“…[My son] has had such a rough time on the receiving end of aggressive, senseless bullying for many years - he's grown accustomed to it - broken his spirit; it's heartbreaking and hard to bear. He's a beautiful soul. I feel you are restoring his spirit…”
~Susan, mother of a tween in 2021-22 PEERS SFBA
Mindful Youth LLC’s 2024-25 SFBA PEERS
Families interested in joining an in-person PEERS program for tweens with ASD and/or other needs that hinder social inclusion and happiness at school are urged to register for foundational social skills programs now (in-person, remote or hybrid) so that students qualify for future in-person PEERS programs for middle schoolers (6th, 7th and 8th grades). All social-emotional development programs are custom-designed for upper elementary and middle school students who struggle with foundational social, emotional and/or prosocial skills. Students on mild and moderate tracks are welcome and will be matched with students with similar instructional levels and needs. Students who start on a moderate track may be eligible for mild program options in the future as they make progress in their social goals with Ms. Ellen.
Defining and Creating a Sense of Belonging
Most social skills programs focus on conformity, or fitting in, which is not as meaningful as a sense of belonging. Ms. Ellen’s custom social skills training programs are for students in upper elementary school, middle school and high school with mild/moderate ASD, high-functioning Autism (HFA) and students in GenEd who feel like they are "on the outside looking in" who want to explore social connection with a small group of peers facing similar challenges. A genuine sense of belonging is unique to each person. It requires making conscious choices about authenticity and conformity that align with ones’ values while keeping options open for social inclusion across settings.
Beyond Social Skills.
Ms. Ellen’s research-based podcast is designed for all tweens coping with bullies and other challenges in middle school. In this first 15-minute lesson for families, tweens are invited to contemplate the value of cultivating a balance of conformity v. authenticity.
SFBA Regional Social Skills Programs
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Highly Sensitive & Shy
If loud sounds adversely affect you to the point where you avoid groups of people, this might be the initial type of social group recommended for you. Visit the Community page on this website to view listings for private price-shared program options with other families and book a screening appointment with Ms. Ellen on the Appointments page to be matched with other students who have similar needs and abilities.
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Outgoing
If you are outgoing and loud and love being in sports or on-stage, this might be the initial type of social group recommended for you. Visit the Community page on this website to view listings for private price-shared program options with other families and book a screening appointment with Ms. Ellen on the Appointments page to be matched with other students who have similar needs and abilities.
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Anti-Social
If your Zoom background reads “I hate people” and you have no intention of making friends in the PEERS program, this might be the initial type of social group recommended for you. Visit the Community page on this website to view listings for private price-shared program options with other families and book a screening appointment with Ms. Ellen on the Appointments page to be matched with other students who have similar needs and abilities.
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Zoom-bie Option being phased out.
The need for Zoom during the pandemic to save lives has come to an end. Families are encouraged to book in-person lessons for maximum effectiveness. Remote lessons will still be available for 1:2 social skills lessons and hybrid needs for foundational skills development. PEERS is only taught in-person. Ms. Ellen’s Community page lists any requests for price-sharing for students who have not yet been matched or who want to open their social group to more participants at their instructional levels. Students who share similar needs, abilities and interests are grouped together for maximum effectiveness and student engagement. Note: Ms. Ellen’s programs require participation in instruction and working toward goals. These programs are not designed for students who just want to play games. Growth (with a spirit of fun) is the goal.
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PEERS: Public v. Private Programs
My programs for students with autism are recommended by the Palo Alto Community Advisory Committee for Special Education (www.cacpaloalto.org) and promoted by Stanford Medicine’s Early Support Program for Autism (ESPA) as a resource for families. Between 2018-2022, BRSSD’s Opening Doors PTA in Belmont, Calif., generously sponsored my various PEERS programs for middle school students so that I could offer them free to families. In Fall 2021, tweens from 26 SF Bay Area middle schools registered for the free PEERS program which was held in San Mateo County during Spring Semester 2022. Thank you Opening Doors PTA for providing the seed funding for these public programs for five years. Starting in 2022-23, to ensure maximum effectiveness and matching of instructional levels, Ms. Ellen’s ongoing social skills development programs focus first on prerequisite skills programs held year-round. Students who master foundational skills and prosocial behavior qualify for in-person (mild) PEERS programs held each academic year that include students from all SFBA counties.
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Program Design (3rd-12th grades)
Ms. Ellen’s custom social skills programs are designed for students with mild/moderate ASD from school districts throughout the San Francisco Bay Area. Students are matched based on common instructional needs and interests. Social Skills curricula is integrated with mindfulness training and prosocial behavior and communication training. More advanced programs mix students with different social preferences to practice real world integration. The long-term goal of social skills training is to teach all students how to flexibly and safely integrate with diverse groups of people and, most importantly, to have fun! In addition to her Education Specialist credential, Ms. Ellen completed additional college coursework including ASD social skills development training to earn her Autism Authorization from the State of California.
Thank you Opening Doors PTA!
Tweens from 26 middle schools registered for Ms. Ellen’s 2022 PEERS SFBA social skills program that teaches prosocial self-defense against bullies and other social survival skills. Tweens with ASD meet each other and have a blast. Thank you to all who helped us match BRSSD parent donations to serve students from both sides of the Bay this Spring Semester 2022.
The PTA received funding (GoFundMe + private donations) for all classes in the Saturday program plus a Wednesday program and a Zoom program.
Ralston * Nesbit * Sandpiper * Central * Itliong-Vera Cruz * Greene * Woodside * Miller * Hillview * Brownelle * Peterson * Los Cerros * Merryhill * Borel * Burlingame * Blach * Ocean Shore * Abbott * Kinship Academy * Athena Academy * Stanbridge Academy * AchieveKids * Bullis Charter School * St. Timothy’s * Esther B. Clark
Thank you note from a tween to his whole 2021-22 PEERS SFBA class.
— student’s name redacted
Free To Be… Uniquely Me.
All of Mindful Youth LLC’s programs are open to non-binary and binary participants, including this robot who attended our 2024 PEERS Party. While we don’t delve into sexuality or sexual identity because the focus of Ms. Ellen’s programs is abstinence-based friendship (which is the foundation for all other successful relationships in life), any and all identities are welcome. Tolerance and appreciation of diversity is part of social flexibility and success. It’s also just polite to create space for all views and perspectives, even if it feels little out of our comfort zone.
