I came to the social skills group to make friends. At 11 years old, I had close to none. Each week, we would learn about different skills. Things like how to say hello, how to say goodbye, how loud to talk, and understanding idioms. I liked rules, so memorizing these rules came naturally. Yet, I'd find myself stumbling outside; unlike classes, actual social situations require quite a bit more nuance.

What I did that was helpful was "The Zone," the last hour of group marked out as free time for us fellow autistic kids to talk, play Magic: The Gathering, or do whatever. For 60 minutes, I got to meet other people like me.

While social connection groups have been around for a long time, it has been only recently that the therapy community has recognized the value of less-structured groups. I met with a social connection group facilitator, Lisa Nicoloff, to explore what a social connection group is, how it works, and what makes it different from traditional social skills classes.

Nicoloff is a neurodiversity-affirming therapist in Illinois. She has been leading a social connection group for almost three years.

According to Nicoloff, "Traditional social skills groups tend to focus on teaching and practicing neurotypical social norms. Suppressing stims, forcing eye contact, focusing on body language, it can feel very performative,........

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