Social Groups

2025

About

Making Connections Toowoomba provides fun, safe, and supportive Social Group environments where neurodivergent children, teens and young adults can make connections with likeminded peers.  This approach is supported by research that has found when neurodivergent people socialise and learn new skills together, they report greater feelings of comfort, belonging, and cross-neurotype understanding (Crompton et al., 2020).


We keep our groups intentionally small to ensure that every participant has the best possible chance to make meaningful connections. This allows us to offer high-quality resources and tailor activities to the unique dynamics of each group and the individuals within them. Rest assured, we invest countless hours in careful planning and programming to make every session purposeful and fun for our participants.


While our Social Clubs provide a natural platform to practice social communication skills and incidental social coaching does occur, it's important to note that they do not include explicit social skills teaching or caregiver training. For those seeking a more structured approach with progress monitoring parent sessions, we recommend exploring our Social Skills Groups.


A note about costs:

We believe in accessibility for all neurodivergent youth, regardless of diagnosis or NDIS eligibility. While our groups may be claimable for self or plan-managed NDIS participants, we want to emphasise that our doors are open to everyone.


Remaining true to our commitment, we have not increased our prices since our inception four years ago, despite significant cost increases. For a detailed information sheet on our services, please contact us via email at:
fiona@makingconnectionstoowoomba.com.au

Social Clubs for

Older Teens & Young Adults




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Social Clubs

2025

The Colour Collective

Art & Craft Clubs

Grades 6 to 9

Ages 15+


The Colour Collective is a arts and craft social club designed specifically for young people with autism, ADHD, social anxiety, or those with similar characteristics. This social club provides a safe and supportive environment for neurodivergent youth to make connections with like-minded peers who share an interest in art and craft.


Our Mission

The Colour Collective aims to help neurodivergent young people “find their tribe” by creating meaningful social connections in a space where curiosity and creativity thrive. Our club values ‘beautiful mistakes,’ so there is no expectation to produce a particular outcome or meet a certain skill level. Instead, we focus on learning through discovery, connecting over a common interest and  supporting one another along the way.


What We Offer

  • A safe, supportive environment for social connections
  • Purposefully planned and facilitated sessions, but suitably qualified professionals
  • Opportunities to explore art and craft in a non-judgmental space
  • A chance to make friends with others who share similar interests and experiences


Benefits of Joining

  • Conversation Skills: Improve social communication in a relaxed setting.
  • Social Problem-Solving: Learn to navigate different social situations together.
  • Negotiation: Build the skills to cooperate and share ideas.
  • Sharing Knowledge: Listen, share, and learn from one another’s experiences.


By joining, you’ll also have the opportunity to develop:

  • Confidence
  • Connection
  • Self-esteem


Note: Parents, carers, and support workers do not attend.


Details for 2025

Please submit an Expression of Interest form to be added to the waitlist!


More information

If you would like an information sheet, please email: fiona@makingconnectionstoowoomba.com.au

Expression of Interest Form

Teen Tech Club

Grades 8 to 10


The Tech Club is a space where neurodivergent teens come together in a safe and supportive environment to connect over their shared interest in technology. Instead of gaming, coding, tinkering, or designing in isolation, this group encourages face-to-face interaction in a social setting. Most importantly, it’s an opportunity for participants to pursue their passion, develop confidence, and feel valued.


Benefits of Social Tech Clubs

Research consistently shows that small group settings help young people on the autism spectrum practice key social skills, such as:

  • Effective Communication
  • Negotiation
  • Sharing Specialist Knowledge & Listening to Others
  • Coping with Stress & Frustration
  • Building Social Connections


Note: Parents, carers, and support workers do not attend.


Details for 2025

Please submit an Expression of Interest form to be added to the waitlist!


More information

If you would like an information sheet, please email: fiona@makingconnectionstoowoomba.com.au


Expression of Interest Form

Older Teens and Young Adults

Epic Board Game Club

Ages 14+

Join our Epic Board Games social club for neurodivergent teens and young adults, where we explore a wide variety of common and not-so-common board and card games! This group offers plenty of challenges, strategies, and fun along the way.


Whether you're a seasoned player or new to board games, you'll enjoy engaging in friendly competition, learning new strategies, and connecting with peers who share your enthusiasm for games.


This group provides a welcoming and supportive environment to make new friends, develop strategic thinking, and enhance social connections.


Benefits of Board Games for Enhancing Social Connections

Regular opportunities to think creatively in group contexts provide chances to practice:

  • Communication & Collaboration Skills
  • Social Problem-Solving
  • Negotiation
  • Good Sportsmanship
  • Social Flexibility
  • Listening to & Respecting the Views of Others
  • Self-Advocacy

And to develop:

  • Confidence, Connection & Self-Esteem
  • Opportunities to Make Friends with Like-Minded People

...While delving into a wide variety of games and challenges with those who share your passion!


