Testimonials
Great News!
"Maude, I'm telling you – there is no way Alex would've been able to do
this before Tomatis! His language has skyrocketed since we started coming to you. Plus he has the focus
and he is so much more social with us and everyone now that his senses are not so overwhelmed. This is
part of the reason it brings tears to my eyes – because I know that he understood every line, he meant
what he said, and he was happy to create something special for me. I am so blessed!!"
"As most of you know, I recently left my job at Gilda's Club, a position about which I felt very
passionate. It was a sad situation, but I do believe everything happens for a reason. Today my little guy
(with the help of his daddy) recorded some words of encouragement for me and I wanted to share them with you."
ALEXFIRMATIONS:
(Listen to Alex)
Thank you, Mommy.
You are strong.
You are wonderful.
You are great.
We're all with you, Mommy.
I'll always love you.
Hannah loves you.
You can do anything.
You are loved.
You are capable.
You will always be okay.
You have a guardian angel.
You can do it.
You can do it.
You can do anything.
You're smart.
You're funny.
I love you, Mommy.
You can do it.
E-mail letter from Cathy with regards to Alex to A Total Approach – reprinted with permission – July 2008
Our son Kevin was diagnosed with PDD at age two. It was quite devastating after receiving this news and thinking about the challenging road ahead for our son and our family.
We can attest that there is a haven of hope and compassion out there for children like our son. This amazing place is A Total Approach providing parents with a goldmine of knowledge under the guidance of Maude Le Roux. This center is filled with the most dedicated and talented team of therapists and clinical assistants. Our son loves coming to A Total Approach to play with his wonderful therapists, Nicole and Karen, each week. He conveys this by continuously expressing "truck" (our van), "beach" (the bridge we cross over) and "balls, jump, slide, train" (his favorite activities to play at ATA). He would never be able to communicate this simple sequence without going through the miraculous intensive Tomatis program. Before Tomatis, we dreaded those times when invited to visit relatives, a friend's home or even attempting to venture a short trips to the store. We were always filled with anxiety waiting on the moment when Kevin could no longer cope with his unpredictable environment by having a huge meltdown. After just a few days of Tomatis, we began to observe unbelievable positive changes of Kevin initiating engagement with us, coping with frustration a little easier and following through on verbal direction without the usual visual and physical cues.
Update on Kevin's progress, now four years old and after completing four loops of Tomatis. Our son enjoys going over to play with his cousins; he initiates wanting to go with his grandfather to the supermarket and help pick out the fruits and vegetables. He also grins from ear to ear anticipating his grandmother to sing their special song. The most recent precious event is sitting back and watching both our son and two year old daughter chase each other joyfully around the house and then warmly engage in an embrace.
We are so grateful to Maude, Charl, Angela, Nicole, Karen, Janice, Eileen and all staff members for their devotion to Kevin, the positive spirit every time we walk through the door at A Total Approach and for giving us this priceless gift to our son and family.
Michael & Janine Gargano – March 2008
Our daughter Sophia, now 4, has recieved therapy through ATA since the age of 2, and has made consistent developmental progress that has surpassed our expectations. One of the key elements in her success has been the support and guidance we have recieved from Janine and Maude via The Play Project. The guidance is so specific to our child's needs and has been wonderfully convenient as it was provided within our own home environment. With clear goals and compassionate support we have experienced through The Play Project, we continue to watch our child blossom to her greatest potential. This is a therapy service I would recommend to any parent.
Sincerely,
JoAnne Cooper – March 2008
Dear Maude,
When I first came to you, I didn't know what direction to go with my daughter Sarah. I knew she needed ...something, that things couldn't go on as they were. None of the experts could explain her unique set of issues, or find a way to help us. And then I found A Total Approach, and she got the kind of help that she'd needed all along. Here's an update on her progress.
It's been a few months now since Sarah's last round of Tomatis therapy, and she's still doing beautifully. As you know, I was the ultimate skeptic when I first learned about Tomatis therapy, but there was so little out there to help her (with her sensory processing disorder), that I decided to give it a try. Sarah had everything to gain, and nothing to lose, so I took a leap of faith.
During the first week of Tomatis therapy, I noticed that Sarah was much more sensitive to sensory stimulus. She was irritable and not easy to manage. This might seem like a negative outcome to some parents, but I knew that you were hitting the right target, or there wouldn't have been any change at all. I hung in there, and looked forward to her first month off. By the second round of therapy, Sarah was definitely more "together". It's hard to explain, but she was just more...Sarah.
Over the summer she had her ups and downs. There were little glimpses of her problems resolving. She was more reasonable more of the time, but she remained irritable and sensitive. It's hard to discern what was the result of therapy, and what was the result of just being a twelve year old girl. She seemed to insulate herself from the world a little more than usual, spending most of her time independently. She didn't seem particularly happy or sad, so I gave her time to just...be.
School started again just after the third round of therapy, and by then the difference in Sarah was amazing. My favorite comment from a teacher was, " I used to see Sarah walking down the hall with fifteen books, and she'd be dropping ten of them. Now she's just carrying five." Friends and family have commented that her posture seems improved, that she walks with more confidence. And, many teachers have commented on her improved handwriting skills. As a parent, it's always a pleasure to hear so many positive comments about my child, but the real reward is the difference that Sarah feels. She seems so much more comfortable just being herself.
