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Our Mission
Through evidence-based strategies, SK Peer Circle empowers autistic adolescents to develop social competence and a sense of belonging, while cultivating neurotypical peers to be the next generation of inclusive leaders.
Our Vision
We envision inclusive communities where every teen belongs just as they are, and where friendship is built on authentic connection.
We are driven by a commitment to fostering inclusive social environments where all adolescents, regardless of disability status, can build meaningful connections. Many existing social skills programs for autistic adolescents are adult-led and lack inclusivity, often limiting participation to autistic youth only. We at SK Peer address this gap by using the following three pillars as the foundation for our program:
Inclusive Leadership
We believe that educating neurotypical peers about inclusivity, acceptance, and neuro-affirming practices is a critical first step toward creating the social environment we envision: where every teen belongs just as they are, and where friendship is built on authentic connection. Through our evidence-based training curriculum and programming, we aim to cultivate the next generation of inclusive leaders who will help foster social environments where everyone can belong.
Social Competence
Gresham and colleagues (2001) defines social competence as "The degree to which students are able to establish and maintain satisfactory interpersonal relationships, gain peer acceptance, establish and maintain friendships, and terminate negative or pernicious interpersonal relationships" (p.331).
We strive to instill social competence in all teens through authentic peer connections.
Neuro-affirmation
We celebrate each teen's unique strengths and recognize their individual differences as their own identity. Human diversity enriches our communities, and many ways people experience and engage with their social environments should be affirmed, not fixed.
Meet the Team
Dr. Sohyun Kim received her PhD in Special Education from UCLA. She is an autism researcher, a Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA), and a credentialed teacher, and has extensive experiences working with children and adolescents on the autism spectrum. She was a high school teacher since 2006, then started working in the field of ABA in 2013. She is also a certified PEERS® for Adolescents trainer.
Dr. Kim is deeply passionate about creating equitable and inclusive social environments for neurodivergent individuals, and educating caregivers, support staff, and other stakeholders about how to best support them. She has conducted a number of research studies related to such topics, and is thrilled to bring the research to practice through SK Peer Circle.
Maya J.
President
Maya is passionate about building bridges between neurotypical and autistic peers through shared interests and fun.
Board of Directors
Dr. Sohyun Kim
Program advisor
An autism researcher and BCBA dedicated to creating equitable social environments for neurodivergent teens.
Inclusive Leaders
Maya J.
vice president
Maya is passionate about building bridges between neurotypical and autistic peers through shared interests and fun.
David Chen
Program Advisor
David brings years of experience in youth development and neuro-affirming community programming.
Maya J.
communication director
Maya is passionate about building bridges between neurotypical and autistic peers through shared interests and fun.