Our Programs
Let’s Adapt!®
The Let’s Adapt!® Program is a social skills group designed to help children, teens, and young adults build confidence and succeed in everyday life. This program supports individuals diagnosed with autism, auditory processing disorder, sensory processing disorder, social communication challenges, and ADHD.
Through guided sessions with peers of a similar age, participants learn how to strengthen their social skills, improve communication, and develop flexible thinking and problem-solving abilities. The goal is to help them feel more confident navigating real-life situations at home, in school, in the community, and eventually in future work settings.
All groups are led by licensed speech-language pathologists who specialize in supporting communication and everyday life skills. Sessions are held once a week for 90 minutes at The Swain Center.
Let’s Adapt!® Focuses on aspects important to behavioral and social development including:
Communication (verbal and non-verbal body language)
Daily living skills
Emotional awareness
Each week, the small group will focus on a different theme meant to address the areas of focus. These themes may include topics such as:
Listening and responding to others
Asking for assistance
Recognizing adaptive and maladaptive behaviors
Parent involvement in the Let’s Adapt!® program is crucial for transition and carryover of skills. For this reason parental involvement is required and parents must be present for the last fifteen minutes of every class. Parents will be given an overview of the skills addressed in each lesson so that they may reinforce these new skills at home. All participants must be toilet trained (an exception can be made for younger participants [3 and 4 year olds] based on Speech Language Pathologist recommendation). Participants must be able to take part without requiring one-on-one behavioral assistance. Participants must have verbal communication skills sufficient enough to engage in reciprocal communication with other participants.
A Welcoming Space for Everyone:
We understand that every person’s journey is unique and we are committed to meeting friends, families, clients and colleagues where they are. Whether they are seeking to improve communication skills, build stronger relationships, or simply find a community where belonging can happen, we are here to support that desire.
Our team is passionate about fostering connections and promoting understanding. We believe that everyone deserves the opportunity to thrive and we work diligently to ensure that our services are accessible and responsive to the diverse needs of our community.
At the Swain Center, inclusivity is not just a principle; it’s a practice and core value. We are proud to offer a welcoming space where all individuals can develop the social skills they are seeking to navigate the world with confidence, comfort, safety and compassion.
Join us in building a community where communication, connection, and care are at the heart of everything we do.
Behaviors
Understanding others
TinyTalkers®
TinyTalkers® is an early intervention group program designed for children ages 2–4 who are late talkers or have difficulty communicating. The program brings together children who need extra support with peers who are developing language typically, giving them the opportunity to learn through natural interaction and play.
Each session is twice a week and 90 minutes long. These classes are thoughtfully structured to support communication, learning, and social development in a fun and engaging way. Children participate in guided play and turn-taking activities, circle time, music and singing, hands-on learning stations, art activities, and movement-based play. These experiences help children build communication skills while also growing their confidence and connections with others.
Parent involvement is an important part of the TinyTalkers® program. Parents are asked to participate in regular meetings after class to review their child’s progress, learn about the themes and skills being introduced, and gain practical strategies to support communication at home and in everyday routines. Families will also receive written materials with ideas and activities to help continue their child’s growth outside of sessions.
TinyTalkers® is a great fit for children who are able to separate from their parent during the session, follow a consistent class routine with minimal support, participate in movement activities, and engage positively with other children. For the safety and success of the group, children should not display behaviors that could be harmful to themselves or others.
Little Language Builders
Little Language Builders is an early intervention group designed for English- and Spanish-speaking children ages 18 months to 3 years. This program is a great option for families who are looking to begin speech and language support sooner, or for children who are not yet ready to participate in the TinyTalkers® group.
The primary goal of Little Language Builders is to help young children build age-appropriate communication skills and develop social and emotional confidence in a small group setting of 5–8 children. Groups meet once a week for 90 minutes, and parents are welcome to stay if their child needs that support.
During each session, children are supported in understanding and using language, beginning to form words and sounds, and learning how to interact with others. They are also guided in developing social skills, managing emotions, following routines, and participating in structured activities. Early learning concepts such as colors, shapes, and numbers are naturally introduced through play and interaction.
This group is a good fit for children who are able to engage with others, show shared attention during activities, and participate safely in a group setting without aggressive behaviors.
Little Language Builders is not a replacement for individual speech therapy. When a one-on-one therapy spot becomes available, children may transition into individual services or move into the TinyTalkers® group when they are ready. Each group is led by a speech-language pathologist and supported by a clinical aide, with a low adult-to-child ratio to ensure individualized attention based on each child’s needs.
Activities are thoughtfully planned to support both group interaction and each child’s individual goals. At the end of each session, parents are provided with simple strategies and activities to continue supporting their child’s progress at home.
Tomatis®
The Tomatis® Method is an neurologic sound therapy that has been used in Europe for over eighty years. It is a therapeutic application of acoustically modified sound and signals designed to stimulate the way the brain receives and processes auditory signals. The Tomatis Method uses modulated and modified sounds to treat specific symptoms and disorders including autism spectrum disorders, auditory processing disorder, attention deficit disorders and other neurodevelopmental disorders in a non-invasive format.
The science behind The Tomatis® Method is based upon the neurological effect of sound upon the nervous system. Changes in the brain take place from the direct application of sound frequencies, especially when applied through specialized headphones. The Tomatis Method uses soothing, balanced, classical music with the primary purpose of this music being the delivery of filtered and non-filtered high frequency sound to the brain. Based on, research on neurocognition and the effects of sound on the nervous system, The Tomatis Method integrates science, engineering and art to improve one’s ability to perceive the full range of frequencies that result in active listening. Data and research findings indicate that changes can result in improved auditory memory, auditory discrimination, auditory working memory, auditory comprehension, auditory conceptual function, listening with background noise, phonemic awareness, and language processing. The goal is improved “listening” resulting in changes in communication and social and behavioral skills.