From the time we started last spring, until we finished this fall, Sarah's growth and development have been amazing. The degree of change that Sarah has experienced in this short time is much more than anyone could attribute to maturation alone. When I first came to you I had very low expectations about what Tomatis therapy could do for my daughter. I thank you now for the insight and guidance that you gave us then. I was the ultimate skeptic, and now I'm the ultimate convert. Keep up the good work, and we'll keep in touch,
Sincerely,
Julie Gimmi, December 3, 2007
Jacob has been going to A Total Approach for about two years and has come so far. Jacob has Epilepsy as a result from an abnormally formed brain. With this, his development has been very delayed. Knowing early on there would possibly be a delay in language of some sort we did not know what to expect or do. It is true that his speech is the biggest delay along with some fine motor, processing and other delays. We began with one session a week for extra OT time – started the sensory diet to help with the sensory challenges and worked on the strength and fine motor skills. Summer of 2007 it was agreed that Jacob has come so far with his strength that he was ready to join in a group session with two other children to increase his social ability. About the same time we were gearing up for the IEP, I began to feel the strain of "1" more year until main stream schooling and how Jacob's speech was not anywhere close to being ready . We asked what else we could do for Jacob at ATA. I met with Maude and discussed the Tomatis program. As Jacob began to really start verbalizing so much more during the summer this seemed to be the next step to enhance his ability and drive to communicate with his newly found voice. We started in September and are currently in the third loop. Since the start we have seen such a change, he is more attentive, physical, starting to imaginary play (more with each loop) and his words... I cannot keep up with the list as this is just advancing so much. A Total Approach has been the extra enhancement with Jacob and brings together all the efforts from home and preschool that ties us in to have "A Total Approach"!
Aimee Egolf, December 4, 2007
I first called A Total Approach late on a Friday afternoon seeking information for an evaluation for my son, then 3 years old. I had a return call from Angela within the hour! Talking with her I knew right away that I had found the right place to seek answers and solutions for my son. She was so incredibly knowledgeable! We proceeded with the evaluation, Tomatis, occupational and physical therapy. That journey began 2 years ago. Each step along the way we see dramatic and steady changes and this team has been with us every step of the way. Their knowledge and skills are beyond anything I have seen anywhere else in our path toward healing for our child and we feel so fortunate to have found them. Thank you Angela, Maude, Janice, and Maribeth; you have brought our family from despair to harmony.
December 2007
God's Window
All children are a gift from God. Yet as parents one never imagines that the Lord will choose you to parent a special needs child. Unprepared and filled with a number of emotions one begins to try and plot and plan the road ahead.
As a South African, we have had great difficulty searching for an explanation for the difficulties our daughter, Samantha, is faced with. Hence finding the appropriate treatment for these difficulties has proved to be just as difficult a task.
We have been so blessed. Our God then led us to a magnificent institution of love, kindness and care, devoted to helping children with special needs. A Total Approach (ATA) is an institution which makes use of an integrated therapeutic approach, which they believe benefits the children in a holistic manner, which I have since learned has excellent results.
From the first time we met with Maude Le Roux, the owner of ATA, we felt a sense of peace. For the first time, somebody was able to adequately describe Samantha's behaviour and/or reaction to her environment, and that from a simple 10 minute video recording. We were then given a comprehensive description of why Samantha behaves the way she does, something which we had been searching for, for so long, together with an intensive treatment program which we then followed with ATA.
Since we had been disappointed so many times in the past 3 years, with regard to proposed treatments/ institutions, which we had pursued in South Africa, we decided to attend ATA in the USA, Philadelphia for an intensive program with no expectation whatsoever. We had been led, and believed that we needed to pursue this, if not for Samantha, then for ourselves as a source of healing and peace. Once having met with Maude the first time, we were both so excited. The thought of somebody who actually understood Samantha, preparing therapy/treatment for her, was really exciting and we could not wait to see the outcome.
We are amazed, at what we have seen. The program was for 15 days, each day Samantha attended two hours Tomatis Listening Therapy, thereafter she attended additional sessions of therapy for approximately two hours a day (Occupational, DIR, Physical and Speech therapy). Samantha had received much of this ongoing therapy in South Africa, which ultimately utilized the same basic teaching, the only and significant difference with regard to therapy at ATA, being the Sensory Integrated approach taken at all levels of therapy. It also soon became evident, that therapy of any kind proves to be much more effective given the stimulation provided through the Tomatis Listening Therapy. Within the first two days of therapy, we saw some remarkable changes in Samantha's behavior. She began doing little things which she had never done before. As we moved forward with the program we continued to see change. We saw changes in her eating and drinking patterns, eg. She always would only drink tea, she began drinking different flavored juices. We saw changes in her gross motor play, she was so unsure of herself, feared all moving objects, like swings, trampolines etc,. She began to climb onto them, jump, swing etc. She began socially interacting with strangers, which she never did before, she always held very tightly onto mom or dad around strangers. She began exploring her environment with a passion. The changes were ongoing and phenomenal. We are sad to have gotten to the end of Samantha's first loop of Tomatis, but hope to continue this at a later stage. So much of who my daughter is and can be has already been uncovered, that we cannot stop now.
We thank each and every employee at ATA for the love, patience, kindness and dedication shown when working with our child. Samantha loves going for her therapy sessions at ATA and in fact cries each morning when the cars leave for the day, as she is ready to go and play with her friends at ATA. Our experience at ATA is something we would like to share, with as many parents with special needs children, as we possibly can because we now believe that there is hope.
Much Love and Gratitude,
Leon, Esmé and Samantha Marx, August 2007
South Africa
A Fortuitous Journey
Our journey to A Total Approach was rather fortuitous. Our daughter exhibited some atypical symptoms from infancy on, including high energy, unnecessary roughness and aggression towards others and herself, decreased attention, and decreased tolerance to certain elements such as pain and temperature. However, because of her otherwise typical, and in many cases higher than typical, functioning in areas such as language, communication, social interaction, and overall motor development, we were often told (by our pediatrician and psychologist) that she was just an 'active' child and that we would need to wait for school to begin before any formal diagnosis could be made.
