The Grow + Thrive girls virtual social group gives your daughter a supportive, low-pressure space to connect with other Autistic girls her age. Rather than navigating the overwhelming dynamics of typical social settings, she'll be in an environment designed with her in mind. She can build genuine friendships, initiate and engage in social connections at her own pace, and feel understood without having to mask. Many Autistic girls find that simply being around peers who get it is something they didn’t realize they were missing until they connect with others who have similar backgrounds and experiences.

Masking is when an Autistic person suppresses or hides their natural traits in order to appear more neurotypical. Middle school girls can often take on the mannerisms and language used by their peers without even being aware of it. They may feel pressure to make eye contact with others even if it’s uncomfortable for them, to suppress their individualized stims, or resort to canned, memorized conversations to engage with others. While masking can help navigate certain situations in the short term, it is exhausting and linked to anxious and depressive behaviors in Autistic girls. Our group is specifically designed to be a mask-free space, where your daughter can show up as herself, relax, and build friendships that are genuine rather than performative.

It is important to honor your daughter's need for alone time. Many Autistic girls say that solitude is genuinely restorative and helps them to show up as a better friend when they want to. However, current research tells us that meaningful social connection is one of the strongest indicators of long-term health and wellbeing, on par with sleep, nutrition, and exercise. Loneliness and isolation, even when chosen, can quietly affect mental health over time, particularly during the middle school years when identity and self-worth are still developing. Grow + Thrive doesn’t aim to make girls feel like they have to socialize; rather, the goal is to help them find a small, safe group of girls with whom they want to socialize. Many Autistic girls who say they prefer being alone have simply never experienced friendships that didn't feel draining. When connection happens in the right environment, it becomes less like the difficult work they’ve known as “socializing” and more like settling into a comfy space where they can be themselves.

This is a concern for all parents—you’re not alone! But, for many Autistic girls, virtual spaces actually lower the barriers to connection. They experience less sensory overwhelm, have more time to process, and are on a more level playing field socially than they might be in person. Grow + Thrive is intentionally designed to make the virtual format work for your daughter, not against her, with structured activities and guided interaction that help real relationships develop. In the Grow + Thrive space, she can try new skills with others in a supportive community before trying them out with her peers in school, increasing her confidence with in-person relationships.