Fostering Friendship and Dating Skills Among Adults on the Autism Spectrum: A Randomized Controlled Trial of the Polish Version of the PEERS® for Young Adults Curriculum.

The main analysis used only six treated and nine waitlisted young adults, so the results are fragile. There was no blinded, independent observation of social behaviour, so the positive results rely on self-report and parent report. Some participants were also receiving individual or group psychotherapy and psychotropic medication, so the workshop cannot be credited as the only active ingredient. The pandemic changed delivery and social opportunities: seven treatment sessions were online, and restrictions may have limited get-togethers and dating practice. Dating reports were too sparse to analyse, so the study does not show whether dating skills improved. The ASRS had no adult norms, so raw scores were used rather than standardised adult comparisons. At baseline, the social-skills knowledge test did not measure knowledge well, because participants appeared to answer randomly.

Do not conclude that PEERS alone increases real-world socializing or dating. Some participants also received medication or therapy, the treated group did not show clear gains in self-reported get-togethers or empathy, date reports were too sparse to analyse, and pandemic restrictions limited social opportunities.