Structured Support for Real Connection
In our small groups, children build the social and peer skills they need to succeed in and out of the classroom. Meaningful relationships are part of every child's climb toward their brightest potential.
In our years working alongside Houston-area schools, we kept seeing the same pattern: capable kids who didn't fit neatly into general education without support, a self-contained classroom, or a full, intensive therapy program. They needed something in between — specific, structured practice with peers, not a worksheet and not an open-ended "socialization" goal.
Our social skills groups were built for exactly that space. Every group works toward specific, named skills, in small settings where children can practice with real peers, not just talk about it.
Our social skills groups are developed and led by a BCBA, with trained lead instructors and facilitators in the room — about one trained staff member for every three children. Children are placed by age and skill level into one of two groups.
Both groups follow the same 8-week curriculum, taught in a way that fits each age. Each cohort runs 8 Saturdays in a row and starts and finishes together, with no children added partway through. No diagnosis is required, and a 9-year-old is placed in whichever group fits best by skill level.
Skills are taught in a concrete, visual way, with scripts, picture cues and lots of modeling from staff. Lessons stay short and hands-on, with plenty of games and movement so children practice through play.
Skills are taught through open-ended practice and peer coaching. Kids work through real situations they face at school and with friends, like group projects, disagreements and joining in, and coach each other through them, with staff support as needed.
As the program grows, we will add afternoon and evening groups. Join our interest list to be notified.
Every 8-week cohort practices these six core skills, with a take-home challenge every week.
Structured practice sharing attention, materials, and space with peers.
Making friends, joining in, and keeping play going with other children.
Recognizing frustration early and using a replacement response instead of shutting down or escalating.
Tolerating changes in plans, routines, and expectations without losing regulation.
Concrete strategies children can use in the moment, not just talk about.
Initiating, joining, and maintaining conversations, and knowing when to continue or wrap one up with a peer.
Every week ends with a take-home challenge. Younger children get scripts and picture cues; older or more advanced children get open-ended practice and peer coaching.
Every cohort builds the same core skills — the activities and themes we use to teach them vary from cohort to cohort, so a returning child won't repeat the same script.
We play cooperative games every week. Some weeks also include a short competitive game to practice winning and losing well. Every Saturday ends with a debrief and a take-home card for parents at pick-up.
This is our typical flow and may shift from week to week or cohort to cohort.
We build fun into every part of the day, and every part of the day is also a chance to learn. Here are a few ways we do it:
Kids play as one team toward a shared goal, like “crossing the river” on a few mats, where everyone has to ask for and give help to get the whole group across, or a feelings detective hunt to find and act out body-language cards before the timer runs out.
Snack is where kids practice sharing and requesting, waiting a turn, offering someone a seat, and making small talk at the table. Building a snack together (like a team pretzel-and-marshmallow tower) becomes a hands-on way to practice skills like “size of the problem” and being a good sport when things don’t go as planned.
Crafts and builds give kids a reason to work together, like tracing a friend’s hand and writing one thing they learned about them on each finger, or building a LEGO bridge with one shared plan and limited supplies, which takes some compromise.
Everyone washes hands before snack; every label is checked for nuts and Red 40; and each child is only served foods that have been cleared against their individual allergy list.
Some skills are best taught one-on-one, with focused attention and repetition — that's what traditional ABA does really well. But social skills are different. A child can learn to take turns with a therapist, and still freeze up the first time they have to do it with an actual classmate.
That's not a failure of 1:1 therapy — it's just that some skills need to be practiced in the setting where they'll actually be used. So our groups are built to look and feel like a real classroom, with real peers, from day one.
This program is designed for a specific group of kids: those who are already in, or nearly ready for, a mainstream classroom, and mainly need support building the social side of things. No diagnosis is required to join — we place children by age and skill level. Children do need to be fully toilet-trained and independent in the bathroom. If your child needs more comprehensive, one-on-one support, we'd love to talk with you about our center-based and in-home ABA services.
We work closely with families, schools, and other providers, so everyone who supports your child works toward the same goals.
A quick hand-off at pick-up, a take-home card each week, and a full progress report at the end of the cohort. Want more hands-on coaching? Book a one-on-one BCBA parent session any time.
We coordinate with teachers and, when relevant, align with IEP or 504 goals, so the support your child receives with us and at school moves in the same direction.
We keep clear, regular communication with any provider who refers a family to us, helping everyone stay informed and aligned.
Every team member passes a criminal background check and mandated-reporter training. More than one adult is always present, with supervised transitions, bathroom breaks, and secured exits. Children are released only to adults on your Authorized Pickup List.
They're placed in whichever group — 6–9 or 9–12 — fits best by skill level. A BCBA makes that call.
Yes. The core skills we teach stay the same from cohort to cohort, but the themes and activities we use to teach them change each time — so a returning child is practicing the same skills in a new way, not repeating the same script.
No diagnosis is required. Children are placed by age and skill level, not diagnosis.
Yes. Children who communicate clearly using an AAC device are welcome.
Parent training isn't required or included. An optional one-on-one BCBA parent session is available for $100/hour.
With a Progress Survey before and after the cohort, each child's own weekly goal data, and a written end-of-cohort progress report.
Yes. After the BCBA screener, your child gets a one-page summary with at least two personalized goals, decided together with you based on your family's priorities.
Private pay only — we don't bill insurance for this program.
Credited toward your cohort fee if you enroll. A parent survey plus a 30-minute video meeting with a BCBA.
A one-page summary with at least two personalized goals, decided together with you based on your family's priorities.
Sign the agreement, pay a $100 deposit (applied to your cohort fee), complete the intake packet.
for 8 sessions
If a group doesn't reach its minimum size, we'll let you know right away, give you a full refund, and give you first notice when the next one opens.
Now enrolling for 2027
