My daughter was 4 years old when she was referred for evaluation for high-functioning autism or pervasive developmental disorder.  At age 4.5 she was given an educational identification of autism.  She spent a year in a special-needs preschool classroom where she received the additional services of speech/language therapy and occupational therapy.

By the time she was 6 she had been re-evaluated and found not to have an autism spectrum disorder but was described as a "quirky" child with "issues."  The school system discontinued her special services and terminated her individualized education plan despite the fact that the psychologists who tested her found her "at-risk" for ADHD and reported that she was showing signs and symptoms of anxiety and depression.  Feeling that the school district had nothing more to offer my daughter, I pulled her out and brought her home.

My background is in special education and I home school my children.  I learned about Brain Integration Therapy through several different channels as I sought ways to help my struggling daughter.  I had noticed that in addition to all of the things the psychological testing had picked up, my daughter had trouble with very basic skills and tasks.  Following directions was difficult because she couldn't remember what she had heard.  Learning to read was a struggle because her eyes weren't working together and prescription eyeglasses hadn't helped.  She couldn't differentiate left and right and confused the letters b, d, p, and q which caused problems in learning to read and write.  I observed that she formed her letters and numbers from the bottom up, intermingled uppercase and lowercase letters, and often "drew" her letters and numbers backward.  I was deeply concerned that in addition to the social and emotional difficulties my daughter was experiencing that before long she would be having overwhelming academic difficulties as well.

I read several articles and then attended Becky and Corlea's class on Brain Integration Therapy in order to learn how to help my daughter myself, at home.  After less than two months of weekly repatternings coupled with daily brain exercises, I began to notice positive changes in my daughter.  First, her overall attention to learning activities improved.  Second, although she was still "active" (and possibly a tactile-kinesthetic learner--I'm still trying to sort through which are attention issues, which are sensory issues, and which are learning style issues) she was much more controlled during activities (whether school, dinner, or church).  Third, her auditory memory improved and she could more easily repeat what she had been told.

My daughter is now 7.5 years old.  At her well-child check earlier this year, the physician's assistant who has seen my children for years noted marked differences in my daughter both academically and behaviorally and asked me what we had done to cause such change in her.

More recently, the dental hygienist commented on my daughter's distinctly different demeanor, behavior, and overall level of cooperativeness during her cleaning.

At home I'm noticing, for the first time, that she is following storylines and drawing conclusions.  She is also able to attribute motivation and remember details from day to day.

She finally finished Phonics Pathways (the book I have used to teach my kids to read).  It has taken her over two years but she is a fairly strong reader now.  Her spelling is still weak but I think a lot of that has to do with the fact that she has not spent a lot of time reading.  Her handwriting is fluid and usually near-automatic.

Finally, after four summers of requiring an aide in swimming lessons (to help teach her to swim but mostly to keep her on task, paying attention, and responding to instructions in a group setting), she no longer needs an aide.  She now talks to other children in her class (and in other places like the post office while we wait in line) and really is a different child.

She's just doing very well--in every possible way.

Fort Collins---2006

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