Social Groups

Affirming Social Groups for Children and Teens

At Embracing Autism Collaborative Services, our social groups are designed around one core belief:
meaningful social learning grows out of genuine connection, not rote instruction.

Rather than teaching scripted “social skills,” we thoughtfully curate groups where children are motivated to engage, collaborate, and build real relationships in realy time-with all the joy, challenge, and growth that comes along with friendship.

Group Details

  • Length: 75 minutes

  • Duration: Year round with rolling admission

  • Frequency: 1X per week

  • Group Size: 3-5 children and 1-2 facilitators

  • Ages: 2.5-5 for preschool groups. 5-16 for school age groups

  • Cost: $120 per session

  • Schedule:

    • School Age: Monday-Thursday 3:30-4:45 or 5:00-6:15

    • Preschool Age: Monday-Thursday between 9:00 & 1:00PM

  • Funding: EACS is a Regional Center of the East Bay (RCEB) vendor and offers financial aid for eligible families. We do not accept insurance.

Onboarding Process

  1. Complete the online application (The “group application” button below will take you there!)

  2. Our team will review your submission and let you know if there are groups available in your child’s age range.

    • If no groups are available, we will offer a waitlist space until a group is available.

    • If space is available, we will schedule an intake call.

  3. If the group seems to be a match for your child, we will schedule a meet and greet.

Finally, your child will participate in a trial group to confirm the group is the right match for everyone.

From there, a contract will be established and services will commence.

Group Availability & Placement

EACS custom matches your child to a group of peers that we feel will offer opportunity for a genuine friendship connection based not just on age and diagnosis but on their unique interests, play styles, temperament, sensory profiles and developmenetal profiles. Because of this we cannot answer “Do you have space?” without additional information. Please see the onboarding process regarding applications to help initiate placement.

This also means:

  • We cannot always predict how long it may take to find the right placement for your child.

  • Placement timelines vary depending on the mix of ages, interests, and relational dynamics at any given time.

While this process may take longer, it allows us to stay true to our values and ensure that each group is a meaningful and supportive social environment.