Circle of Friends… What Is It?

Circle of Friends is a peer-building process used to develop a network of supporting individuals (i.e., parents, friends, family members, caregivers) who promote peer understanding and acceptance while building friendships. This network made up of volunteers helps students become involved in the school community. Initially, you as the facilitator may need to select the volunteers. It is important for the circle to include children who have good social and communication skills that will provide good models for the identified child. It is equally important to include children who are less social in order to give the identified child an opportunity to exhibit leadership and problem solving in the circle. In brief, the circle is built around one student, for whom it becomes a place of support, education, and acceptance.

The Circle of Friends is an exciting process for children who have challenges making friends. It offers opportunities for learning strategies to develop friendships with peers. The circle can help the child with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) learn social skills including cooperation, negotiation, problem solving, trust, and empathy. The circle becomes the medium through which relationships are formed. It is hoped that once all the children in the circle can relate to each other and have fun together during the circle, they will seek each other out for subsequent positive interactions on the playground and at home. This lesson is intended to share activities that will start you on your way to developing and individualizing your circles. Through building a Circle of Friends for an identified child, whether at home or at school, an understanding of individual similarities and differences can develop among all the participants.

A circle can be used for students who are having difficulty making friends as well as for students who are new to the school or community. First a group of potential friends (i.e. classroom peers, club members) are brought together to discuss the reason for creating a circle. It may or may not be necessary to go into the nature of the identified child’s disability; each circumstance will be different. The identified child’s team should make this determination for disclosure. Regardless it is important to stress to the peer group that their involvement can make a positive difference in the identified child’s life. Once an initial group has been identified (i.e., child’s classmates) and have completed their own Circle of Friends activity (see Figure 1), use the identified child’s activity as the starting point for the discussion on how to form a circle. Sharing the identified child’s circle activity with the group helps them see how it is different from theirs and opens up dialogue on how the group can help the identified child build a circle that will include more friends.

There is not a specific pattern or curriculum to follow. The activities suggested in this lesson are meant to be a springboard for your creativity in circle development. Consider the interests and the needs of the identified child when choosing games and activities to do during the Circle of Friends meetings. For instance, consider a game of Zoo Mania or Uno for the child with ASD who is interested in numbers. The game or activity is the medium that draws the student in and holds his interest while other friendship skills are being taught. Something as simple as a card game can help the child learn important skills like patience (turn taking) and sequence (always taking turns in order). The one consistent component found when researching information on Circle of Friends is the use of the activity referenced in Figure 1, Circle of Friends (Forest & Snow, 1987).

Once the Circle of Friends activity has been completed, the group planning can continue. The group can be facilitated by a teacher, paraeducator, or other team member who have had experience and/or training using this social skills format. Any staff member or person willing to become familiar with the child and the goals you hope to achieve within the Circle of Friends can serve as the facilitator. The facilitator should be someone who understands the function of the circle and has the ability to carry through with activities as well as directing the students through new ideas.

Perhaps the identified child is fascinated by horticulture. The circle gives the child an opportunity to share that knowledge with peers who may otherwise only have seen the child’s disability. The activity could be as simple as starting a windowsill garden, with the identified child leading the other students in the planting and care of the garden. By using a topic that the child with ASD is familiar and comfortable with, the child has an opportunity to “shine” among his peers. Circles should consist of 5 – 6 students, including the identified student. It is suggested students meet on a regular basis (i.e., once a week) to help the identified student’s need for consistency of routine and topics.