Testimonials

Our son has been a client of the Swain Center since he was 2 years old. Quite honestly, I’m not sure where we would be today (7 years later) if it were not for the wonderful, caring and deeply committed staff. Their Let’s Adapt! classes have been a integral and vital part of his therapy. Having been diagnosed with Oral Apraxia, they not only taught him to talk, but how to handle all the emotional growth he missed as a result of not being able to vocalize his emotions. Let’s Adapt! has been invaluable to teaching him how to socialize with others, what is sociably acceptable for his age and most importantly, how to deal with volatile emotions.

His growth has been amazing! If you were to meet him today, you would never know he had to struggle with such issues. We owe his growth to those who work with him and the continual education the Swain Center offers.

Thank you from the bottom of our hearts!

The Wax Family

My son is 6.5 years old and on the Autism Spectrum. He was diagnosed at 2 years of age and immediately started early intervention. We have taken a multidisciplinary approach to his care and he works with several different therapists, educators, and professionals. While each one of these is significant in his overall development, the Let’s Adapt Program at The Swain Center has been the most valuable when it comes to his social & emotional progress.

Human beings are hardwired to be socially aware and intuitive but kids like my son do not have that natural intuition. Things like empathy, thinking of others, establishing friendships and relationships, and so much more need to be taught. These are the tools that each person needs to function in our society. These very important life skills cannot be taught in individual one-on-one therapy. It needs to be specialized and in a group setting to give them the opportunities needed to learn these skills.

Every parent who has a child with a disability hopes that their child will have at least one friend, and be able to participate in school and community based activities with their peers. I am proud to say that today my son with Autism is able to not only participate in a general Ed Kindergarten class amongst his typically developing peers, he also has many friends, and he even participates in team sports. He can now tell me what he thinks and how he feels. These are things I was not sure he would ever be able to do on his own. I can honestly say that since he started the Let’s Adapt program, a whole new world of opportunity and inclusion have opened up for him. We owe so much of his progress to Michelle Chastain M.A., CCC-SLP and the team at The Swain Center!

Kristie Anderson

To the all the wonderful Swain Center Staff,

For quite a few years I had previously struggled with academics. About the time of my middle school tenure and also through High School, I had made a valiant attempt to achieve great academic standing. However, my struggles did not seem to become much better even in High School. It wasn’t until quite a few years after primary school that I had realized my learning problems also stemmed outside the general classroom. I would find difficulties with simple instructions on a day to day basis. Fortunately with the help of PACE and the support of the Swain Center I came into the course unaware of where my fallacies lied. By the time I had completed the program under the instruction of The Swain Center staff, I had achieved a tremendous amount of learning tools to further myself not only in the academic setting, but in the work force as well.

It has been close to a year now and I have completed seventeen and a half units at Pasadena City College and have earned approximately a 3.4 GPA. I feel I owe a debt of gratitude to have been given the opportunity to improve my life with the help of the PACE program and the Swain center.

College Student

Thank you for introducing myself and my grandson to the PACE program. This program has helped him to better express himself and made him more aware of his environment. His vocabulary has improved and he remembers things. He is now able to tell me what has been previously said. He has become more focused, attentive, and is able to stay on task. He works a lot faster and is able to complete assignments without complaining of being tired or distracted by surrounding noises/sounds. His comprehension, math skills, and his ability to make associations and conclusions have all improved. I am sincerely grateful.

Grandmother of an eight-year old boy

I just wanted to thank you so much for all that you did for my son in the Pace program. I felt that the program was very successful for him and we were very happy with the results. My only regret is that the program came to an end. Yet, three years later we still use some of the skills that we learned from Pace. When we study spelling words we visualize, say it forward and then say it backwards. I feel that his cognitive skills improved as well as his Auditory Processing by using both the Pace Program as well as Tomatis. The programs together were well worth the time and money.

More than anything though was the confidence that the programs gave him. He felt loved when we went to the Swain Center and misses you all very much. You all had such a way of making him feel special when all others in his life put him down or didn’t see what gifts and wonderful qualities that he does have. Children with learning disabilities have a hard time being appreciated in life by teachers and peers and the Swain Center team made him feel that he was smart and valued as a person. I thank you all for that more than anything else.

Thank You,

Mother of a 10-year old