The Social Learning Center

The Social Learning Center is a speech therapist and counseling center in Cheshire, CT, offering social cognitive groups, individual mental health counseling, educational consultation, professional development, executive function coaching and psycho-educational evaluations. It serves people of all ages and neurodiverse profiles, and holds a rating of 5.00 based on 1 review. The center was founded in 2009 by Dr. Chris Abildgaard, Ed.D, NCSP, NCC, LPC, who recognized the need while working with individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorders. Dr. Abildgaard is the owner and director, holds a Doctor of Education in School Psychology from Loyola University Chicago, is nationally certified in School Psychology and Counseling, and is licensed in Connecticut as a Licensed Professional Counselor specializing in Autism Spectrum Disorders and neurodiverse learners. In 2025 he was awarded the Jackie McLean Fellowship at the University of Hartford, through which he developed a Special Topics curriculum on ASD and neurodiversity, first taught in the fall 2025 semester. He is preparing to publish a book with Routledge Publishing titled Effective Counseling Techniques When Working with People with ASD & Their Families. To reach more clients in need of mental health services, Dr. Abildgaard developed a second branch of the Social Learning Center. Through two separate agencies, The SLC Counseling Associates, LLC and The Social Learning Center, LLC, the center provides individualized services as well as other levels of intervention. The staff has grown to 7+ clinicians, and the center has served Cheshire and communities across Connecticut for over 15 years, supporting more than 1,000 children and families. The team works with individuals, families and schools, and teaches at the university level. The center is located on Hinman St, about 0.1 miles from Highland Avenue and the Cheshire Fire Department Headquarters, and roughly 0.2 miles from the Cheshire Senior Center and the Cheshire Post Office. West Main Street and Main Street are each about 0.3 miles away. The Social Learning Center is known for meeting clients where they are and addressing the root cause of their struggles, and its rating reflects the positive response of the customers who have reviewed it.