Little Giant Steps

When I was asked to use one word to describe my experience with Little Giant Steps, I said, life-changing. When our daughter started the program, she was highly frustrated, emotional, and her attention span was terrible. The only way she could focus on school work was in a totally quiet environment. She wanted to help and follow instructions but could not remember. She was also hyper-sensitive, we had to cut out all tags from her clothing. Megan improved two grade levels in math, word recognition and comprehension in one year. She can now read in a noisy room and leaves most tags in her clothing. Her auditory processing skills have improved dramatically. We know that Megan would have been given several different labels if we had taken her to Scottish Rite. We feel blessed that Little Giant Steps has given us hope for her future. Thank you and God’s blessings.T. E. in Plano, TX July 2005

 

My son was 10 years old, in the 4th grade and having problems at school (and other places), becoming too emotional in class and causing problems with off-task behavior. When he did get really upset, it took him a very long time to calm down. He was brilliant at some times and totally absent-minded at others; having trouble recalling what he had mastered the day before. Focusing on tasks for 15 minutes was a real challenge and his work required constant supervision for him to complete assignments. He longed to play with other children but would withdraw when playmates were around. He was hypersensitive to touch and had trouble controlling his hands. There were other issues as well.

We took our son to an Educational Diagnostician and a Pediatric Neurologist. Both professionals agreed he was a bright child with mild ADHD. One advised medication and the other did not. Then, I heard a talk given on neurodevelopment and what kinds of problems it can correct. It was as if they were talking about our son. We had our son evaluated and began a course of neurodevelopment.

By the end of 6 weeks, he began to be able to skip; he had never been able to do this. By the end of four months, he was going to the principal’s office less than once a week, before it had been 2 — 3 times a week. By the end of the school semester, at about 5 months, his interaction with his peers had dramatically changed and he was not so solitary as before.

During the summer, he surprised us by swimming in a straight line across the pool (without any coaching). In summers past, he always swam in a curve, since one side of his body would not do what the other side would (3 years of swimming lessons had been unable to correct this).

This year, in the 5th grade, we have seen steady progress. Our son can now stay on task for hours a time and can remember much better what he has learned. He has not been to the principal’s office once! There have been some upsets during recess, but they are much milder and less frequent than before. He is carrying an E (for excellent) in conduct and all of the staff at school remarks about the change.

Sunday School and Children’s Church workers all have noticed the difference in his behavior. Even some of his classmates come up to his mother and tell her how much different our son is this year. We are not finished with our son’s neurodevelopment work but we have seen such a dramatic improvement. This neurodevelopment thing really works! Everyone is a lot happier at our house these days. Neurodevelopment is an answer to prayer.

Grateful in Texas 03

 

This is working!!! We are seeing improvement upon improvement in Allison. She’s
not My unreliable, unpredictable, immature little girl anymore, but has blossomed
into a very responsible enjoyable 14 year old! I have also used our experience to encourage so many other moms. When God is in the middle of something (and He is in this) the blessings extend far beyond what we ever imagine. Thanks for your ongoing encouragement. It makes all the difference in the world.

L. H. in Carrollton 8/05

 

I finally completed the boys monthly status report and I am mailing it out tomorrow, but, I wanted to share something with you that happened this week that is not on the report. Trent wanted to invite a friend over to spend the night, but we were in the car and the number was not accessible. I told Trent that he could call him on my cell phone and amazingly he remembered his friend’s home number, but that is not even the best part. His friend was at his grandparent’s home (who he stays with quite often). I asked Trent if he knew that number and at first he said that he didn’t, then, Trent said, Wait, I think I know it and sure enough it was the right number. My heart leaped for joy. Last year this 13 year old boy was doing good to remember his own phone number and now he is a walking phone directory. Praise God!!!!!! We have seen other signs of progress that I included on our monthly report, but this one was a dozy. I think God knew that we needed the encouragement to keep going and finish the race. Thank you guys so much.

