UCLA PEERS® Clinic

What UCLA PEERS® Clinic does

UCLA PEERS® Clinic is a clinical program within the UCLA Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior that delivers evidence-based social skills training to individuals with autism spectrum disorder and other social communication difficulties across the lifespan. Founded by Dr. Elizabeth Laugeson and established as a clinic in 2019, PEERS (Program for the Education and Enrichment of Relational Skills) is a clinically validated, trademarked intervention recognized internationally as a gold standard for autism social skills training. The clinic offers five age-specific modules — PEERS® for Preschoolers (parent-mediated, ages 2-5), PEERS® for Adolescents (typically 12-17), PEERS® for Young Adults (18-35), PEERS® for Dating (adults seeking romantic relationship skills), and PEERS® Online Social Skills Classes (telehealth delivery) — covering the full continuum of social development needs.

The clinic operates as part of UCLA Health, delivering services through in-person group sessions at UCLA facilities in Los Angeles and live online sessions via Zoom that enable national and international participation. Programs are taught using structured, manualized curricula with parent-only and participant-only formats depending on age group, and are grounded in decades of clinical trial research. The methodology has gained mainstream visibility through Netflix's "Love on the Spectrum," which featured PEERS as inspiration for its dating-focused programming.

The business model relies on clinical services revenue generated through UCLA Health clinical operations, supplemented by the broader Semel Institute's grant funding ($21.5M in external grants, up from $18M in 2023) and philanthropic support, including a $5M Ballmer Group gift for child psychiatry fellowships and a $2.4M gift from Rose and Allen Nelson for translational neuroscience. Go-to-market is community-led and event-driven, relying on the UCLA Semel Institute website, healthcare provider referrals within the UCLA network, earned media coverage, and enrollment announcements. As a non-profit academic clinical program within a public university, PEERS Clinic does not pursue standalone commercialization but rather scales evidence-based care through UCLA Health and licensed dissemination partnerships globally.

Name

UCLA PEERS® Clinic

Legal name

UCLA Jane and Terry Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior

Website

https://semel.ucla.edu

Company type

Private

Founded year

2019

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

UCLA PEERS® Clinic is a non-profit clinical program within the UCLA Semel Institute that delivers evidence-based, trademarked social skills training to individuals with autism spectrum disorder across the lifespan, offering age-specific group modules from preschoolers to adults via in-person and Zoom-based formats.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Autism Behavioral Health Services

NAICS

Educational Support Services (611710), Other Individual and Family Services (624190), Vocational Rehabilitation Services (624310), Services for the Elderly and Persons with Disabilities (624120)

SIC

Services-Health Services (8000), Services-Educational Services (8200), Services-Offices & Clinics Of Doctors Of Medicine (8011), Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Autism Social Skills & Peer-Mediated Programs (EDAKAKAF)

akta.pro secondary industries

Autism Spectrum (ASD) Academic & Social-Communication Support Tutoring (EDANAFAD), Neurodevelopmental & Behavioral Therapy Platforms (ADHD/Autism/Behavioral Coaching) (HLALAEAJ), Autism Parent/Caregiver Education & Training (School-Linked) (EDAKAKAJ), Group Therapy and Peer-Mediated Communication Programs (School-Age) (EDAKAEAO)

Keywords

• Social skills training
• Autism therapy services
• Evidence-based interventions
• Behavioral health programs
• Clinical psychology services

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Clinical Services Revenue: The PEERS Clinic operates as part of UCLA Health, generating revenue through clinical service fees for social skills training programs and therapy services

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

The UCLA PEERS® Clinic provides evidence-based social skills training programs for individuals with autism spectrum disorder and other social difficulties across the lifespan, from preschoolers through adults. Programs include age-specific curricula (Preschoolers, Adolescents, Young Adults, Dating, and Online classes) delivered via in-person group sessions at UCLA and live Zoom-based telehealth groups. The clinic operates as a clinical program within UCLA Health's Semel Institute, with services grounded in the proprietary PEERS curriculum validated through rigorous research.

Product overview

The UCLA PEERS® Clinic is a clinical program within the UCLA Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior that provides evidence-based social skills training programs for individuals with autism spectrum disorder and other social difficulties across the lifespan. The clinic operates as a unified clinical service offering multiple age-specific program modules: PEERS® for Preschoolers (parent-mediated intervention for young children), PEERS® for Adolescents (group skills training for teens), PEERS® for Young Adults (social skills for adults 18-35 covering workplace and personal relationships), PEERS® for Dating (romantic relationship skills for adults), and PEERS® Online Social Skills Classes (telehealth delivery of curriculum). All programs are grounded in the PEERS® (Program for the Education and Enrichment of Relational Skills) methodology, which uses evidence-based social skills training techniques.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• PEERS® for Adolescents: Social skills groups for adolescents available in-person or online
• PEERS® for Dating
• PEERS® for Young Adults
• PEERS® for Preschoolers
• PEERS® Online Social Skills Classes

