"Our lives were like a train wreck in progress. Our very smart and lovely daughter was simply in a downward spiral that we couldn't understand. From the age of about 18 months our easy-going daughter seemed to disintegrate before our eyes. She started to scream like she was in agony when the street sweeper went by because of the noise it made, she would collapse into a writhing, kicking, screaming mass on the floor if a page in her book was wrinkled, we would wake at 2:00 a.m. to the sound of her kicking her wall and wailing because 'the covers weren't right', getting her dressed became an almost insurmountable hurdle - forget the luxury of getting socks or underwear or a hat or mittens on her despite the subzero temperature outside. The response from the medical community was that we, her parents, simply needed more parenting classes. Meanwhile we were losing both our daughter and our family unit.
It was at this, our lowest point, that our 4-year old daughter, Olivia, was seen at the Philo Center. The magnificent therapists at the Philo not only understood why Olivia struggled to live in her own skin, they knew how to help her. This began our journey to reclaim our daughter and our lives.
The progress that Olivia has made in the 9 months that she has been a patient at the Philo Center goes far beyond what we dared to dream for her just one short year ago. A year ago she had a 24-month delay in her social skills. She was essentially at a 2-year old level. Today her peer interactions are developmentally appropriate. She enjoys and is an active participant in group playas well as having a large group of friends that she has individual one-to-one relationships and playdates with. A year ago her 22-month adaptive skills delay meant that she could not dress herself, use the bathroom independently, or use eating utensils with any amount of skill. Not only can she now complete a dressing sequence independently, she can manage the plethora of outdoor wear one needs in the frigid winters here in Vermont on her own (for the most part) - including zipping all by herself. One of Olivia's most startling and unexpected accomplishments recently had to do with a fire drill at school. One of Olivia's IEP accommodations has been that she is removed from the school building prior to a fire drill because of her extreme sensitivity and anxiety to loud noises. Recently that protocol wasn't followed because of an oversight, so she was in the building when the fire alarm sounded. She remained calm, didn't cover her ears and exited the building with the other children. She was tremendously proud of herself and stated that the next time there was a fire drill, she wanted to stay in the room and go out with her friends instead of going out before the fire drill. This was an enormous milestone for my daughter.
It is my belief that without the occupational therapy Olivia is receiving for her sensory integration dysfunction, the magnitude of the above accomplishments would not have been possible. Olivia still faces many challenges and occupational therapy services at the Philo Center are still an essential part of her treatment.
We have nothing if we do not have hope, and the Philo Center has given our family the extraordinary gift of hope for a successful future for our child. The Philo Center has given Olivia the key to unlocking her potential.
In terms of the therapy services Olivia is receiving, we will never really know their full impact on our lives because the ramifications of the early intervention she is receiving at the Philo Center will continue to positively affect Olivia for the rest of her life."
Lori Schneider, Grateful Parent
April, 2005
"W
hen my wife and I were first introduced to the Philo Center, my son's issues with sensory integration disorder were just starting to become evident - both to us and himself. Seeing that there were instances when his body wouldn't do what it was told and times that his senses sometimes fed him "false" information, he was beginning to suffer from a lack of confidence and was starting to mistrust the signals sent by his own body. All of which were proving very frustrating for him.
The Philo Center, slowly and by degrees, has changed all of that. In conjunction with intervention within his school environment, the Philo Center has engaged him in a number of activities that have enhanced both his fine and gross motor skills. His handwriting, which was virtually non-existent two years ago, has flourished. His balance has improved markedly, to the point where he now skis very well and has learned to ride a bike. The confidence derived from these milestones has resulted in increased confidence in other areas as well - both academically and socially.
While there have been many people who have played a role in our son's success, we feel a lot of the credit goes to the work being done at the Philo Center. By creating an environment that is both challenging and nurturing, they've done an incredible job at helping him tap his own potential, and to helping us understand what he faces and how we can help him find little strategies for working around those issues."
