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Note: The Circles® Curriculum was not responsive to the CEBC's inquiry. The following information was obtained from publicly available sources.

Topic Areas

Topic Areas

Target Population

Special needs students

Target Population

Special needs students

Program Overview

The Circles® Curriculum (Circles®) consists of three Video Modeling® programs that are designed to teach social and relationship boundaries, interpersonal skills, and relationship-specific social skills in an easy-to-understand format.

  • Circles®: Intimacy & Relationships®, Level 1
  • Circles®: Intimacy & Relationships®, Level 2
  • Circles®: Stop Abuse

The Circles® Curriculum is designed to assist students in discriminating different levels of intimacy and adapting their behaviors accordingly. The program teaches students how relationships can be formed and maintained according to the social norms and social boundaries of our day and age. Thus, the Circles® Curriculum is designed to lay the foundation for people with disabilities to manage the amount of personal responsibility and social integration available to them.

Circles® is designed to present to special needs students some extremely abstract concepts in a very simple and concrete manner. The Circles® Curriculum teaches social distance and levels of intimacy through the use of six color-coded concentric circles. Starting from the center circle, which represents the self, each new colored circle represents behaviors, feelings, and actions appropriate to the distance from the center of self. The connection between the kind of relationship and the corresponding level of intimacy is thus demonstrated visually, ideally making it easier for students to understand this important concept.

This program uses step-by-step dramatizations; it is designed to be suitable for students with mild to moderate cognitive impairment.

Program Overview

The Circles® Curriculum (Circles®) consists of three Video Modeling® programs that are designed to teach social and relationship boundaries, interpersonal skills, and relationship-specific social skills in an easy-to-understand format.

  • Circles®: Intimacy & Relationships®, Level 1
  • Circles®: Intimacy & Relationships®, Level 2
  • Circles®: Stop Abuse

The Circles® Curriculum is designed to assist students in discriminating different levels of intimacy and adapting their behaviors accordingly. The program teaches students how relationships can be formed and maintained according to the social norms and social boundaries of our day and age. Thus, the Circles® Curriculum is designed to lay the foundation for people with disabilities to manage the amount of personal responsibility and social integration available to them.

Circles® is designed to present to special needs students some extremely abstract concepts in a very simple and concrete manner. The Circles® Curriculum teaches social distance and levels of intimacy through the use of six color-coded concentric circles. Starting from the center circle, which represents the self, each new colored circle represents behaviors, feelings, and actions appropriate to the distance from the center of self. The connection between the kind of relationship and the corresponding level of intimacy is thus demonstrated visually, ideally making it easier for students to understand this important concept.

This program uses step-by-step dramatizations; it is designed to be suitable for students with mild to moderate cognitive impairment.

Contact Information

Contact Information

Manuals and Training


Manual Information

There is a manual that describes how to deliver this program.


Training Information

There is no training available for this program.

Manuals and Training


Manual Information

There is a manual that describes how to deliver this program.


Training Information

There is no training available for this program.

Relevant Published, Peer-Reviewed Research

  • There are currently no published, peer-reviewed research studies on outcomes with the appropriate target population for the topic area(s) in which Circles® Curriculum has been reviewed.

Relevant Published, Peer-Reviewed Research

  • There are currently no published, peer-reviewed research studies on outcomes with the appropriate target population for the topic area(s) in which Circles® Curriculum has been reviewed.

Additional References

There are currently no references available for Circles® Curriculum.

Additional References

There are currently no references available for Circles® Curriculum.

Topic Areas

Topic Areas

Target Population

Special needs students

Target Population

Special needs students

Program Overview

The Circles® Curriculum (Circles®) consists of three Video Modeling® programs that are designed to teach social and relationship boundaries, interpersonal skills, and relationship-specific social skills in an easy-to-understand format.

  • Circles®: Intimacy & Relationships®, Level 1
  • Circles®: Intimacy & Relationships®, Level 2
  • Circles®: Stop Abuse

The Circles® Curriculum is designed to assist students in discriminating different levels of intimacy and adapting their behaviors accordingly. The program teaches students how relationships can be formed and maintained according to the social norms and social boundaries of our day and age. Thus, the Circles® Curriculum is designed to lay the foundation for people with disabilities to manage the amount of personal responsibility and social integration available to them.

Circles® is designed to present to special needs students some extremely abstract concepts in a very simple and concrete manner. The Circles® Curriculum teaches social distance and levels of intimacy through the use of six color-coded concentric circles. Starting from the center circle, which represents the self, each new colored circle represents behaviors, feelings, and actions appropriate to the distance from the center of self. The connection between the kind of relationship and the corresponding level of intimacy is thus demonstrated visually, ideally making it easier for students to understand this important concept.

This program uses step-by-step dramatizations; it is designed to be suitable for students with mild to moderate cognitive impairment.

Program Overview

The Circles® Curriculum (Circles®) consists of three Video Modeling® programs that are designed to teach social and relationship boundaries, interpersonal skills, and relationship-specific social skills in an easy-to-understand format.

  • Circles®: Intimacy & Relationships®, Level 1
  • Circles®: Intimacy & Relationships®, Level 2
  • Circles®: Stop Abuse

The Circles® Curriculum is designed to assist students in discriminating different levels of intimacy and adapting their behaviors accordingly. The program teaches students how relationships can be formed and maintained according to the social norms and social boundaries of our day and age. Thus, the Circles® Curriculum is designed to lay the foundation for people with disabilities to manage the amount of personal responsibility and social integration available to them.

Circles® is designed to present to special needs students some extremely abstract concepts in a very simple and concrete manner. The Circles® Curriculum teaches social distance and levels of intimacy through the use of six color-coded concentric circles. Starting from the center circle, which represents the self, each new colored circle represents behaviors, feelings, and actions appropriate to the distance from the center of self. The connection between the kind of relationship and the corresponding level of intimacy is thus demonstrated visually, ideally making it easier for students to understand this important concept.

This program uses step-by-step dramatizations; it is designed to be suitable for students with mild to moderate cognitive impairment.

Contact Information

Contact Information

Manuals and Training


Manual Information

There is a manual that describes how to deliver this program.


Training Information

There is no training available for this program.

Manuals and Training


Manual Information

There is a manual that describes how to deliver this program.


Training Information

There is no training available for this program.

Relevant Published, Peer-Reviewed Research

  • There are currently no published, peer-reviewed research studies on outcomes with the appropriate target population for the topic area(s) in which Circles® Curriculum has been reviewed.

Relevant Published, Peer-Reviewed Research

  • There are currently no published, peer-reviewed research studies on outcomes with the appropriate target population for the topic area(s) in which Circles® Curriculum has been reviewed.

Additional References

There are currently no references available for Circles® Curriculum.

Additional References

There are currently no references available for Circles® Curriculum.

Date CEBC Staff Last Reviewed Research: January 2026

Date Program's Staff Last Reviewed Content: June 2021

Date Originally Loaded onto CEBC: June 2021