Note: Parents, carers, and support workers do not attend.


Details for 2025

Please submit an Expression of Interest form to be added to the waitlist!


More information

If you would like an information sheet, please email: fiona@makingconnectionstoowoomba.com.au

Expression of Interest Form

Art Circle

Ages 15+

The Art Circle is a arts and craft social club designed specifically for older teens and young adults with autism, ADHD, social anxiety, or those with similar characteristics. This social club provides a safe and supportive environment for neurodivergent youth to make connections with like-minded peers who share an interest in art and craft.


Our Mission

This club aims to help neurodivergent young people “find their tribe” by creating meaningful social connections in a space where curiosity and creativity thrive. Our club values ‘beautiful mistakes,’ so there is no expectation to produce a particular outcome or meet a certain skill level. Instead, we focus on learning through discovery, connecting over a common interest and  supporting one another along the way.


What We Offer

  • A safe, supportive environment for social connections
  • Purposefully planned and facilitated sessions, but suitably qualified professionals
  • Opportunities to explore art and craft in a non-judgmental space
  • A chance to make friends with others who share similar interests and experiences


Benefits of Joining

  • Conversation Skills: Improve social communication in a relaxed setting.
  • Social Problem-Solving: Learn to navigate different social situations together.
  • Negotiation: Build the skills to cooperate and share ideas.
  • Sharing Knowledge: Listen, share, and learn from one another’s experiences.


By joining, you’ll also have the opportunity to develop:

  • Confidence
  • Connection
  • Self-esteem


Note: Parents, carers, and support workers do not attend.


Details for 2025

Please submit an Expression of Interest form to be added to the waitlist!


More information

If you would like an information sheet, please email: fiona@makingconnectionstoowoomba.com.au

Expression of Interest Form

The Friday Meeting Place

Older Teens & Young Adults

The aim of The Meeting Place social club is to provide a supportive environment where young people on the autism spectrum come together to make connections with similar-aged teens and young adults. This group is best suited to motivated teens and young adults who may have trouble meeting like-minded people or who are experiencing social anxiety. 


We work hard to find best-fit dynamics so we can provide high quality and purposeful sessions and ensure our participants have the best possible opportunities to make connections and feel safe to be themselves.


Each week, the group engage in social activities and opportunities to develop their social confidence and connectedness. These opportunities range from: group-based games, paired and joint projects, community-based outings, cooking sessions and volunteer opportunities within the community.


Benefits of a Facilitated Social Group

Benefits of Social Groups for young people on the autism spectrum include opportunities to practise:

  • Conversation skills
  • Social problem solving
  • Negotiation
  • Good sportsmanship
  • Sharing of specialist knowledge while listening to others


And to develop:

  • Confidence, connection & self-esteem
  • Opportunities to make friends with likeminded people


Details for 2025

Please submit an Expression of Interest form to be added to the waitlist!


More information

If you would like an information sheet, please email: fiona@makingconnectionstoowoomba.com.au

Expression of Interest Form

Frequently Asked Questions

The difference between quality Social Skills Program and Social Activities

There are a lot of social skills programs and activities on the market. 


Some programs are backed by solid scientific research, while with others, facilitators use evidence-informed strategies that have been endorsed by the research. Some may not necessarily be research or evidence-based but could be working for your young person. 


But how do you know which is which? 


Most caregivers simply do not have the time nor energy to sift through the information avalanche and know which programs are worth the investment, both of their finances and their time. This is why evidence-based Social Skills Programs are so important. 

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What are Evidence-based Social Skills Programs?

An evidence-based program is one that:

  • Has been rigorously evaluated using scientific methods
  • Evaluated by people other than the program designer 
  • Research has been published in good quality, peer-reviewed journals
  • Has demonstrated effectiveness with a high number of participants
  • Is proven to deliver the desired outcomes of the program

However, in the world of ‘social skills programs’ and activities, there are many that have not been adequately evaluated, and as a result, cannot be deemed ‘evidence-based’ or proven to use ‘evidence-informed’ methods. Yet the good news is, there are some programs that have. These are the programs and approaches Making Connections Toowoomba is committed to providing. 


So that we deliver what we promise, our ‘Social Skills Programs’ will:

  • be supported by research, which you can review if required
  • involve pre- and post- testing to measure outcomes
  • include a model of parent-caregiver coaching

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Contact Us.

We’d love to hear from you.

Making Connections Toowoomba

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