START Project

Yes! Starting a Peer to Peer program is easy when utilizing the Elementary Peer to Peer Program Playbook and the Secondary Peer to Peer Program Playbook. The START Project encourages you to Start Somewhere and Start now. Take your current energy and curiosity and start your Peer to Peer program. Your program and confidence will grow as you see student lives' impacted. In addition to the Playbooks, there are other helpful resources to get your Peer to Peer program up and running:

• Getting Started with Peer to Peer resources
• Definition of Peer to Peer
• Elementary Peer to Peer Program Development Checklist
• Secondary Peer to Peer Development Checklist
• Elementary Fidelity Checklist
• Secondary Fidelity Checklist
• START's Peer to Peer website

START has an abundance of Peer to Peer information, including resources under Getting Started with Peer to Peer as well as in the Program Development tab of the Elementary Peer to Peer Program Playbook and the Secondary Peer to Peer Program Playbook. The specific resources below will help share and promote Peer to Peer with your building team and administration.

• Elementary Administrator Handout and Staff Meeting Explanation Example
• Secondary Administrator Handout and Staff Meeting Explanation Example
• From Barriers to Belonging Article
• Outcomes for LINKs: Benefits to High School Peers
• Peer to Peer: Participation versus Helping Model

Build a team! Recruit building staff and ancillary staff to embark on this journey with you! If you are designing an Elementary Peer to Peer program, refer to the Program Development tab in the Elementary Peer to Peer Program Playbook. If you will be implementing Peer to Peer at the Secondary level, refer to the Program Development tab in the Secondary Peer to Peer Program Playbook. Once you have established your team, the Playbooks will guide you through peer recruitment, peer education, and program maintenance. For an easy read, reference the Peer to Peer Team Development document linked in the Program Development section of the Playbook.

Peer to Peer programs increase opportunities for autistic students to access general education settings and curriculum. As part of Peer to Peer programs, peer partners model typical academic and social behavior in educational settings promoting independence and meaningful social experiences. This contributes to positive outcomes for ALL participants, both students with disabilities and those without. To learn more about the impact of Peer to Peer for students without disabilities, see Outcomes for LINKs: Benefits to High School Peers.

The goal of Peer to Peer programming is authentic inclusive opportunities that promote belonging. START has focused on Peer to Peer being a Participation Model and not a Helping Model. A Helping Model is a "mentor/mentee" or “helper/helpee” program with a focus only on helping a student with a disability. Helping programs could certainly promote ableism.

Peer to Peer as a Participation Model fights ableism by embracing neurodiversity and disability as a natural part of life. Participation in Peer to Peer provides students with opportunities to learn about the strengths of students with disabilities and teaches them to respect differences, such as differences in eye contact, communication styles, or behavior (like “stimming”). Above all, participation programs focus on developing authentic and meaningful friendships to build a community of allies, not helpers.

If it feels like your program might be a helping model, you can begin tomorrow by making a shift. There are several resources to support you in designing a Peer to Peer program grounded in participation.

• Peer to Peer: Participation versus Helping Model
• Participation vs. Helping Model Slides
• Self-Reflection Tool (coming soon)

Staff supporting Peer to Peer programs often intentionally connect students across buildings and districts. Some schools have implemented a summit where students participating in Peer to Peer from across one or more districts come together once or twice a year for a day of learning, discussion, and fun. In other cases, school staff have connected students across buildings virtually. These opportunities are phenomenal ways to have students develop and share creative ideas and solutions. This ensures the centrality of student voices and perspectives within a school's Peer to Peer program.

Peer to Peer programs have been run successfully in center-based schools! A good starting point is opening a conversation with staff and administration at a high school in your district. High school Peer to Peer participants who have access to transportation may gain permission to leave their building to travel to the center-based school. If their high school has an accredited LINKS course as part of their curriculum, these LINKS students would connect daily with peer partners at the center-based program during their LINKS hour. If the elective LINKS course isn't an option, staff and administration can brainstorm creative solutions, such as allowing high school students to leave campus during the lunch period or having them participate one time per month during a different elective class.