As both an educator and parent, this information did not resonate well with me. I watched as my daughter developed compensatory mechanisms (laughing to divert attention when she couldn't build blocks, for example) that were at times negative and inappropriate. I watched as her childhood friends began to do things that were difficult for her, and thus watch her retreat to the familiar and/or avoid new activities. I cringed when I heard my toddler declare "I can't", not because of defiance, but rather because she truly could not. This is when I realized these early years were crucial for her self esteem, confidence, and sense of self. I immediately began searching for answers and grew increasingly frustrated at the lack of response from the medical community for my 'typical' child.
When she finally entered preschool at age 3, her teacher mentioned the term Sensory Integration (SI) and thought that we should look into occupational treatment. Though I had not heard of the term distinctly, I found immediate relief in knowing I could finally search for support, and through a series of phone calls and referrals, found myself in the lobby of A Total Approach.
My journey is not a unique one, unfortunately. Many do not know of sensory integration, and most have not heard of occupational therapy for preschoolers. The medical community is slow to pick up on the benefits of early sensory integration treatments, resulting in low reimbursements from insurance companies and many families who cannot afford to help their children.
Thus begins my new journey–not only to continue to provide ongoing support and guidance for my daughter, but also to raise awareness about the importance of early intervention for sensory integration. I am now completing my PHD dissertation on the effects of Tomatis on children with SID, in hopes of disseminating this much needed information to physicians, social workers, and others so that many others can be treated.
In my heart, early treatment is nothing short of a miracle. My daughter, now 4, and after 3 loops of Tomatis and a year of weekly OT sessions, is a happy, confident, self aware little girl. She is stronger physically, has more focus, is calmer, and most importantly, is more self aware and knows that she can try anything. This new confidence allows her to interact with her peers more appropriately, and climb to new heights, both figuratively and literally. There is absolutely no doubt in my mind that early intervention mitigated her risk of subsequent problems, including depression, anxiety, and other learning or behavioral disorders.
My husband and I now take great pleasure in watching her grow, and are better parents as we are now aware of the disorder and her specific needs. ATA is truly a multidisciplinary, exemplary model system of care. Thanks to everyone at ATA and may we all, as parents, educators, and researchers, continue to raise awareness of the importance of helping our youngsters become the best they can be.
Elizabeth – August 2007
Matthew, a 10 day Intensive Program
Our son Matthew recently completed a unique and intensive 10 day, 3 hours per day, therapy program at A Total Approach suggested and designed by Maude LeRoux that included one hour of Tomatis training, one hour of Interactive Metronome, and one hour of Captain's Log. Maude described this program as facilitating improvements at all levels of his brain starting at the brainstem (Tomatis), that is the foundation for everything that we do, then the midbrain (Interactive Metronome), and finally the cortical level (Captain's Log) where children are expected to function on a daily basis. Matthew is now 11 years old and has a history of attention, sensory processing, and language difficulties. He has recently been diagnosed with an auditory based learning disability. This intensive program at ATA has been incredibly beneficial for Matthew. Improvements noted within his educational system and home environment have been longer sustained attention, increased independence with his homework, increased problem solving skills, more willing to work through a challenging academic problem, reading more independently, increased reading comprehension, increased language expression, increased social skills, improved eye-hand coordination for playing sports, increased organizational skills, and generally a calmer child. Thank you Maude LeRoux and your staff for designing and implementing an individualized therapy program for our son. Words can not express the joy that we feel to see our son be a happier and more confident young man with a bright future!
Gene and Angela – October 2006
Captain's Log
"Our daughter has been struggling with reading since she started her academic learning curve. Though a very hard worker, reading has always been a laborious chore for her. She is currently in 6th grade. During four weeks in August, our daughter completed 20 hours of "Captain's Log" at A Total Approach. Throughout this time, she began voluntarily reading books and found it easier to complete readings and journals required for entry into sixth grade that she had struggled with earlier in the summer. With the right support our daughter can enjoy reading and we are excited about the progress she made this summer, which we attribute to her sessions with "Captain's Log". The best is that she has maintained her progress and willingness to read and has been extremely successful during the current school year."
Upon a recent phone interview Mrs. Kariouk commented that: "If she keeps up this progress, she will be making the honor roll list for the first time!"
John and Kathryn Kariouk – October 2006
John, a 4-week intensive case study
John is a 5 year, old boy who has a diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorder. Initial parental concerns included sensory processing (regulation and integration), fine motor, social, motor planning, back and forth interaction, emotional signaling, impulsivity, reality based conversations, behavioral, and focus / attention difficulties. John’s parents wanted to better understand his needs, implement techniques at home, and assistance to have him develop to his fullest potential. John was brought to A Total Approach for an intensive sensory based therapy program that included Occupational Therapy, Physical Therapy, Speech/Language Therapy, Tomatis training, one-on-one floortime sessions, and DIR (Developmental, Individual differences, Relationship model) parent training sessions. John received therapy 5 days per week for 4 – 5 hours per day for 4 weeks.
Initial baselines were obtained through standardized testing and clinical observations across developmental domains (fine motor, gross motor, play, social, sensory processing, and language skills). Results revealed that John was experiencing sensory processing needs, including his ability modulate his senses (vestibular, tactile, visual, oral, and auditory processing) and integrate or discriminate his senses (vestibular, tactile, oral, visual, and auditory) that negatively impacted and influenced his daily functional performance for attending, developing motor skills, play skills, emotional development, and socializing. In addition, John presented with a receptive and expressive language disorder that was characterized by morphosyntactic, pragmatic language and language processing deficits, all which impaired his communication and affected social interaction with his peers in home, community and academic settings.
