Pediatric Speech Therapy

The Social Circle: Social Skills Group

The Social Circle is a small peer group where kids practice real social interaction with guided support, not worksheets. Grouped by age and skill level, children build friendship skills the same way they're used in real life: with other kids.

It looks like a small group of peers playing a game together with a therapist gently coaching in real time, pointing out a missed cue or prompting a turn, right as it happens rather than after the fact.

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AGES

5 to 13 years

SESSIONS

30-45 minutes (group format)

FORMAT

In-clinic

General guideposts

Friendship-Skill Reference Points

General friendship-skill milestones:

By age 3-4
Begins sharing and taking turns with adult support.
By age 4-5
Engages in cooperative, imaginative play with peers.
By age 6-7
Starts forming and maintaining specific friendships.
By age 8-10
Navigates group dynamics like inclusion, fairness, and minor conflict.

General guidance only — every child develops differently. An evaluation gives you an answer specific to your child.

What to look for

Signs Your Child May Benefit

Some kids know exactly what they want socially but need direct coaching on how to get there.

Sharing attention, taking turns, and navigating group activities can be genuinely difficult skills to learn.

Kids who don't pick up on social misfires benefit from in-the-moment coaching from a guide who can point it out kindly.

This can be comfort-seeking or a sign that group play feels overwhelming without support.

Making a friend but struggling to maintain the relationship over time is a common and addressable pattern.

Our process

What to Expect

1

Placement into a small group matched by age and skill level

2

Guided games and activities designed to prompt real social interaction

3

Direct, in-the-moment coaching from a therapist during group play

Between sessions

How You Can Help at Home

  • • Set up small, low-pressure playdates with one peer at a time.
  • • Talk through social wins and misses from the day, briefly and kindly.
  • • Reinforce skills practiced in group, like turn-taking, during family time.

Frequently asked

Common Questions

We group children by age and social skill level so the group dynamic supports everyone's growth.

Often yes, depending on current group availability — reach out and we'll let you know what's open.

We keep groups small so every child gets meaningful individual coaching, not just group time.

Appointments

Help your child build real friendships.

Serving families in Calabasas · Agoura Hills · Woodland Hills · West Hills · Westlake Village · Tarzana · Encino · Malibu · Simi Valley · Thousand Oaks · Moorpark

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