Products and services

• UCLA PEERS® Clinic A clinical program at the UCLA Semel Institute providing evidence-based social skills training for individuals with autism and other social difficulties across the lifespan.
• PEERS® for Adolescents Social skills group program for adolescents (typically ages 12-17) with autism or social difficulties, offered in-person or online, teaching friendship-building, conversation skills, and social problem-solving.
• PEERS® for Young Adults Social skills group program for adults ages 18-35 with autism or social difficulties, offered in-person and online, covering workplace relationships, conversational skills, and social etiquette.
• PEERS® for Preschoolers Parent-only social skills group program for preschoolers (ages 2-5) with autism or developmental delays, teaching parents to facilitate social development through naturalistic strategies.
• PEERS® for Dating Online social skills class for adults with autism focused on developing romantic relationship skills including conversation, dating etiquette, and maintaining healthy relationships. Delivered via live Zoom groups as a 20-week program.
• PEERS® Online Social Skills Classes Online social skills instruction for teens and young adults with autism or social difficulties, providing remote access to PEERS® curriculum through live virtual sessions.

Quantifiable outcome

• PEERS for Dating 20-week program shown to improve social skills and romantic relationship outcomes for adults with autism
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered strategic, minor and core.

• OpenAI AcademystrategicStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 May 2026Partnership for Youth Mental Wellbeing Design Lab event, where youth use AI tools in real time to co-author a California Youth Wellbeing Blueprint, demonstrating collaboration between mental health and technology sectors.
• California Behavioral Health CommissionminorOthers · 1 May 2026Findings from May 1st Youth Mental Wellbeing event will be presented to the CA Behavioral Health Commission for policy consideration.
• Los Angeles County Department of Arts and CultureminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 April 2026Partnership through Creative Wellbeing initiative - a strategic collaboration between LA County Department of Arts and Culture, Office of Child Protection, Department of Mental Health, and Arts for Healing and Justice Network for building communities of wellness.
• Arts for Healing and Justice Network (AHJN)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 April 2026Partner in Creative Wellbeing initiative focused on non-traditional strategies for promoting mental health including culturally relevant, healing-centered, arts-based workshops for system-impacted youth.
• Resnick Neuropsychiatric HospitalcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Semel Institute partners with Resnick Neuropsychiatric Hospital for clinical care, combining world-class researchers and clinicians to discover and implement effective treatments for patient care.
• UCLA Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral SciencescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Department of Psychiatry, housed within the David Geffen School of Medicine, is home to over 300 academic researchers and clinicians with broad transdisciplinary interests in origins and treatments for disorders of complex human behavior.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• The Help Group: The Help Group operates schools and programs serving children with autism and other special needs, including social skills and behavioral support. Directly comparable to UCLA PEERS in its non-profit, evidence-based approach to autism social and developmental services.
• Cortica: Cortica provides integrated medical, behavioral, and developmental therapy services for children with autism and other neurodevelopmental conditions. It is directly comparable to UCLA PEERS in offering autism-focused therapeutic services with a clinical, evidence-based orientation.
• As You Are: As You Are is a telehealth-based autism assessment and therapy provider serving families virtually. Comparable to PEERS' online program delivery model and the same target audience of families seeking autism services accessed remotely.
• May Institute: May Institute provides autism and developmental disability services across the lifespan, including education, behavioral, and clinical programs. Comparable to PEERS as a non-profit provider of evidence-based autism services with a multi-age focus.

Emerging players

• AnswersNow: AnswersNow provides virtual ABA therapy and parent coaching for children with autism. Comparable to PEERS in its telehealth delivery and parent-mediated intervention approach, with overlapping target families.
• Charlie Health: Charlie Health is a virtual mental health provider offering intensive outpatient programs for adolescents and young adults. Adjacent to PEERS in serving young adults with social and behavioral challenges via telehealth, though focused on broader mental health rather than autism-specific social skills.

Broad incumbents

• Centria Healthcare: Centria Healthcare provides ABA, speech, and occupational therapy for children with autism. It is a broader incumbent in the autism services space with overlapping patient base but a different primary intervention model.
• Hopebridge: Hopebridge is a large autism therapy provider delivering ABA, occupational, speech, and diagnostic services across multiple U.S. states. It is a broader incumbent in the autism services category, with overlapping patient population but a different primary intervention modality than PEERS' social skills focus.
• Blue Sprig Pediatrics: Blue Sprig Pediatrics is a national ABA therapy provider for children with autism. Comparable in serving the same clinical population but with a broader, ABA-focused service model rather than PEERS' specialized social skills curriculum.
• Behavioral Innovations: Behavioral Innovations is a multi-state ABA therapy provider for children with autism. It is a broader incumbent in autism services, serving a similar neurodiverse population but through ABA rather than evidence-based social skills group training.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/ucla
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/UCLA
• Facebookfacebook.com/UCLA
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/uclapeers
• Instagraminstagram.com/ucla

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about UCLA PEERS® Clinic