It really depends on what your son's needs are, and how he would interact with a peer. Here are some of the activities I've seen between peer buddies, both with kids with ASD, and kids with DS. In my experience, peer buddies serve two functions:
1. Assistance staying with and joining the group comes from a peer rather than adult. Child learns to look to peers for modeling and help rather than adults.
2. Give the child more opportunities for social interaction with peers. Child looks to peers for social interaction, and because of the buddy, other peers are more likely to engage with the child.
Some examples of number one:
-if the child needs assistance staying with the group, he holds his peer buddy's hand, instead of an adult's
-child goes through the lunch line process with a peer buddy
-peer buddy reminds child when recess is over and makes sure he gets into line
-peer makes sure child is on right page/has right materials before starting activity
Some examples of number two:
-at reading time child can't read yet but peer reads to him
-peer gets child started at recess playing a game or playing with group of kids
-if the class plays a game with partners, child and peer are partners
-buddy sits with child at lunch
Generally, the way I've seen it work best is for the teacher to get a small group of students to volunteer to be peers. Then each day, the teacher selects one of them to be the peer of the day (for example, draw popsicle stick with name out of cup). The named child is free to pass that day if they wish, and then the teacher picks another name. But usually, since the kids have volunteered, most of them enjoy buddying and don't pass.