By the end of the intensive therapy program John functionally exhibited increased initiation and sustained eye contact, increased visual attention to table top activities, improved postural control including balance and motor coordination skills, decreased hyperactivity level, increased tolerance for messy play, allowing others into his space, increased oral motor planning, increased ability to express his thoughts and ideas, diminished frequency of scripting, more appropriate conversations with regards to events occurring in the moment, problem solving skills in play, initiating ideas on his own, expanding ideas in play, following novel verbal directions more readily, increased attention span (from 1 -2 minutes to up to 15 – 20 minutes), emerging ability to verbalize his emotions, smoother transitions, decreased anxiety level, increase frustration tolerance, and diminished behavioral outbursts. A full comprehensive report was provided after completion of the intensive therapy program that included a very detailed narrative, summary, conclusion, and recommendations for a private clinic based program, home programs, strategies, and suggested educational services.
October 2006 – *For privacy reasons John's real name has been disguised.
Parent Comments
I want to tell you about my son Ryan. Ryan is now 5 years old and will be attending Bethel Springs Elementary School in the fall. His pre-school teachers gave him excellent marks on his report card and were extremely confident that he was ready for Kindergarten. Ryan was tested by the school district themselves and scored extremely high in reading and at grade level in math. He is very excited to be going to the same school as his brother and in fact may have the same teacher. Ryan also enjoys taking karate and swimming classes with his brother as well. Ryan is very social and enjoys playing with his friends. He also has a wonderful imagination and enjoys pretending. As I describe my son to you now you may find it shocking to know that my son is autistic.
In fact Ryan's future was grim three years ago. The therapist who first saw Ryan told us that he would never catch up to his peers. Cognitively he would always be behind. Their only treatment was Speech and OT therapy that would begin as soon as possible but took three agonizing months to begin. Soon after the diagnoses Ryan began to bang his head and tantrum 10 to 15 times a day. Ryan's tantrums could last hours and would continue through the night. Speech and OT helped but progress was slow and time consuming. Speech therapy brought about some language but it was robot like and unnatural. When I read more about autism I found the symptoms overwhelming. How was I going to teach my son to speak spontaneously, socialize with other children, or use his imagination. How do you learn these things when you have absolutely no desire to?
Our lives changed one day when my sister heard about Tomatis therapy on the Today Show. It was a story about a little girl just like Ryan that is now recovered because of Tomatis Therapy. I quickly had Ryan evaluated with A Total Approach and treatment began quickly. The therapists were extremely experienced and I felt completely comfortable with them. The first time I spoke to Maude everything began to make sense. I felt confident that this was the place for my son. The first three days of Tomatis were uneventful but on the fourth day Ryan spoke his first spontaneous sentence. He said "I see a truck." I couldn't believe it. From then on Ryan progressed. He began to socialize with other children and started to pretend play. We would anticipate each new loop because the results were so dramatic and quick. Speech and OT were still helpful but more so now. Now that he could process language better these therapies were much more effective.
We now see a bright future for our son. I see him in college, getting married, having children. We are a far cry from where we were three years ago. Now as Ryan finishes his last loop of Tomatis my family celebrates. My son is on the road to recovery. We have hope instead of hopelessness. We are encouraged instead of defeated and now we have our son back.
Sharon Shaw – July 2006
Parent Comments
Our son, Dean was diagnosed with PDD (an Autistic Spectrum Disorder) at eighteen months of age. Initially, we were devastated. We didn't know anything about the disorder or what interventions we could use to help our son. The thing that was so disturbing to us was how Dean seemed to not know how to play. He would do the same things over and over again, like spinning or lining things up. He also did not play with other children and he didn't have any interest in doing so. Fortunately for us, we found out about A Total Approach very early on.
We started with Occupational Therapy initially. It was there that we learned about DIR®/Floortime™ therapy. We started having individual sessions with Dean and training sessions for us(Dean's parents and our team members) This intervention has been a crucial component to Dean's program. The staff at ATA have been phenomenal in their attentiveness to Dean and to our family and staff in coaching us how to work with Dean at home. Over the last year, we completed three loops of Tomatis and also started Speech therapy there as well. Dean is making great strides! He has come such a long way with his play skills and interaction with peers. We truly cannot say enough about ATA.
Kim and Dan York – July 2006
Parent Comments
A Total Approach has been part of our family's journey to help Max for over four years. Max, now six years old, has autism, apraxia, hypotonia, nocturnal epilepsy, and severe motor planning deficits. A Total Approach has always enthusiastically encouraged and supported us, although Max was, at times, slow to progress, and many other professionals weren't sure how to help. The therapists at A Total Approach are the best we have seen, and they have dedicated themselves to constantly updating Max's program to meet his changing needs. They also will share new ideas based on the latest research to assist him in achieving his goals. These ideas, based on the Individual Difference Relationship Based Approach to therapy as well as intensive Occupational, Physical, and Speech therapies, include Therapeutic Listening, Tomatis, pressure vests, brushing programs, and a whistle blowing protocol to help with sound production. They have coached us as parents, consulted with his teachers, and attended countless team meetings, all with Max's needs being their focus. There aren't words to describe how important Maude Le Roux, Angela Johnson, Mary Beth Crawford, Ayesha Ganges, Janice Buckwalter, Teresa Scully and the entire A Total Approach team have been to our family. They truly have gone above and beyond for us and remain a crucial part of Max's treatment plan.
