Our Family’s Life has Been Forever Changed

Maria* knows her son David is an amazing, creative and gifted child. He was the perfect baby, so easy to manage. He never cried. But as he got older, Maria knew things weren’t quite right.
 
The teachers and doctors tried to diagnose and label David but none of them ever really defined his struggles or fit the description of who Maria knew her child to be. Dedicated to help her son be successful and find happiness from within, Maria searched for years for the right approach and effective therapies with little success.
 
David got to the point where he was living in a constant state of fight or flight. It got so bad he refused to leave the house. Maria’s husband, Matt, would carry him kicking and screaming to the car so that David could get to the places he needed to be. Maria knew her child was struggling with something serious, but despite searching for the right diagnosis and help for years, she still had no answers.
 
In first grade, David sat in the classroom, completely disengaged. His nervous tick of twirling his hair around his finger in school actually created a bald spot. However, her son surprised his teacher when he scored in the 99th percentile on standardized testing.
 
Based on David’s test scores and underperformance, Maria hoped they had found an answer in the school district’s high-potential program for gifted children. As part of the application process for this program, her son had to undergo psychological testing. This revealed that not only was David gifted with a high IQ but he had an anxiety disorder, as well. Finally, an answer! They thought they were on the right track. However, their hope evaporated when David was unable to meet the requirements for admission to the gifted program.
 
Maria knew she had to do something different, and with renewed motivation she discovered A Chance To Grow. “We wanted to try everything we could to avoid medicating David,” Maria explained. She was so excited to have her son get started with Occupational Therapy. And, after years of feeling so alone, Maria now had a team of therapists. They performed a complete assessment, diagnosis, and collaborated with each other to develop a program and series of interventions catered to his specific needs.
 
One of the additional programs recommended was neurofeedback. It helped David to regulate his nervous system better, helping him to move out of his constant state of anxiety. “The changes are amazing,” states Maria. “After so many years of worry, it feels so good to be making progress.”
 
Maria is excited to see David’s real personality start to surface. “He opened up so much with occupational therapy,” says mom. “And when we added neurofeedback, he became a different person. He’s talkative and no longer refuses to leave the house due to his anxiety. These changes would not have been possible without A Chance to Grow.” 
 
As the family settles into their new life of hope, promise and possibility, Maria is filled with gratitude. “A Chance To Grow has been life-changing for our family.”
 
*Names have been changed for privacy.