Parents

Circle of Friends Group For Your Child

Are you wondering how to have a Circle of Friends group implemented for your child? If your school already has an established Circle of Friends program, it may be easier to get one started, but don't hesitate to be a trailblazer if Circle of Friends will be a first! Not only will your child benefit, but so will the peer mentors and other focus students to come. Some things to note:

• Circle of Friends is a form of peer-mediated intervention, an established treatment with a track record of beneficial outcomes for children on the autism spectrum. You will be requesting an evidence based intervention. This is important to schools. Don't hesitate to share research with school staff.  (see the 'About Circle of Friends' link on this site)

• An IEP meeting is a good place to request a Circle of Friends group for your child. Ask the team to write social skills goals into the IEP and to use regularly scheduled Circle of Friends meetings to teach and practice these skills with the peer group. It's good to get support interventions written into the IEP for two reasons: 1) It holds everyone accountable for implementation and regular progress monitoring and, 2) When your child transitions to a different grade level, there is a record of this intervention, communicating the need for continuation of Circle of Friends implementation to new staff. 

• It costs nothing to implement Circle of Friends groups at school. Be sure to mention this when requesting a group for your child. There is a free virtual training for new facilitators every fall. The training is also recorded for those who may not be able to attend in person. In addition, there are monthly email updates and periodic Zoom support meetings for COF group facilitators. They can also reach out with questions any time to the folks on the 'Contact' link on this site. 

• Circle of Friend groups are commonly facilitated by special education teachers/IEP case managers and speech language pathologists. However, they can be implemented by any adult at school. You can learn more about the many ways COF groups can be implemented by viewing the webinars in the 'About Circle of Friends' link on this site.

• Sharing this virtual learning community website when requesting a COF group can also be helpful. 

• If located in Nebraska, let your school know they can reach out to the Regional ASD coordinator for assistance starting a Circle of Friends group. There is no charge for support from the ASD Network. The regional coordinator can assist the implementation of COF, troubleshoot issues, and provide options for school staff to visit a nearby Circle of Friends group for additional ideas.