Thank you
Ken, Corinda, Drew, Max and Emily Crowther (July 2006)
Parent Comments
Our son, Steven, was diagnosed with Sensory Integration
Dysfunction in March 2005. The doctors at CHOP directed us to
A Total Approach. Angela completed the initial
evaluation to determine what Steven's needs were, and I left that day
feeling for the first time that I had some direction on how to help our
son. It was as if someone was finally listening to our concerns and
validating everything we suspected about Steven. Angela recommended that
Steven go to Occupational Therapy (OT) to address his motor planning problems,
modulation, sensory issues, and postural insecurity; to use the skin-brushing
program; and to do Therapeutic Listening. Steven began seeing Natalie once
a week in May 2005. Throughout this past year Natalie has incorporated many
different therapies (in addition to the listening and brushing) including:
joint compressions, oral therapy, horn therapy, straw therapy, a sensory diet,
behavioral plans, exercises to improve his core muscles, and a proprioception
home program. Due to the combination of strategies used at his OT sessions,
Steven has improved in all areas of need. Steven is able to tolerate his
clothing and other textures better, and most importantly for us, his tantrums
and "meltdowns" are less frequent. In February 2006 the doctors at
CHOP added Asperger's Syndrome to Steven's diagnosis. We are in the
beginning phases of using the DIR®/Floortime™ method to address Steven's
social and emotional needs. We look forward to seeing him improve in these
areas as well.
In addition to helping our son immensely, A Total Approach
has been a constant source of support for us as parents. We have learned so much
about the reasons behind Steven's behaviors and reactions to different
situations. Natalie and Maude have provided us with valuable information and
recommendations on how to best help Steven at home. Working with
A Total Approach has been a rewarding experience, and
with their help, we look forward to enabling Steven to continue to make progress
and be successful in all that he does.
Amy and Bob (June 2006)
Parent Comments
ATA has given us a "roadmap" to early therapeutic intervention which has been invaluable to our son's developmental progress. Once we obtained a diagnosis, knowing what to do with it, and how to help our son was by far our most difficult challenge. ATA has helped us to answer the question...."Where do we go from here?"
We began by obtaining a detailed sensory profile which has enabled us to effectively target our son's greatest areas of need, with an eye toward identifying and maximizing his strengths. ATA has implemented a comprehensive and cohesive approach, which carefully integrates all aspects of our son's needs across speech, occupational and physical therapies. The specialized skill and compassion of each staff member is self-evident, along with the fact that they each work tirelessly to gather and share data across all therapy environments.
In the year since our son's diagnosis, he has made developmental strides (in language, socialization and behavior), some have characterized as dramatic. ATA's role in his progress simply cannot be overstated. From our vantage point as parents, ATA has become "the quarterback" of our son's developmental team.
From the initial sensory evaluation, through Tomatis therapy, and now intensive weekly therapies, ATA continues to provide our son with the tools which are helping him to amaze us all. We are truly blessed to have ATA on our team!!!!!!!
Jeff/Sandy
Parent Comments
Tomatis Testimonial
Our son, Philip, age 18, completed 3 loops of Tomatis during the summer of 2005. Philip was significantly brain injured at 10 months of age secondary to severe complications of rotavirus. Philip is non-ambulatory and nonverbal. Due to his total dependency in all self-care needs, he was placed in an Intermediate Care Facility at age 14 but continues to return home frequently throughout the year.
Philip had an occasional word and was able to maintain his body weight for transfers until he was 14. Philip then underwent surgery for the placement of Herrington rods and after kidney stone complications, has not stood up since that time. Tomatis was considered for Philip to reactivate his motivation to communicate, reduce self-stimulation behaviors particularly rocking, and to improve muscle tone.
Philip's first loop proved eventful. A noticeable difference in muscle tone was observed. Philip's arms and legs became stronger. He was able to weight bear on his legs for a maximum of 30 seconds. Also rocking decreased at his ICF and school. On his second loop, Philip very unexpectedly began to initiate a stand. He would rock himself to the edge of his wheelchair, plant his feet just so, lean forward, and try to extend his hips and knees. This was a new skill. On his third loop, Philip shocked us. He stood up! Although his balance is still very poor, he delighted himself with this new skill and would continue to practice it until fatigued.
The new skills have awed all involved in Philip's care. It is not known how far Philip will improve in gross-motor skills through Tomatis. Refresher loops will most certainly be in his future. We hope to see Philip able to move more via a gait trainer or walker and for words to return so that his needs can be readily met.
Janice and Jeff Buckwalter
Parent Comments
When I first met Maude she was speaking at an autism support group meeting. This particular discussion was on DIR®/Floortime™. Her enthusiasm and love for children was apparent through her talk. At the end of the meeting I could not refrain from telling Maude how you can tell that she truly loves and believes in her work.
That was three years ago. From that moment on Maude and her highly skilled staff has been a part of our families life. Our two sons (6 and 4 years old boys) have grown with the A Total Approach Family.
They have been evaluated through comprehensive sensory evaluations. With the results from these evaluations we have been able to design a sensory diet and meet all of their sensory needs. They have attended hours of occupational therapy to help them with issues such as low tone, fine motor skills and postural stability. All terms which were foreign to us prior to becoming part of this world.
Through DIR®/Floortime™ my husband I have been able to engage our children in play like we have never before. They too have grown emotionally with this technique. Our oldest son has reached the higher levels of the milestones while our younger son continues to work hard with "his Nancy" to attain the higher levels. Although I was skeptical we tried listening therapy. I have to say it WORKS! And I am as skeptical as they come. It's amazing how our sensory system affects our whole being.
This summer our older son participated in Tomatis. We have seen an increase in our son's conversation, a decrease in rigidity and a willingness to be more flexible. At the end of the third loop (after not riding a bicycle all summer due to a broken wrist) our son jumped on his two-wheel bike. He had not practiced riding the two-wheeler since the beginning of the summer. He took off without anybody's help and has been riding ever since.