For additional ideas, please refer to the question below Can Students in Peer to Peer Connect Virtually?

Peer to Peer is for ALL students! There are no prerequisites for participation. Earning good grades is NOT a requirement for being a peer partner. For more information regarding recruiting LINK students, refer to the Recruitment tab in the Elementary Peer to Peer Program Playbook and the Secondary Peer to Peer Program Playbook.

There is evidence showing that LINK students benefit from participation in Peer to Peer Programs. The Outcomes for LINKs: Benefits to High School Peers page notes some of these benefits as improved grades and better attendance.

Peer to Peer is not exclusively for autistic students. Students with a variety of disabilities benefit from participation in Peer to Peer programs. Although Peer to Peer was originally established for students with autism, the Michigan Department of Education Pupil Accounting Manual articulates that LINKS taking Peer to Peer as a course for credit can participate with any student with an IEP (read the details in the 6-B: Peer to Peer Elective Course Credit Program (page 159).

Yes, please offer Peer to Peer to students with a 504 Plan! Elementary and non-accredited secondary programs can easily do this. Accredited secondary LINKS Peer to Peer programs can and have come up with creative solutions to expand the reach of Peer to Peer. Consider creating a Peer to Peer club and including additional students in extracurricular activities or setting up informal peer connections at targeted times in a student's school day.

Absolutely! There are testimonials from around Michigan highlighting that students with an IEP or a 504 Plan have been exceptional peer partners, connecting with compassion and empathy and developing leadership and problem-solving skills. Peer to Peer often becomes the highlight of these students' challenging school experiences. Additionally, data shows improved attendance, raised GPAs, and decreased behavioral referrals as a result of participation in Peer to Peer programs. The Outcomes for LINKs: Benefits to High School Peers page details this research.

Explore the why. There may be multiple reasons why a student does not want to participate. Maybe they do not understand what Peer to Peer is. Maybe they feel like they have friends so Peer to Peer isn't necessary. Maybe they had a previous experience with a Peer to Peer helper model that left them feeling inadequate or “less than.” Maybe they have had negative experiences with peers and are anxious about trying to make peer connections. Invest time in finding the reason. Seek the student's perspective. Listen. Validate. Be willing to work together to individualize a Peer to Peer experience that feels comfortable. Your efforts may or may not lead to the student's participation in Peer to Peer but regardless of the outcome, you have sought and respected the student's viewpoint, provided information and ideas, and prioritized student advocacy and dignity. Be sure to let the student know they are always welcome to join Peer to Peer activities.

Yes! START developed the Peer to Peer Elementary Curriculum which is theme-based and includes relationship-building activities for grades Kindergarten through 5th grade. The Facilitator Pacing Guide for each grade level outlines lesson objectives, instructional resources, and materials needed for every lesson. In addition to the monthly themed lessons, there is bonus content for extra learning as well as celebration months that are focused solely on students having fun and strengthening friendships.

We love that your team is looking for ways to create inclusive opportunities for your youngest learners! Depending on your educational setting, your team may need to be creative. Knowing that children tend to naturally respond positively to their peers with disabilities, simply bringing kids together, and modeling and coaching positive interactions, may be all that is required to foster the development of early connections and friendships. Building inclusive experiences into natural play activities and using visuals to structure and support play can further strengthen the growth of young relationships. If your early childhood classrooms are in a building with older students, your team can create cross-age Peer to Peer connections that are still rooted in participation and play. Please see the resources below to guide your planning.