Anonymous
"I
am writing on behalf of the Philo Center because of the tremendous impact it has had on our daughter's life. Our 6 year old daughter, Alex, has been receiving Occupational Therapy from the Philo Center for the last 4 months. She is deaf and has mild right-sided weakness due to a lesion in her brain. Alex has always reached developmental milestones late and has poor balance and coordination. She struggles academically and often is very fatigued and overwhelmed. In the recent past, Alex was unable to go down the stairs walking, could not pay attention in class and would often have a hyperactive gag reflex resulting in frequent throwing up during mealtimes. Today, she is a much different child: happy and with energy! She has not thrown up in months, she is walking down the stairs, she is playing on the playground making friends and she is paying attention in class and has learned how to read! I used to say a prayer every day when the bus came to pick her up that she would have a good day because so many of her days were bad. Now I say a prayer of Thanksgiving each day when the bus comes because her days are so good and because of that she is learning. I wish that all families with children with special needs had access to the Philo Center. It has had such a positive impact on her life, on our lives. Thank you."
Sincerely,
Sandra Casavant
Philo Center Parent
"M
y son is 10 years old and has Autism. He is very high functioning, diagnosed at 3 years old and having gone through all the cutting edge therapies. He is verbal and is mainstreamed. Every beginning of the school year I worry about how things will go for him. Will he be accepted by his peers? As he gets older these worries increase as the social and academic pressures become more challenging. At the beginning of last year, for the first time, my son's peers who did not know him well began snickering and giggling at some of his odd behaviors. I knew one day this would happen, but nevertheless, was heartbroken. At the suggestion of his teacher, we decided to talk to his classmates. I was worried. What would we say? You see, my son does not yet know he has Autism. This opened a whole new can of worms for me. What will he think when he realizes this? Will it make him sad? He is so confident and happy. I love him and his Autism. Can I convince him that his Autism makes him unique and wonderful? We spoke to Jill and planned for a day where she would come into the class and talk to the kids. I was very nervous. My son would not be in the class at the time. Jill did a fabulous job. She never had to mention my son's specific condition. She spoke generally of differences and acceptance and how people are 100% smart. The kids were very interested and in the end she casually brought up some of my sons differences and many of his strengths. What happened after her talk is a tribute to the beauty of young minds. The kids relaxed, as I believe their snickering was due mostly to nervousness about the unknown. Although they did not have direct answers to their questions, her talk motivated them to be accepting and open to one another. The snickering ended immediately and the compassion flowed freely. This year we will have Jill come and talk to his new class before the uncomfortable nervousness even has a chance to surface. I am thrilled to have crossed this hurdle. I believe that children are inherently kind but at times need some guidance. Thanks to the Philo Center my first day of school jitters have been greatly diminished. My son still does not know he has Autism, I think. But when he does realize this, my only hope is that he will be ok with it. That is another hurdle that will come when it comes. If anyone has any feedback on how they dealt with this situation I would love to hear. Perhaps an article in the Philo Newsletter would be a good opportunity to share it with us all!"
Anonymous
It's the little things...
"S
ometimes it's the little things that bring a family such joy! Life in a family where one member has a serious physical disability can be challenging and each day brings small sadnesses when you see your child unable to participate in activities other children take for granted. We have had the terrific fortune to work with two extraordinary therapists at Philo who work miracles small and big with each dedicated, creative session they spend with my son. I share two of these to give a taste of the difference these women have made in our lives. For years we tried to help our son Ben hold a crayon to draw a picture; we tried Velcro, hand over hand, T-grips and more, and still the exercise was more for us than for Ben. His cerebral palsy made it impossible for him to control his hand to color or his head and eyes to look at and enjoy what he was doing. Then Heather (Kerner, OT) created a wonderful cap with head pointer for Ben, complete with a whole set of attachments to participate in fun activities, from tickling his sister with a feather to icing a cupcake. One of the attachments holds a marker for coloring. Suddenly, Ben could put the marker to paper himself and watch his artwork being created! He was fascinated and proud, and I joined the club of parents who get to pick my son up from school and be greeted by his masterpieces to bring home. One particular favorite hangs framed in our home, and I delight in showing it off. Another of life's pleasures for our family is ice cream-my favorite treat. Until recently, Ben's oral motor defensiveness did not allow him to enjoy cold foods, so while the texture of ice cream is one he is able to swallow, it was never a positive experience. Until Molly (Bumpas, SLP) entered our lives. Her work on oral motor skills with Ben has been extraordinary and is reaping rewards already. He accepts cold foods now, and I still remember the hot summer day when we shared our first milkshake at Ben & Jerry's! We just finished the season with a shared creamee at the beach, and I loved seeing Ben covered in chocolate, licking his lips. I'm so grateful for these special times in our family life, and I credit Heather and Molly with the gift of them."
