Victoria
Before Vision Therapy
Victoria would not want to do homework. It was a chore and would take two to three times as long as it should have. She also loved to read but started to resist reading and would shy away from it. Math was also difficult for her and her grades in school were suffering.
After Vision Therapy
Now that Victoria has completed her therapy she has renewed her love of reading, her math has improved tremendously and she has even been doing her homework voluntarily, often before she even gets home from school. She also has more confidence in herself and her school work. -TG
Lucy
Before Vision Therapy
Our daughter, Lucy, struggled reading. She had trouble tracking words, she reversed letters and she seemed to dread doing homework. Lucy frequently had outbursts of frustration when doing homework. It was painful to witness how hard she worked and how hard she was on herself.
After Vision Therapy
Lucy’s tracking improved, she no longer struggles with letter reversals, she no longer has outbursts during homework. Lucy now chooses to read for extended periods of time, and takes pride in being in the 1,000 minute per month reading club at school As Lucy’s reading and confidence have improved, so has the functioning of our whole family. Thank you Dr. John and Karla. -Lucy H
Jeffrey – June 2009
Before Vision Therapy
Jeffrey had trouble with reading and related subjects in school. He received reading services from Grade 1 thru 4 with very slow progress. He had a summer tutor in reading and math (word problems), just to keep up. By the end of 3rd grade, his reading teacher requested that he be evaluated for special education services. We were very disappointed to be told that he was too smart and did not qualify for services. After reading several books (written for parents) on dyslexia, I was convinced that this is what he had, despite what the “experts at school” said. A friend with a dyslexic son had gone to a neuropsychologist (initial testing at $3000) and the son was later accepted at the Carroll school for dyslexic kids. She warned me of the uphill battle to get the school system to acknowledge dyslexia and to pay for the costs. Another option that I had read about was vision therapy. Jeffrey had been seeing an optometrist (because of his reading issues) since Grade 1 with no apparent need for glasses until this past year, and I pressed her for a name of a local vision therapist, hence receiving the information for Dr. John Abbondanza. This was the beginning of enlightenment for Jeffrey.
After Vision Therapy
Jeffrey regained his confidence in reading about eight weeks into the program. He was noticeably reading faster without distraction. His self-esteem was boosted when his time with the reading teacher was reduced and spent more time with the “regular” kids in the classroom. He no longer took hours to finish his homework; he spent a more reasonable 45-60 min per day. The reading teacher compared his reading speed from Sept 2008 to the year-end testing in June 2009 and he had gone from 60 to 120 words per minute!!! Dr. John’s assessment showed that in Jan 2009, his eye tracking was at the level of an early eight year old (when he was 9.5 yrs old) and at his last visit in June 2009, he was tracking at the level of a mid ten year old (when he just turned 10 yrs old)… a gain of over two years in just six months. We are so thrilled that Dr. John was able to accurately diagnose and fix Jeffrey’s reading problem. We are forever grateful for Dr. John and his staff for providing a kid-friendly learning environment.(Please share with others. – Yoko Taylor 7/2/09)
KB – Age 21
Before Vision Therapy
I hated to read. I would avoid it as much as possible. It took me hours to read 10 pages. I would get awful headaches. Homework took me at least 10 hours (college work). I had almost no peripheral vision on my left side. Distance vision was not great. I was in bifocals, and my vision never seemed to remain stable. Grades were good (B’s with a few A’s), but not as good as I would have liked them to be.
After Vision Therapy
Reading is a lot easier. I do not shy away from reading. Homework did not take as long to complete. My headaches disappeared about halfway through the program. I don’t wear bifocals anymore; I wear reading glasses only. My peripheral vision has improved to the point where the boys I babysit can no longer sneak up on me. My grades have improved (A‘s with a few B’s), and I was offered membership in two honor societies. There is so much more I could say, but I don’t want to take the whole binder of success stories. -KB. Northborough, MA
