pilot Schools

by Patti Logsdon, Mark Samudre, & Harold Kleinert

Photo by Andy and Justin Meredith

Research tells us that making friends can be especially hard for students with significant disabilities. Peer support arrangements and peer networks are evidence-based interventions that involve identifying and equipping a group of peers to provide ongoing support to individual students with significant disabilities in or outside of the classroom. Within inclusive, general education classrooms, peer support arrangements train students (typically 2-3 students) to provide academic and social supports to a student with significant disabilities during ongoing classroom activities.

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