Where exceptional children
can play and blossom!

Peer Play is an exciting and engaging social skills play group designed for children on the autism spectrum and kiddos who could use a little extra help making friends.

Prioritizing the safety and well-being of you and your child, we currently host indoor sessions in a specially designed sensory gym.

In addition, we offer Living and Social Skills groups for teens and preteens, focusing on promoting functional independence and enhancing social access within the community. Join us for a fun and supportive environment where friendships blossom and skills flourish!

We Believe

We Believe:

Meaningful relationships heal.

Children learn best from other children.

Dopamine (happy neurotransmitter) stimulates motivation and learning.

Acceptance from your peer group is a powerful motivator for developmental growth.

Offering or withholding extrinsic rewards to teach socialization turns the joy of social play into work and robs the child from owning their choices, actions and relationships.

Children can be our wisest teachers and most honest critics, if we pay attention. They also make great therapists.

Children deserve a fun childhood with happy memories—not just a busy stream of adult-led interventions.

Parents deserve a mutually supportive community that understands their experience.

Typically developing children that regularly play with kids in the autism spectrum expand their minds and hearts to build empathy and compassion.

All children can and should play and make friends. These behaviors are so fundamental that the are observed across most mammalian species.

We Celebrate:

Love, friendship, community, creativity, curiosity, resiliency, integrity, and diversity (including neurodiversity).

Social Skills Groups

Our program integrates developmentally informed interventions with a creative and inclusive group experience. We support expressions of individuality, spontaneity, and silliness, and encourage children to bring their full selves to play in a safe and stimulating environment.

Our clinical staff is highly trained and has spent many years developing innovative ways to help every child achieve their potential. We strive to create a supportive community amongst our parents and facilitate relationships that extend beyond our clinic. We also invite normally developing children (siblings or friends) as playmates, to offer models of adaptive social behaviors.

Our facility includes a fully equipped sensory motor gym and an adjacent playroom with toys, props, puppets, costumes, arts & craft materials and musical instruments.

Groups

Team

Meet The Team

Francisco Rocco, PhD

Developmental Psychologist

Dr. Rocco is a licensed clinical psychologist who specializes in the assessment and treatment of developmental derailments in young children. He earned his doctoral degree from the University of California in Santa Barbara and currently works as a clinician at the UCSF – Multidisciplinary Assessment Center at San Francisco General Hospital, Dept. of Pediatrics. He also has a private practice in San Francisco specializing in developmental vulnerabilities. Dr. Rocco has lived in Latin America, Europe, and Asia and speaks Spanish, Portuguese, and French. www.franciscorocco.com

Jazmin Elek

Occupational Therapist

Jazmin Elek is a Pediatric Occupational Therapist specializing in early developmental vulnerabilities. She is certified in Neuro Developmental Treatment (NDT) and has advanced training in Sensory Processing, DIR Floortime, and Hand Development. Additionally, Jazmin holds a cosmetology license and provides consultation and sensory haircuts to clients. She is part of the Pediatrics Department's multidisciplinary team at UCSF/San Francisco General Hospital and speaks fluent Spanish. Jazmin has also worked and studied in China, India, Mexico, Peru, and Guatemala. www.totalots.com

Fabiola Estebanez

Consultant

Fabiola joined Peer Play as the clinical coordinator and subs in for peer groups as needed. She is currently working towards her doctorate in clinical psychology at Alliant International University. Fabiola began to work with children diagnosed with Autism in 2005 and since then, she has devoted her career to building her clinical skills and serving children, adolescents and families. She is bilingual in English and Spanish and has traveled to various countries and cities across Europe and Mexico.

Gissela Norio

Production Assistant

Gissela can be described with one word: Awesome! Gissela is a volunteer student who is currently working towards a nursing degree at San Jose State University. She has been volunteering for the Peer Play team for almost five years. Through her volunteer work, she has found a passion for working with kids on the spectrum and hopes to continue her work in pediatric occupational therapy and expand her knowledge of the field in the future.

Staff

Interns, Pediatric Residents, Nurses in training

We collaborate with several local universities and the UCSF School of Medicine to provide training for psychology and speech-language interns as well as students, pediatric residents, and nurse practitioners in training.

As a result, we are proud to regularly have highly qualified interns, residents, and students on our staff.

Join the Team

Supplemental Practicum in Child Development /Autism

We provide yearlong supplemental practicum experiences in child development for students in the areas of mental health, rehabilitation, special education, and associated fields. To inquire about these opportunities, please complete the form below or email us.

Contact

Contact us

Directions: take the elevator to 3rd floor, exit to your right, head down to the end of the hall, then turn left to enter our suite.

You can also click on the children in the virtual tour below and they will show you the way!
(turn your phone sideways for best results)

1426 Fillmore St. Suite 317

San Francisco, CA 94111

(510) 394.5630

Where exceptional children can play and blossom!