Help Your Neurodivergent Child Build Friendships With Confidence
Providing you with tools and education to support your neurodivergent child’s social development.
Feel confident knowing exactly how to support your child’s social growth.
You want your child to feel confident in friendships.
You’ve watched them try to join in, only to end up on the outside looking in.
You want to help without the anxiety or guesswork.
I help you support your neurodivergent child with calm, clarity, and doable steps that make social growth feel natural — for both of you.
Many parents tell me no one ever explained friendship skills in a parent-friendly way.
Once you understand the steps, supporting your child feels more doable and clear.
Watch the free 25 minute class
Understanding Your Child’s Friendship Needs
Many neurodivergent kids want to connect — but social moments can feel confusing, fast, or overwhelming.
Parents tell me they want to help, but:
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explaining social concepts feels hard
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their child gets stuck in big emotions
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they’re unsure how to break things down clearly
Kids learn best when things feel clear, concrete, and safe.
Simple visuals and small steps help them understand what’s happening and what they can try next.
And when you can see the emotional foundations, the building blocks, and the path forward:
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you feel calmer
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your child feels understood
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social moments become something you can navigate together
Hi, I’m Noriko —
The Friendship Coach.
For 30 years, I’ve supported neurodivergent children—young and grown—feel safe, understood, and capable of building real friendships.
My work is rooted in connection first. Before any social skills teaching or friendship coaching can happen, a child needs to feel emotionally safe, seen, and met where they are.
At my Social and Cognitive Learning Center in Davis, California, I’ve supported more than 500 children and families through social skills coaching and parent education programs.
Parents often tell me, “No one has ever explained friendships in this way.” My methods are simple, practical, and grounded in understanding the world from the child’s perspective.
Through Parenting REdefined, I now teach parents these same trusted tools—so you can support your child’s friendship and social-emotional growth with more clarity, confidence, and a deeper sense of connection.
I’m so glad you’re here.
A Clearer Path to Supporting Your Child’s Friendships
-1-
Understanding the
foundations
Learn how friendships form, what closeness looks like, and what can feel confusing or overwhelming for neurodivergent kids.
-2-
Use clear visuals
and language
Get tools that help you explain tricky situations without overexplaining or creating more confusion.
-3-
Guide your child
with confidence
See complex situations through the lens of small, meaningful mini-steps.
Know what to say, what to model, and what to try next.
Your child feels safe and understood.
You feel steady and prepared.
Parents Trust Noriko’s Approach — Here’s Why
Real stories from families who wanted their child to feel understood, confident, and capable of making meaningful friendships.
“Noriko connected with our daughter instantly — something no one else had been able to do.”
“She’s the first person I call when a child is struggling socially or emotionally.”
“Noriko changed our family’s life — our son finally felt understood and began to thrive.”
“We were losing hope… until Noriko helped our son open up in ways we’d never seen before.”
Free 25 minute class for parents of neurodivergent kids
Get a clear, parent-friendly explanation of how friendships develop for neurodivergent kids, and what might be happening beneath the surface in social moments.
Inside this free class, you will learn:
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what your child may be experiencing in social situations
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the four foundations that shape friendship development
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why your child struggles in certain moments
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how to support them in a way that feels safe and doable
You’ll receive:
• 25-minute educational video
• 32-page printable workbook
Instant access. Watch anytime.
Watch the free 25 minute class
The Friendship Navigator
A 60-minute on-demand class for parents
If you’ve ever wished you had the right words or a clearer way to help your child understand tricky social moments, this class gives you the tools and language that make everything feel more doable.
Inside The Friendship Navigator, you’ll learn four visual tools I use every week with neurodivergent kids to help them:
- understand closeness, boundaries, and social pacing
- recognize when a friendship feels safe or “off”
- break social situations into understandable mini-steps
- move through conflict or disappointment with more confidence
These visuals become part of your parenting toolbox — something you can use in everyday conversations without needing to rewatch the class.
You’ll receive:
• 60-minute parent class
• examples to help you apply them at home
Designed for parents of children with a social-emotional developmental age of roughly 5–15, and helpful for older teens or adults building these skills.
Instant access. Watch anytime.
LEARN MORE
Parenting REdefined Group Coaching Membership for Parents
For Parents Who Want Clarity, Tools, and Steady Support
Parenting a neurodivergent child comes with questions most parents were never taught how to answer. Inside the Parenting REdefined Membership, you’ll learn a grounded, step-by-step approach that helps you guide your child with more confidence, calm, and connection.
Each month, through 2 zoom sessions, you’ll receive practical tools you can use right away — and steady support so you don’t feel like you’re navigating this alone.
Inside the membership, you’ll learn how to:
✔ Understand what’s happening for your child in social moments so you can support them with more clarity and less guesswork.
✔ Build their confidence & emotional safety, using connection-first tools that work in real-life situations.
✔ Support friendships step-by-step, so your child can feel more capable navigating friendships — at school, at home, and everywhere in between.
LEARN ABOUT THE MEMBERSHIPGet Free Weekly Support for Your Child’s
Social–Emotional Growth
Join my email community for weekly tools, insights, and real-life strategies to help you support your child’s social–emotional development with more clarity and confidence.
Need more personalized support?
I offer one-on-one parent coaching and direct child sessions (in person or virtual) for families who want tailored guidance.