Yes! Four years of curriculum are available for secondary LINKS students. The purpose of the curriculum is to provide access to comprehensive, engaging, and age-appropriate content addressing autism and other disabilities. The curriculum includes lesson plans, assignments, and grading criteria in alignment with Michigan Department of Education Pupil Accounting Manual requirements. The content can be delivered utilizing a face-to-face, online, or hybrid format. Please visit the teacher portal at the Peer to Peer Secondary Curriculum: Reimagined. You can also reach this site from the Curriculum section of the Secondary Peer to Peer Program Playbook.

Accreditation at the middle and high school level is as simple as attaining your school district's Board of Education approval. Once you have received approval, a description of the Peer to Peer/LINKS course can be added to your school's Course Catalog. Instructions and sample resources for presenting LINKS as an accredited Peer to Peer Program, writing a course catalog description, designating a teacher of record, and establishing a curriculum are available in the Secondary Peer to Peer Program Playbook in the Elective Course Credit Program section.

Benefits of being accredited include but are not limited to, streamlined access to LINKS recruitment and participation, community recognition of the importance and permanence of inclusive practices, and increased longevity of Peer to Peer regardless of changes in building staff.

Yes! We learned during the pandemic that students can successfully build or maintain relationships virtually. See our START Connecting article, Learning from the Pandemic: Creative Approaches to Peer to Peer for some key ideas and takeaways. With family permission, school teams can support peer connections using technology and virtual tools. These might include: texting, facetiming, meeting via Zoom or Google Hangout sessions, virtual “movie parties,” or online game participation (virtual scavenger hunts, escape rooms). You can also use the Virtual LINKs boxes on the START Peer to Peer page for activities to help students connect. These opportunities can supplement your current face-to-face programs or provide options for students during breaks or interruptions in typical educational experiences.

Virtual Peer to Peer options may also provide opportunities for peer connections between students without disabilities and students in self-contained buildings when transportation needed to facilitate in-person interaction is limited. Please note that Peer to Peer leaders should ensure all students participate safely in online and virtual experiences.

Ensure that families have an understanding of Peer to Peer beyond what is written in the Peer to Peer permission slip. Be available to listen to input and answer questions. Facilitate a family information session for all students participating in Peer to Peer and consider how families can be involved in Peer to Peer education and activities. Please share START's Peer to Peer and Family Engagement resource with families.

Remember that Peer to Peer is an opportunity that should be offered to all students and that all students and families are free to determine if this is an experience they do or do not want to have. It's OK if a student or a family chooses not to participate but it should be an authentic choice; one that is based on a full understanding of what Peer to Peer is and that has not been swayed by outside perspectives. Gently and respectfully seek understanding and be willing to collaboratively partner with the family. Maybe they would like to go through the supporting research? Maybe they have not disclosed their child's disability to them. This is your opportunity to support families without pressure or judgment.

Peer to Peer and UCS have established themselves as mutually compatible programs in the state of Michigan. UCS offers yet another bridge to school and community opportunities that promote friendship and shared experiences.

The UCS program is funded by the U.S. Office of Special Education Programs at the U.S. Department of Education and leads the way to socially inclusive schools, where all students are purposefully integrated into the school and where the abilities and gifts of each student are recognized and celebrated. Through inclusive youth leadership, students with and without intellectual disabilities learn to work and lead together to advance opportunities for all students to become involved in school activities, get to know each other and create environments of understanding and acceptance. To learn more about UCS Michigan, please visit Special Olympics Unified Champion Schools.

School personnel are often involved in many initiatives simultaneously. Consider how having a Peer to Peer program can enrich this other work. For example, school initiatives focused on building social-emotional skills or increasing student character education can be enhanced by Peer to Peer. Programs intended to stop bullying or increase inclusivity and belonging while building a positive school culture can also be strengthened by adding Peer to Peer. Initiatives designed to support positive student behavior, attendance, and engagement align with Peer to Peer goals and documented outcomes. Remember our START-ism: ”Peer to Peer isn't one more thing. It is the thing.” Consider all the ways that Peer to Peer programs can help you meet the goals of the school-wide initiatives your team supports.