Friends' Club®

"...our kids meet others like themselves with whom they can relate and share interests. Our Friends feel a connection that they haven't felt elsewhere..."

-Quirky, Yes - Hopeless, No

Group Structure and Methodologies:

Social Understanding Groups for Children with

High Functioning Autism and Asperger's Syndrome

Children with High Functioning Autism have difficulties learning the subtleties and nuances of successful social interaction and group participation. Friends' Club® provides a structured social environment designed to help our clients explore and develop the many aspects of social success in a fun and safe setting. Friends' Club® introduces children and teens to proven strategies that can be used in a wide variety of situations and covers topics such as:

Initiating and maintaing different kinds of conversations
Giving and accepting compliments
Staying on topic in conversation and in groups
Understanding the perspectives of others
Dealing with bullies
Reading the emotional "Tone" of other people and environments
Reading non-verbal cues and "body" language
Social problem-solving
And game and play skills

Your child will be included in a small group of children of similar ages. Each group is limited to eight children and is designed to be intimate and socially appropriate for each child. Groups last for one hour and meet once a week on Monday, Tuesday or Wednesday afternoons. Friends' Club® offers an environment that is structured to facilitate friendship-making and successful interactions with others.

The format of the sessions are integrative to accomodate the specific needs of each group. Strategies used include presentations, facilitated play, social stories, social scripting, collaborative problem solving, and guided conversations around specific themes. Friends' Club® is a great compliment to existing therapies. It has made a tremendous difference in the lives of hundreds of children in California, Hawaii, Guam, and Vancouver, BC.

How To Sign Up:

We have open enrollment until groups are full. Friends' Club costs $240/ session and can sometimes be covered, at least partially by some insurance plans. Each Friends' Club® session is 1 day/ week, and usually runs for 6 weeks at a time.

An intake meeting with Dr. Norall is required for all new Friends' Club® clients. The intake meeting is for Dr. Norall to meet your child and determine if the group that is open is a good fit for your child. We group kids based on complementary needs within the group itself. She also uses this time to create goals for your child as well as make recommendations as to which services would be appropriate for them.

The 1 hour intake costs $200 dollars and can also sometimes be covered by insurance plans.

If you would like more information

about joining Friends' Club®, please contact

Cherstin.Rutz@casefamily.com.