Autism is over 4x more commonly diagnosed in boys than girls. This means autistic girls have fewer opportunities to connect and form friendships with other autistic girls.

Expanding beyond autism to neuro-diverse girls, or girls with other disabilities reflects the inclusive nature of GIRLS CLUB.

* * * We formed GIRLS CLUB to give our girls a chance and a place to be themselves and connect with others who share their experience in the world. * * *

GIRLS CLUB is an inclusive group, open to:

- Girls with neuro-developmental differences (autism, other)

- Girls of any “ability”, independence, or level of “functioning”

-- the only labels at GIRLS CLUB are the name tags

- Girls of all ages

- Parents or caregivers (a responsible adult must be present at events)

Nope. GIRLS CLUB is about fun, friendship, and frivolity. If you find those things therapeutic: great!

The purpose of GIRLS CLUB is not ‘social competence’ or ‘peer-to-peer play’ – though, certainly, those may spontaneously happen. The purpose of GIRLS CLUB is to give our girls a chance to be themselves, and to see themselves in others. It is an opportunity to form meaningful connections with girls who feel like them, are like-minded, and share a similar experience of the world. It's a place to feel like you BELONG, and are not "other."

GIRLS CLUB is free because we want all families to participate, and we acknowledge the huge expenses for on-going therapy, accessibility, and medical costs that our member families are already burdened with. We aim to lighten the load by charging zero dollars for membership, and ensuring all our events are free to attend.

Parents of extra-needs children spend thousands of dollars a year on therapies and specialized programs and equipment. AND, many are unable to work (as their kids cannot attend a full day at school or mainstream day care) and are therefore unemployed or underemployed. GIRLS CLUB aims to decrease this financial burden on families by offering free membership and events.

Fundamentally, we believe that friendship should be free. No one should have to pay out of pocket to make a friend, form connections or have community.

We have always been free, and we will always be free.

Fill out the membership form

”Sisters” denotes an age category. The categories are: wee sisters (0 - 6), younger sisters (7 - 10), middle sisters (11 - 14), and older sisters (15+). Our “older sisters” may choose to help volunteer at events for the younger ones.

GIRLS CLUB is a space for girls and young women to find and connect with each other. Anyone who identifies as female is a girl or young woman, and is welcome here. Trans rights are human rights.

Anyone gender nonconforming or non-binary person who is interested in GIRLS CLUB is also welcome. We accept you and your preferred pronoun. If you feel like GIRLS CLUB is for you - it probably is!

Also, GIRLS CLUB is family-friendly, so many brothers of GIRLS CLUB members tag along to events. We have, therefore, a de facto + informal “brothers’ club” embedded in many of our events.

If you have questions or concerns, please reach out to discuss: info@inGIRLSCLUB.com

Yes. GIRLS CLUB has no upper or lower age limits. Currently, the youngest member is not yet 2-years-old, and the oldest member is in her mid-20s.

Yes. GIRLS CLUB has no upper or lower age limits. Currently, the youngest member is not yet 2-years-old, and the oldest member is in her mid-20s.

GIRLS CLUB intentionally has no upper or lower age limits. Because:

• Younger girls often like to watch or interact with older girls

• Younger girls can benefit from the “older sisters” in the group – they can aspire to or ‘see themselves in’ older girls; it is proven that having “role models” that that look / act / think / feel like you is important to the self esteem of young girls

• “Aging out” of clubs and activities is arbitrary and unnecessary

• Older girls can act as “older sisters” to our younger GIRLS CLUB members, while also connecting with their peers and enjoying each other’s company

• What is so-called “age appropriate” as an activity is subjective; older members may like Barbies, and younger members may like politics. It’s all okay at GIRLS CLUB

• Friendships will form naturally, based on shared interests rather than ages. (As a NT mom, one of my best friends is 10 years older than me. We're great together!)

A responsible adult (parent, caregiver, BI, etc.) must accompany your child/teen to GIRLS CLUB. We believe that the involvement of families and support networks contributes to everyone's safety and well-being. At this time, is not possible to have a ‘drop off’ group. Should this ability arise in the future, it will be discussed and communicated.

We believe that the involvement of families and support networks contributes to everyone's safety and well-being. If your child is an adult, you are welcome to stay in the event room, or relax in another part of the building (please stay on-site). GIRLS CLUB members with a high degree of independence (who arrive/depart without a parent, aide or caretaker) are welcome to participate on their own.

Yes! The safety and well-being of each GIRLS CLUB member is what is of primary importance. So long as a responsible adult is present, it does not have to be a parent.

Yes! Parents - or adults - of any gender can attend. So, a mom, dad, BI, grandparent, attendant, nanny, caregiver, relative, family friend, etc can all be a responsible GIRLS CLUB adult.

We have multiple chapters. Look under “Regions” on our home page.

We are also open to starting GIRLS CLUB chapters in new regions. Reach out to us to find out how.

No. We also have field trips and like to get out into different communities in each region.

Let’s fix that. Email us at info@inGIRLSCLUB.com and tell us what kind of activities you’d like to see.

If possible, come to at least 1 or 2 GIRLS CLUB events so that you can connect with other members, and see if anyone lives in your area. That will allow you to setup playdates / hangouts close to you. Even if you can only come infrequently, we’d love to have you in GIRLS CLUB.

Contact us at info@inGIRLSCLUB.com to talk to you about the possibilities of a GIRLS CLUB in your region.

Please see our calendar page for details

• There are no fees to join or participate

• We happily accept donations to cover costs. To make a donation, click here * *