Social interactions are a key aspect of children growth providing opportunities for the development of fundamental skills, including social, communication, self-regulation, academic and daily life skills (Huber & Carter, 2019). During interactions, children also have the opportunity to express and develop interests, experience pleasurable situations and develop their self-esteem (Hassani et al., 2021). However, literature has consistently shown that children with disabilities tend to have fewer friends and fewer social interactions in school environments and, therefore less opportunities for social participation (Avramidis, 2018; Schwab, 2019). This is especially the case for children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD), who are at a higher risk as they often evidence difficulties in communication and social interaction skills (Chang & Locke, 2016). This study aimed to evaluate the effects of a two-tier intervention on the social participation of a preschool child with autism spectrum disorder. Participants were the 16 children in a preschool classroom, including a child with ASD. In this single-subject study design, the first tier consisted of a whole-class approach, consisting of 10 sessions implemented through 5 weeks to improve opportunities that encourage peers’ interactions and raise children awareness of human rights, social skills and friendship relationships. The second tier consisted of a peer-mediated intervention with 4 volunteer peers who were provided with training to support and enhance interactions with the child with ASD. Results were evaluated through pre-post measures: “Acceptance Scale for Kindergarten-revised” (Favazza & Odom, 1999); sociometric ratings; Social Participation Scale from the “Sensory Processing Measure – Preschool” (Glennon et al., 2011). Furthermore, an observation scale was used weekly for the duration of the program to evaluate the interactions between the child with ASD and their peers. Results suggest that this intervention has positively impacted peers’ attitudes, friendships and social interactions with the target student.

Avramidis, E., Avgeri, G., & Strogilos, V. (2018). Social participation and friendship quality of students with special educational needs in regular Greek primary schools. European Journal of Special N eeds Education, 33(2), 221-234 Chang, Y. C., & Locke, J. (2016). A systematic review of peer-mediated interventions for children with autism spectrum disorder. Research in autism spectrum disorders, 27, 1–10. Favazza, P. C., & Odom, S. L. (1999). The Acceptance Scale for Kindergarten - Revised. Boulder, CO: Roots and Wings Glennon, T., Miller-Kuhaneck, H. & Herzberg, D. (2011). The Sensory Processing Measure–Preschool (SPM-P)—Part one: Description of the tool and its use in the preschool environment. Journal of Occupational Therapy, Schools, & Early Intervention 4(1), 42-52. Hassani, S., Alves, S., Avramidis, E., & Schwab, S. (2021). The Circle of Friends intervention: a research synthesis. European Journal of Special Needs Education Huber, H. B., & Carter, E. W. (2019). Fostering Peer Relationship and Shared Learning for Students with Autism Spectrum Disorders. The Sage Handbook of Autism and Education. Schwab, S. (2019). Friendship stability among students with and without special educational needs. Educational Studies, 45(3), 390-401