Pam C. 3/05

 

I am happy to say that due to all the help you gave us, Baylor has transitioned very smoothly into the classroom environment. He continues to excel in math – he has a 98% average in Saxon 54. His language arts skills are also coming along smoothly. His attention span continues to improve – although he still struggles to stay on task. He got very good feedback from his teachers and I feel like we have the tools to continue on this journey toward being all that God made him to be. We so appreciate all that you taught us and I recommend you and your products often!! Thank you so much!!

Dea B. 12/04

My youngest son, David, was diagnosed with PDD (Pervasive Developmental Disorder) when he was 8 years old. He was in pretty bad shape at the time; he was rocking and biting himself, he had a very limited vocabulary and could not speak in sentences, he was having night terrors and he was depressed, and he was functioning academically at about a Kindergarten level. I met Jan Bedell when David was about 10 years old and we began working on the Little Giant Steps program and the process of recreating David into what I believe God intended.Today, David is a happy, well-adjusted, independent 21 year-old and a shining light among his co-workers, community and church family. David is very active in our church. He has struggled for years with both expressive and receptive language delays but now he is leading public prayers and leading singing. The only medication he is taking is for his allergies, no anti-depressants. He is working full-time for the Garland ISD maintenance department and he loves his job! He has been driving for about 2 years and about a year ago, he purchased a used truck (with cash). He takes care of all the upkeep, maintenance, insurance, etc. for his truck; he makes his own breakfast and lunch every day, he keeps up with his laundry and buys new clothes and anything else he needs. He is still living at home but he is very independent and we are hopeful that he will be able to live on his own in a few years.

We have worked with David using the Neurodevelopmental Approach off and on for about 10 years now. We did 2 years of program with him when we first met Jan; then we took about a 4 year break. Then, Jan would receive some training in a certain area and we would try out her newly required skills on David from time to time (and David would take another giant leap in development!)

About a year ago, we started David on yet another program, doing all of the new cross-pattern activities that Jan had recently been trained on. David was very faithful with his program for about 10 months. After just the first 2 months, we, along with his job coach at the time, began seeing some improvements in David’s language skills; one of the last hurtles for David. He was picking up things off of the TV and from sermons that he had never picked up on before and he was also able to express his feelings to us for the first time.

Recently, on Mother’s Day, my 21 year-old “disabled” son, whom a pediatric neurologist once told me would never graduate from high school, never hold down a job, never drive and never live on his own…wrote me the sweetest Mother’s Day note. Here it is…

 

“Mom,

Thanks for taking care of me through the years. Ephesians 6:1 says, ‘Children obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right.’ I completed that mission. You inspired me to do the right thing. You showed me how to express my feelings. You helped me not to get mad at certain people. You showed me how to love.

Thanks so much for all you do. I love you, mom!

Your Son, David Thompson”

My husband later told me that David came up with the words he wanted to say and typed it up on the computer and all my husband did was help him spell a few words. When I asked David how I helped him to express his feelings and not get mad, he said it was because of the “therapy” (floor exercises) that I made him do last year. These floor activities stimulated the pons area of David’s brain, and David understands that these activities helped him to get in touch with his feelings and to be able to express his feelings, as well as control them.

I thank God every time I look at David that He lead us to Little Giant Steps.

M. T. in Garland, Texas 5/08

 

To say my son’s handwriting was bad is to put it mildly. It was (to borrow from Judith Viorst), “Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad” handwriting — which breaks my heart to say, because he tried so very hard. It’s as if his hands just didn’t work right. We tried everything to help him: We bought handwriting workbooks. We tried copy work. We quickly gave up on dictation. It seemed that everything we tried only added to Jake’s frustration, and the more we practiced the worse it got. We couldn’t understand — why was this so difficult?
For years I kept thinking things like, “At least it can’t get any worse!” or “He’s just a boy and all boys have bad handwriting, right?” or “There’s always typing!” It was such a source of frustration that we had all but given up. And then we found LGS.
Eventually, Jan would teach us about mixed dominance and its effect upon motor control. We began doing the prescribed exercises, and Jake began to make steady improvement in all areas. We were so hopeful! But something still wasn’t quite right; after about a year, Jan noticed Jake was regressing. Thanks to her experience, she recognized the cause immediately: Despite what we all thought (Jake included), he wasn’t right handed after all — he was a lefty!
It has taken us two years and a lot of work, but he is making amazing progress! We just started cursive this week. He’s gone from hating handwriting to enjoying it: No more complaining when I pull out the handwriting sheet, no more tears and frustration. Thank you, LGS!
On LGS program from July, 2008 to March 2010
Jennifer, Fort Worth, TX

