My children do things today that I never dreamed would be possible...

It’s hard to explain how difficult it was quickly, but I’ll try. My daughter’s behavior was super difficult to manage, and my son was very needy and struggling with a lot of anxiety. Our whole family was probably experiencing PTSD from several extremely hard years because of the two kids’ needs. We were barely surviving. Physically, my body had already given out twice over those years, and each time I had several months where I was pretty much bedridden. So, life was very, very hard.

A speech therapist suggested LifeSkills sensory integration therapy for my daughter.

It helped me realize that there were some actual physical reasons for her behavior and that it wasn’t just my fault of being a bad parent. 

It showed me that she wasn’t just choosing to misbehave, but that there were very real physical reasons that she could not control for her behavior. Basically, it showed me that I wasn’t a bad parent, in denial, crazy, etc. And it gave me hope that she could be helped.

Thankfully we had the Gardiner scholarship to pay for it and the ability to leave home for three weeks for the intensive therapy program. Thank you for offering the three-week intensive program! Otherwise, we would not have been able to do it.

Oh, I love how therapists love and enjoy my children and never judge them or speak negatively about them. They explain so well to me the games and strategies that they have found for my children so we can continue them at home. And I love that my kids love the therapy and find it to be fun and engaging. All the staff at LifeSkills feel like extended family. They are our cheerleaders, and we really needed their encouragement!

Over the past several years, by God’s grace, and his leading us to LifeSkills, our family has gone from barely surviving to actually living. And it’s getting better and better as time goes on.

Our family is a much more peaceful place and all of our family relationships have improved. It is a very positive and personal and encouraging place. We all love it!

We have done so many therapies for so many years, and LifeSkills is definitely our favorite and one of the most effective!   It has been so worth the time and effort of participating in the three-week intensive.

If you’re from out of town and want to do the intensive, the Ronald McDonald house will let you stay there and it is also a wonderful place to be. Also, besides the Gardiner grant, there is another wonderful grant that can help called The Cerner Charitable Foundation.

S. C.