Valerie Wood-Lewis
"I
am a parent of an autistic child who utilizes the services of the Philo Center in Shelburne, VT. I would like you to know why the Philo Center is an important resource for the community. Service, education, caring and diligence are words that come to mind. My son's individual sensory integration program is a service we could not do without. Nicholas needs this service to be able to better access the community and in turn have the community tune in to him. I am impressed by the Philo Center's continuing commitment to further educate themselves so they can serve others better. This is ongoing and we as part of the community are bearing its fruits. Every community needs a center, a heart if you will. The occupational therapists and staff at the Philo Center offer their hearts in a beat. They are wonderfully involved in my son's full program of services outside of their business. Caring IS their business. Finally, if diligence can be described as part of the recipe of furthering a community's involvement then the Philo Center has that ingredient. I have been impressed by the staff's work ethic and determination at searching for answers and coming up with creative ways to motivate not just my child but the existing educational community of family, teachers, speech therapists and behaviorists."
Sincerely,
Anne Barbano
Burlington, VT
"W
elcome to the fountain of hope, achievement, trust, and fun. This fountain is the Philo Center. During the summer, my daughter attended an intense sensory integration therapy program for ten consecutive days within this fountain. Ten days is a very short time but give her an inch of sensory integration and she can achieve a mile of function in her environment! The use of equipment, therapeutic listening, and oral motor exercises allowed for many goals to be mastered. Part of which are articulation and - wow! - the sides of the tongue do curl up! Scanning to independently cross the street safely and a sureness of what she can accomplish. She would ask to work on a skill again and again. To see her during work (fun) on top of the therapy ball and using the new balancing skill and throwing skills brought tears of joy for me. Many people, from family and friends to school teachers, have seen the strength of her success. The feeling of relief comes at times like when we attended a major league baseball game with thousands attending and leaving the stadium, she said to me, "Mom, I will follow you." I knew than that she was confident and as much as I wanted to hold her hand, it was not needed. The fun work is continuing and her "Philo friend" has made it into my daughter's list of friends in the yearbook."
Sincerely,
Marcia Coolum
Cambridge, VT
"T
he three years that my daughter Avery received therapy at the Philo Center were life changing for her and for our family - literally. Avery was, and still is, an extremely intense child who is often uncomfortable in her own skin. It was hard to parent her then because I didn't always know how to help her and no other parents in our circle of friends could relate to the issues and behaviors that we were dealing with. When we discovered the Philo Center we found not only REAL help for Avery, but REAL help for us as parents. Finally, people who not only understood what Avery was, trying to tell us, but who could interpret her behaviors for us and help us to help her. Of course we read everything we could get our hands on related to Sensory Integration theory and treatment. The Philo Center staff educated us, answered our questions and helped us piece together the puzzle that was Avery. For three years we worked at the center, at home and at school. We saw immediately that the Sensory Integration therapies were effective but the real test for us was what would happen over time. It was hard to believe that there would be a day that we didn't brush her skin or listen to her therapy CDs; that there would be a day that she would tolerate wearing pants and shoes; or that there would be a day that didn't start and end with screaming, raging fits of discomfort. But finally, that day did come. Avery left the Philo Center as a graduate in the truest and most honorable sense of the word and I will be forever grateful to the people who helped her on that long and difficult journey."
Anonymous