Testimonials

  • “We feel fortunate to have the highly qualified social thinkers at the Social Learning Center as part of our son’s team. Chris and his colleagues are passionate about their work and compassionate professionals who put the child first in all they do. The clinicians at the Social Learning Center are knowledgeable and focused on meeting the child’s needs”

    — Karen, Parent

  • “Chris has always shown great interest in incorporating Social Thinking’s philosophy and teaching concepts into his practice. Many parents have shared with me that they were pleased with the help Chris has provided to them and their family.”

    — Michelle Winner, MA-CCC-Founder of Social Thinking

  • “We have been working with Erica in social peer groups and one on one check-ins. Not only has she helped my son achieve better coping and adaptive skills, she has also helped him navigate ways to better interact with his peers.”

    — Jackie, Parent

  • “Our son has blossomed since he joined the Social Learning Center community. He has received caring individualized attention at the same time that the group dynamic has helped him learn how to navigate fluid social environments. He is thriving in his fifth grade world in large part due to what he has learned from the Social Learning Center staff.”

    — Jonathan, Parent

  • “We’ve been seeing Chris Abildgaard for six years. Working with Chris and the Social Learning Center is one of the best things to ever happen to our family. Our autistic son has grown leaps and bounds thanks to his relationship with Chris. Our son loves going to his social group and his one-one-one sessions with Chris, with whom he has a genuine connection.”

    — Bess & Chris, Parents

  • “During both my volunteer and work experiences at the SLC I have witnessed teenagers take steps to branch out of their comfort zones and use their social skills to start connecting with others. Through the help of Chris and other professionals, teens who may have some social difficulties become more aware of the hidden social rules that are essential to surviving the high school classroom and later in life, the working world. The SLC provides young people struggling with putting the social pieces together a little extra confidence and understanding that they need to better walk the halls of the social world.”

    — Chloe, Cheshire High School Student Volunteer/Summer Employee

  • “Chris Abildgaard engaged the audience with his enthusiasm and knowledge of ASD. He gave practical strategies the were delivered with humor and humility. His examples of social cognitive strategies and curriculum were easy to relate to, and his recommendations were spot-on.”

    — Teresa Daly, PhD, BCBA-D Director; UFC Center for Autism and Related Disabilities

  • “I cannot say enough wonderful things about this place and the staff. Chris and Erica are genuinely wonderful to work with and clearly care about the families in their programs. I would highly recommend this place to anyone.”

    — Priscilla, Parent

  • “My 24 year old son has been attending the social group run by Chris Abildgaard at the Social Learning Center for the past few years. He eagerly looks forward to each group session and through the years, feels a real social connect with Chris, his staff and the other group members. The discussions and topics have helped him be more aware of how he can improve his social interactions in many situations. As young people who have been ostracized throughout their life, young people who do have social deficits tend to shy away from relationships as they get older. I have found that there are very limited resources to help my son develop meaningful connections in his adult life. Chris Abildgaard and his staff have developed programs to address this scarcity in services. I am very thankful that my son has this program to help him mature and grow his relationships.”

    — Shelly, Parent

  • “My daughter has been seeing Chris Abildgaard for two years. We were a family in crisis then, with a daughter who has significant depression and anxiety which impacts every aspect of her existence. Through her work at SLC she has learned to be open about communicating her mental health issues and actively participates in conversations surrounding her perceptions and the perceptions of others due to her dedicated counseling time with Chris. This progress is leaps and bounds beyond where we were two years ago. I attribute this progress to the relationship and trust that Chris has built with her.”

    — Tracy, Parent

  • My son has been working with Ms. Heather in individual sessions for almost 2 years and also worked with her in a summer social group. Ms Heather is absolutely phenomenal at what she does. She has such a strong understanding of our son as an individual. We have seen our son grow so much and use so many of the strategies Ms Heather has taught him. He seems so much more calm and level headed. He also can now do such an amazing job processing his feelings and explaining his emotions and thoughts. He loves seeing her weekly and will often open up to her about things that happen at school or home. No matter how the session goes, both my son and Ms Heather always come out happy and with a positive spin on whatever is going on in his life. I cannot say enough good things about Ms. Heather and we are so thankful for all she has taught our son.

    — Anonymous

  • My son is 23 and he attended a school specializing in working with students who have Autism. Over the years he has worked with speech pathologists, occupational therapists, psychiatrists and psychologists both through the school and privately. Currently he works with Dr. Chris Abildgaard from the Social Learning Center and over the years has participated in the social skills groups offered by the Center. My son has worked with Chris for over 10 years and out of all the wonderful and highly talented professionals that have worked with him, Chris has been the most impactful and supportive part of my Son’s life. Chris has an extensive knowledge about Autism, intuitively knows what approach works best, and is able to speak to my son in a way that can get him through the worst of times. In addition, he has been extremely helpful to myself and my son’s father in helping us know how to best support our son. Chris has gone above and beyond to help us and our son. I don’t know how my son or I could have gotten through these years without Chris’ knowledge, kindness, caring nature and support. I highly recommend the social learning center and Dr. Chris Abildgaard.

    — Anonymous