We hold each and every therapist at A Total Approach with deep respect. And we feel they will take care of our children as if they were their own. We fully trust them. To sum it up you know you are in a wonderful place when your children can't wait to get there and do not want to leave once they are done!
—AC
Parent Comments
As a parent and a physician looking to maximize my twins (with Autism and PDD) potential, A Total Approach has provided the foundation of interventions on which we are able to build our children's future. Maude Le Roux understands the complexity of the challenges faced by our children on the autism spectrum. By providing an "integrated" approach while understanding the uniqueness of each child/family's needs, Maude and her staff of caring and energetic professionals are helping us maximize our children's progress. With a diverse array of services including DIR®/Floortime™ (Greenspan DIR Model), Sensory Integration, Physical Therapy, Tomatis (Auditory training) and nutritional support guidance, A Total Approach is not just a name but a comprehensive philosophy all in one location.
As parents we were initially disheartened and frustrated with the medical and educational system that gave us a "diagnosis" and a "social worker" but little direction, Maude has been a godsend, giving our family support, strategies, solutions and most importantly, "Hope" for a brighter future for my children. Our twins have made great progress in the past 16 months and A Total Approach / Maude Le Roux has helped us turn our panic into passion...and our "hopes" into expectations.
—Dr. Pat and Marie Elliott
A Total Approach Comments
The twins have learnt much and so have we. The important message to everyone "out there" is that the combination of therapies make the difference. Even more importantly, a note to all parents of especially twins, to ensure that each child receives his / her own individualized program. It is an overwhelming occurrence in any family's life and the tendency to compare is strong. One child may have stronger needs than the other, yet both should receive equal attention as to how to individualize their program. Our sincere thank you to our parents for teaching us so much!
Parent Comments
Our family is so grateful for the opportunity to work with the staff at A Total Approach. Their integrative approach to autism continues to expand, allowing me to consult with experts regarding many different and important pieces of my child's program and even to receive training in order to implement the therapies at home. There is a wealth of knowledge here that continues to grow, offering my children the best opportunities for success and affording me the peace of knowing that while they are working with any one of the highly qualified therapists, there is no better place that they could be at that moment.
—The Haggerty Family
A Total Approach Comments
Their older son has completed 4 loops of Tomatis training and participates in an extensive SI/DIR program on a weekly basis. The younger daughter participates in Therapeutic Listening, as well as SI/DIR sessions on a weekly basis. Both children also receive consultation at their pre-school placement to assist with translating newly learnt skill into a functional setting.
Parent Comments
Our son Andrew is diagnosed with mild autism. He also has sensory and motor planning issues. My husband and I decided to try therapeutic listening with Andrew in May, 2004. Andrew was almost 4 years old at the time. Within two weeks we noticed an increase in his verbal communication. Prior to the therapeutic listening, Andrew had trouble using his words to communicate his needs so he would either yell and scream or withdraw. Andrew's vocabulary and articulation was good, but he only used words to label things. He could not put words into phrases and had trouble "finding" the words he wanted to use to express himself. He also had difficulty attending to tasks, following simple directions and was very distracted by even the faintest sounds and noises.
Andrew has been doing therapeutic listening for 6 months now and friends and relatives who do not see him often remark on what progress he has made with his language. He is also able to attend to tasks for much longer periods of time, he is using phrases to express his needs and is much more focused then he used to be. He has become interested in playing with toys in a functional way and he is beginning to be more social with other children. We truly believe that the therapeutic listening, along with the sensory integration and his classroom placement have made a huge difference for him. In February 2004 our developmental pediatrician expressed concern to us because she did not feel that Andrew was making progress at a fast enough rate and today he is like a completely different child. We visited her in September 2004 and her outlook for Andrew is very positive. We tell everyone about our positive experience with therapeutic listening. We know that every child will react differently, but it is definitely worth a try!
—Betty A
A Total Approach Comments
Andrew came to our practice in April 2004 with significant difficulty with sensory integration, sensory modulation, praxis, postural control, bilateral integration, fine motor skills, expressive and receptive language skills, etc. He attends therapy for 1 hour per week. He was highly sensitive to sound and demonstrated a 10 second processing delay. He did not have any interest in playing with toys, had limited social skills, and often wandered the room aimlessly. His praxis skills were significantly impacted including ideation, motor planning, motor sequencing, and feedback loop. Andrew often withdrew when challenged and would just look at you when speaking to him, as he did not understand most of what was said to him.
Andrew started his therapeutic listening program a few weeks after he started at A Total Approach and continued for six straight months. Improvements in his receptive and expressive language skills were noted in the first two weeks and continued to improve throughout the six months he was on the program. His processing time has diminished greatly and Andrew can open and close circles more readily using 4 and 5 word sentences. Although his play skills are somewhat limited his interest in playing with a variety of toys have significantly improved, as well as, his ability to attempt to play with the toys more appropriately. Other improvements are noted in social, attention, sensory regulation, sensory integration, praxis, engagement, and overall interaction. It is important to note that Andrew's family were very faithful in following the therapeutic listening program and incorporating a sensory diet as prescribed by the Occupational Therapist. Andrew responded very well to the Therapeutic Listening program and continues to make overall developmental gains.
Parent Comments
We enrolled our son Patrick in the Tomatis program in July of 2004. Patrick was almost 4 years old and has a diagnosis of PDD-NOS. We decided to enroll Patrick because even though he has received intensive interventions since he was 18 months old we were concerned with Patrick's auditory processing abilities. In addition, we were also concerned about his lack of ability to ask or answer questions. We also felt that his lack of understanding was also holding back his opportunities for peer interactions.
