Where every kid belongs.

SOCIAL SKILLS GROUPS · BEND, OR

Connection Club helps kids build real social understanding — not memorized scripts. Small groups, a licensed SLP, and a space where every child gets to be exactly who they are.

A close-up of smiling children in a circle, looking up at the camera — bright, joyful, peer connection

OUR GROUPS

Programs for every age

Groups matched by age and social learning level — so every child in the room is working toward similar goals.

Ages 5–7

Early Elementary

Foundational skills through play, games, and stories — building the building blocks of friendship.


  • Making and keeping friends
  • Listening and taking turns
  • Reading social cues
  • Managing big feelings

2–4 kids · 60 min
Ages 8–11

Upper Elementary

Deeper social thinking for kids navigating more complex friendships and group dynamics.


  • Perspective taking
  • Problem solving with peers
  • Joining groups & conversations
  • Managing conflict

2–4 kids · 60 min

Teaching social thinking, not just social skills — led by a licensed SLP

WHY CONNECTION CLUB

A different kind of practice

We're not a general speech therapy clinic. Everything we do is built around one thing: helping kids connect. Our approach is grounded in the Social Thinking® methodology — a framework built around one core idea: social skills are the result of social thinking. When kids learn to understand the social world, the skills follow.

The group is the therapy

Real peer practice in a real group — because social thinking can only be learned alongside other people, not in a one-on-one role play.

Thinking, not performing

We don’t teach kids to act neurotypical. We help them understand the social world and decide how they want to show up in it.

Led by a licensed SLP

Every session is run by Stephanie directly — a clinician who's spent her career helping kids understand the social world.

From insight to everyday life

What kids learn in the group room transfers home because we involve parents in every session — sharing what was covered and how to keep it going.

Stephanie Wilhite, MA, SLP — founder of Connection Club, wearing a blue baseball cap and smiling warmly
Stephanie Wilhite, MA, SLP — founder of Connection Club, wearing a blue baseball cap and smiling warmly

Stephanie Wilhite, MA, SLP

MEET STEPHANIE

Stephanie has spent 25 years working with children who experience the social world differently — across schools, homes, and private practice settings throughout Central Oregon. Connection Club is her life's work distilled into one focused practice.

Your child’s people are waiting.

Every kid deserves a place where they feel understood and can practice being themselves. Let's find the right group for yours.