Tips for supporting the development of positive
peer relationships
Development of skills such as sharing, making friends, problem-solving, waiting and turn-taking
is necessary for establishing and maintaining positive friendships. When supporting the
development, extension and maintenance of friendships, the provision of concrete and visual
supports is useful. It is important for all students to know what is allowed or acceptable and
what the rules are for interactions and activities.
It is easier for a student to extend and sustain peer interactions if given tasks that are strengthbased, structured, predictable and of an appropriate timeframe.
Consideration of the following points may assist you in supporting the development of positive
peer relationships in the Prep learning environment.
The developmental level of the students
Students with ASD may have difficulties with understanding, processing and responding to
abstract concepts. For example, a student with ASD may not understand that other students
have thoughts, feelings and preferences which are different from their own (due to Theory of
Mind difficulties) therefore they will find it a challenge to allow peers to direct play sequences or
vary play sequences without support.
Support to present these ‘grey’ or abstract tasks more concretely may include:

drawing or visually representing what happened (e.g. showing the other student ‘sad’ when
they can’t have a turn) to develop the understanding that others have thoughts and feelings

developing predictable routines and sequences, such as a turn-taking routine to remove
some of the uncertainty of sharing and cooperating

play scripts, video models, photo sequences and story-based interventions are useful for
supporting novice players to develop increasingly complex play skills

visually representing when a student may have a turn and when he or she is waiting via a
chart listing the names or photos of who is waiting and the name or photo of who is having a
turn

managing expectations to ensure success by reducing the number of peers in the interaction
(less time to wait and less options to consider), limiting the time the student is expected to
sustain the interaction (one turn playing [peer’s name] choice, then [student] may play
his/her choice) and progressively increasing expectations as skills and tolerance develops

scaffolding play by providing concrete or ‘more real’ representations when possible to
support the development of increasing complex play

teaching the language and routines needed for small group activities and interactions such
as waiting for a turn, requesting a turn, giving others a turn, phrases for clarifying
information, rules for group work, and letting others speak

considering how to minimise, manage and ‘fix up’ conflict between peers.
When and how adults intervene with peer interactions
All students continue to learn how to interact with each other throughout their schooling.
Students with ASD have the capacity to learn these skills if they are regularly modelled,
debriefed and explicitly supported.
Adults may support students to develop negotiation and cooperative play skills by:

preparing the students beforehand, so that students have had a chance to practice, see and
experience expected behaviours and responses

identifying, teaching and reinforcing the ‘next step’ in the learning sequence and rewarding
short term goals rather than focusing on the larger long term goal

using incidental, ’on the spot’ or ‘teachable moments’

providing models, scaffolds or simple choices of what the student could do in that situation
“If you want x to give you a turn, you could say….”

presenting options as concretely and succinctly as possible by using real examples, a choice
between two real objects, showing or modelling options, and reminding students of past
examples or successes

using visual representations (e.g. video modelling, stories, photos, drawings, cartoons,
charts, lists, and maps) at a level appropriate for the student to support the understanding of
complex or abstract concepts and develop a ‘picture’ of what being a friend might look like,
sound like and make the student feel like

considering the length of time students are able to sustain interactions and plan accordingly
for success

providing alternative activities or supports so that interaction times are reduced in order for
them to remain positive

highlighting successes so as to provide concrete examples of what cooperation looks like in
a range of locations (e.g. the playground, classroom, mat area and lining up)

planning to introduce alternatives or ‘what ifs’ in interactions and play so as to develop the
understanding that there may be other ways of playing, interacting, or completing tasks

supporting the generalisation of skills being learnt by seeking information from other staff
and students about the student’s outside play behaviour.
Resilience
Some students with ASD appear happily unaware of the other students in their learning
environment. Others are motivated to develop friendships but may appear socially clumsy or
naïve. The effort required by students with ASD to recognise, learn and apply social rules can
cause considerable fatigue. This therefore makes it difficult for students to be able to sustain
positive interactions for the same time periods as their peers.
Staff can help develop resilience in students by:

structuring play and interactive activities for success by considering the length of time
students can sustain interactions, the size and composition of groups and activities, the
content of activities, and the inclusion of repetition and routine to support predictability

planning breaks throughout the day to provide opportunities for students to access
strengths-based or preferred activities which will support students to develop the ability to
self-regulate their emotions

teaching, modelling and practicing phrases and routines useful for interactive and playbased activities, such as requesting a turn, entering and exiting play, sharing and waiting for
a turn

pointing out the specific positives and strengths of students on a regular basis so that
students begin to develop perspective and confidence

teaching alternative responses or behaviours when issues arise (rather than punishing or
reprimanding) with the understanding that the student may not actually know what else to do
in that situation

teaching students how to fix and repair issues and interactions to show that mistakes can be
fixed

allow all students the opportunity to opt out of interactions at times through specifically
teaching students how to leave play situations positively

examining lunch time play options to ensure success.
The environment
Research now recognises the importance of the play area or environment in supporting positive
interactions. The environment maybe adjusted to support peer interactions by:

physically and visually defining the play space with furniture, equipment and boundaries to
provide guidance

using repetition to teach, reinforce and support play (e.g. the same group of peers, the same
activities or play props, the same prompts) will provide predictability to give the student
confidence and the opportunity to practice the skills so that they are learned thoroughly

including repetitive play props to provide predictability and a positive starting point for
interactions

considering the play equipment (amount, theme, access, inclusion of preferences)

considering the group composition to support interactions

considering any sensory issues or concerns such as mats to absorb noise, allowing or
controlling access to water or sand activities, and planning barriers to busy activities to
minimise sensory distractions and concerns

planning to use play as a context for learning content specific concepts as well as cross
curricular competencies.