Now that Patrick has completed the first 3 loops of Tomatis we have seen an amazing improvement. His teachers and therapists and friends and family also noted this, though many of them did not know that Patrick had completed three loops of Tomatis. However, they noticed the gains that Patrick had made! We feel that Patrick made very positive gains in the following areas:
- Spontaneous speech
- Better understanding (including concepts)
- Beginning to ask more questions and he now has the ability to answer questions more comprehensively
- Improved complex thinking and problem solving
- Improved peer interaction (excellent interaction with his twin brother since Tomatis)
- More sustained play and attention
- More typical behavior
We are extremely happy with the results of Tomatis for our son Patrick. Patrick also participates in a comprehensive home DIR program, which we feel also worked very well in conjunction with Tomatis.
Parent Comments
Zoe White is my daughter. She is a beautiful little girl. She loves to sing and dance and her laughter is contagious. Zoe is also diagnosed with PDD NOS. She is very high-functioning, even atypical for a PDD NOS diagnosis. Her language is significantly delayed. She communicates using 2 word phrases. We are just now learning how much she actually knows. Zoe also has intense sensory processing deficits. Zoe is ultra sensitive to noise. The sound of a lawn mower sends her scrambling up my leg with terror in her eyes. She is under sensitive to touch. She is aggressive. She hugs too hard; plays too rough; feels very little pain.
Zoe has been in early intervention since she was 18 months old. She receives most of the services available to children with her diagnosis. Still we were not seeing the progress we had hoped for. I brought Zoe to a screening at A Total Approach. I was extremely impressed at how efficiently they identified Zoe's areas of need. They told me about the different services they provide and which would be appropriate for Zoe.
Angela felt that Tomatis would give us the most effective results based on Zoe's profile. I researched Tomatis, talked to other parents and discussed the process, at length, with the therapists of A Total Approach. We decided to go for it. The listening therapy is integrated with DIR, OT and Sensory Integration. I think she feels like she is there to play.
The first loop was rigorous. It awakened all of her senses and for a short time she was like an exposed nerve. After the second loop we noticed her aggressive behaviors were decreasing. She began to ask for things she knew would calm her. She started identifying students, teachers, and therapists at her preschool. She is identifying colors with greater consistency. While watching Sesame Street, an episode on bathing, she looked at me and said, "Tubby, ice cream, mommy's bed, and night night." I was speechless. She had verbally sequenced our evening ritual.
Zoe also comes to A Total Approach for individual DIR. The DIR component has helped Zoe and our family so much so, that my mother and I will be attending the conference in the spring.
We are currently in the middle of the third loop. I have been pleased with the results so far. After this loop we will continue to come to ATA for DIR. In summation, we have seen greater progress in the past 3 months of Tomatis/DIR, and individual DIR sessions, than all of the other services she has received and continues to receive.
Parent Comments
Maude Le Roux at A Total Approach has been a part of our lives since almost four years ago. Maude and her dedicated employees have provided both of our girls with therapeutic help in their particular areas of need, ranging from fine motor delays, visual motor and perceptual delays, sensory processing regulation difficulties, motor planning, and rigid play schemes. This has been accomplished in both individual one-on-one sessions and as part of a social skills play group. The clinic provides a playful atmosphere with therapeutic swings, balls, rope and ladder climbing, huge pillows and tubes, along with an expansive array of toys to entice our girls to work on their O.T. and sensory needs along with floortime play. In addition, our daughters have both gone through Tomatis therapy sessions at the clinic. We have seen extraordinary gains in all areas of need. Both girls are able to attend regular public school and are fully included in the curriculum with no one-on-one aides! Their writing is better, they are more confident with fine motor and gross motor activities, and their play schemes have expanded. But most impressive to us is their positive growth in the sensory processing and regulation area. They both used to scream at a passing siren, now they can tolerate parades and theme parks! Our hats go off to Maude and her outstanding staff at A Total Approach!
—LB
Parent Comments
Our son, Daniel, who is now three years old, has been going to A Total Approach since he was 19 months of age. The therapists who work with Daniel are dedicated to helping him learn and grow. They look at the "whole" child, evaluating and addressing Daniel's areas of need, but also emphasizing and utilizing his strengths and incorporating them into his program. At A Total Approach, Daniel is given the individual attention he needs to further his development, and in the eyes of his therapists, he is a young child with great potential. As parents of a child with a disability, we have received an enormous amount of support from the staff at A Total Approach, and that in turn, helps us support our son.
—Diane and Michael McDade
Parent Comments
We started working with Maude Le Roux in early 2003, when our two children, boy (6) girl (8) were diagnosed with ADD/ADHD. We were looking for a therapist/program that would focus on their immediate needs for sensory integration (diet) and strategies for "staying on task." One of the things that we learned very quickly was that Maude is extremely interested in remediation of their root problems.
Our daughter was two years behind in acquiring adequate skill in reading. Maude developed an intense and rigorous home program (45 minutes/day 5 days/wk) during which she (our daughter) was able to "catch-up" almost 1 full year in her reading skills within a 6-month time frame. We also completed a 15-day regimen of Interactive Metronome during this time frame. We continue to see Maude on a monthly basis with home programming and have started another program that will focus on her phonemic awareness as well as sequencing strategies.
Our son struggled with socialization skills as well as staying "on task." He has been in a "small group of peers" with "Miss Nancy" for over 1 year. His socialization skills have increased significantly. Miss Nancy works with the group on role playing real world situations that the boys need to negotiate on a regular basis, in their daily lives. In addition to working with him in a group setting we also have a home program that involves a therapeutic listening program that assist him in improving his modulation. In the two years of working with Nancy/Maude he has settled down tremendously. The severity and quantity of his emotional outbreaks have been dramatically reduced.
Parent Comments
Jason is almost exactly 3 1/2 months old (Birthdate 6/19/01), and he was diagnosed with autism by Dr. Anne Meduri at A. I. DuPont Hospital for children in January 2004. His current program includes: 5 day/wk. typical preschool from 9:15am-1:15pm with TSS support during all 20 hrs. in school, BSC 2hrs./wk. at school, 2 hrs/wk. OT 1 hr./wk PT (every other week includes 1/2 hr. water therapy in pool), 1hr./wk of Itinerant Teacher at school, 1 hr./wk of Speech Therapy. As Jason's mother I attend A Total Approach one time every week armed with a DIR video on Jason and our play together. I would like to focus on the results we had found using the Wilbarger Brushing Protocol, suggested to us by Maude Le Roux.
We started brushing on 11/7/04 and brushed usually 5 or 6 times a day. We are very scheduled people and knew that without a written schedule we would not be able to fully follow the protocol. We typed up a schedule to fill-in each time we completed a session. Our average times for brushing followed by joint compressions were: 8:30am (before school), 10:30am (by TSS at school), 4pm, 6pm, and 8pm (after bath). We were able to get his pants off for brushing by making it part of the changing (pull-ups) routine. We never brushed less than four (4) times a day. It was usually 5 or 6 times a day. We were able to do it around our schedule. It took us about 5-7 minutes and after a few times, he LOVED it. We are still doing it 4x/day.
The changes we noticed, while on the protocol were obvious and no doubt attributed to the brushing protocol—since there were no other changes in his program during this time period. They include: (1) Greater variety and acceptance of different foods (as he only had a diet of about 5 foods and only water out of one cup); (2) Willingness to put on a costume or headpiece (firehat, Indian headband and beaded necklace, hood of coat) and wear for an extended period of time; (3) He pooped 9 out of the first 10 days (he has a very bad constipation problem); (4) Less foot sensitivity (feet don't curl up anymore when we brush them). These are not the changes that we expected, but they are real and exciting. We expected less "stimming" and/or better transitions, but we gladly accept these strides forward. Along with the advances, he is experiencing some "growing pains," which is probably to be expected. He is going through a pretty intense "Mommy-Separation-Anxiety" phase for the first time. His "stimming" also seems to have increased at home. This could also be due to the fact that it has decreased at school, indicating that he is perhaps more aware now of pacing himself and "letting go" when and where it was more appropriate.
All in all, we are very pleased with the outcome so far. It can't hurt to try!!! I am so glad that we finally committed to it.
—Stacey and Brian Fliegelman
Parent Comments
The reason Maude picked the name A Total Approach is because that is what the practice represents. All aspects of the child's development are addressed in one place under the caring supervision of a trained professional, generally several professionals. A Total Approach means that the whole child is tended and nurtured and monitored, not just his therapy issues, but his emotional, developmental and life issues.
It may not be really obvious, but A Total Approach is completely unique. This one stop shop for the total special needs child doesn't exist anywhere else that I know of. Most therapists do only one aspect of therapy. They refer you to other professionals if they suspect there is some other issue, but often they are unfamiliar with other therapy issues and techniques. If you do take on a new therapy, it's up to you to learn all about it and educate all the other people working with your child. It's up to you to be the case manager, ready or not.
At ATA, I'm no longer alone. I no longer have to figure everything out for myself. I have open, willing collaborators who are always available to help me keep my son's treatment program at an optimum place. I'm not qualified to be a professional case manager. I don't always know what to do next. In the past, I have guessed the best I can. I often have worried: Am I overloading my child? Am I not doing enough? Am I not doing the right things? Am I missing something? Am I being too much of a case manager and not enough of a parent?
At ATA, I get the professional guidance I need and I don't have to guess about special needs issues that are over my head or whether he's being hit with too much. I don't have to run around to multiple professionals by myself and get lots of different advice and evaluations and guess at what he needs, signing my child up for whatever programs I think make sense or try to make sure that all his therapies are not pulling him in too many directions. Now I don't worry that I'm neglecting his needs or that I'm being an alarmist either. I don't worry that I'm overloading him. At ATA, I get a sense of all his needs and I feel secure that we'll stage all his therapies into the timeline that's right for him without overwhelming him and yet still keeping him on track. I also know that my son is being constantly evaluated and monitored so that I don't miss anything important. I feel secure that the most cutting edge therapies are there when my son needs them. And if needed, they will be incorporated into a comprehensive strategy that's right for him.
I used to try to pull all his programs and therapies together myself and communicate everything in my own amateur terms to my son's school and to other professionals. I'm stronger now and better informed. ATA is always there to clarify his ever changing issues clearly and professionally and to advocate for us with other professionals if we need it. They also explain it to me and keep me on track and focused.
I'm very pleased and constantly encouraged by the way I am always included in the process. I am updated at every therapy visit so that I can alert someone of new discoveries or issues or achievements. It also helps me so that I know what issues to focus on at home and how to pick mainstream activities that will advance his therapy goals.
What do I get personally, once a week? I get the information I need. I watch my son have fun and stay motivated and encouraged by his steady progress. I stay encouraged myself. I advocate for my son better with teachers and family and friends. I'm able to clarify for myself and others what kind of accommodations will make sense for the short term. I'm able to stay patient and coach him better at home. I'm able to keep the people around my son encouraged and focused. I also get reminded weekly that fun and a positive attitude is a great way to go!
Over and over I hear from teachers and other professionals that they are astounded at the amount of progress my son has made. I've heard this phrase very often: "I've never had a child (in my class, in my practice) who has made so much progress in such a short time." My son has learned to advocate better for himself, is encouraged and motivated and sets his own goals.
That's because his Approach is Total; it's professional, cutting-edge, coordinated and positive. He can feel the caring and the encouragement and he is thriving on it!
Jona Harvey
Exceptional Needs Foundation
Board of Directors