 

Believe it or not, after 3 days on program and actively working to decrease Mazey’s stemming (constant clucking sounds), she began to say more words and sing songs instead. Her special Education teacher sent a note home that Mazey was much more verbal in class on Tuesday. Yeah!!! Thanks for your support,

Sadler ,Tyler TX 9/05

 

Within just one week after starting program, our son (moderately autistic, severe language delay) was stimming noticeably less (particularly with doors and light switches) and engaging more appropriately in play. He is also much less ticklish on his feet and around his neck. This makes it so much easier to put shirts and socks on!!!

E. R. 4/01

 

The following is a testimony regarding an eight year-old boy who had been labeled by a neurologist as “Undiagnosable” but was displaying autistic tendencies as well as other genetic anomalies. He came to Little Giant Steps with so many issues that it was difficult to test him and get accurate readings during his initial evaluation:

“We wanted to give you an update on Auggie’s progress since enrolling him back into public school after going through the Little Giant Steps program. When the teachers and administrators found out he had been home schooled for the last three years, they told us they expected to see some regression.

The last comment made to us by his teacher the other day was, “Auggie will do best if you “mainstream” him as much as possible.” He has been blowing them all away in reading and math and his communication skills continue to improve. Thought you would want to know.”

K. Z. in Texas February, 2008

 
When we came to Little Giant Steps two years ago, Timothy was barely passing 2nd grade. He wasn’t reading very well, couldn’t remember things that he learned the day before, couldn’t concentrate because the noise in the classroom bothered him and he was just really frustrated. At home, just cleaning his room was extremely overwhelming for him.
One of the first things we noticed after he was on the program for about four months is that he was able to clean and organize his room with little supervision. It is like we have a different child!
Timothy has been back in public school for 4th grade (after being home schooled for 1½ years and focusing on the Little Giant Steps program) and is making mostly A’s and a few B’s. His reading has improved beyond our wildest hopes. He has improved exponentially in every academic area. His teacher said, “I don’t know what you did with him, but this is not the same child as in 2nd grade.”
I met with Timothy’s dyslexia teacher recently because she sent out results of her end of year testing. Even though the report showed that his scores increased in every area, I wanted to know if this was satisfactory progress. His teacher said, “N o it wasn’t just ok progress, it was GREAT progress!”. She said he was the “STAR of the class” and that all of the students look to him. For example, at the beginning of the year he could read 15 out 50 words. At the end of the year he could read 45 out of 50 of the words on this specific test. She said most kids do not make this much progress the first year!!! She said, “You know, he still has a whole year left in this class.”
Here are Timothy’s TAKS scores for this year:
• Reading: 93 (only missed 3 out of 40). This score is one point away from “commended”.
• Math: 82 (only missed 8 out of 42). Because of this score, he will not be pulled out of class next year for math tutoring.
• Writing: 72 (only missed 7 out of 28). His writing improved a lot this year and I know it will continue to improve next year.
We are so proud of him and he is proud of himself, also. These scores are just more evidence to substantiate that the ND approach to learning is incredibly successful! D. C. in Frisco, TX May/2009

Dana C. TX May 2009

Update on Timothy!!

Timothy is doing great! He is making mostly A’s in school. The teachers are blown away with the fact that he really doesn’t need any accommodations especially when taking the standardized tests.

He reads very well but struggles with spelling. I cannot tell you how many times he notices how much better he reads than his friends who are dyslexic. He says, mom, they need Jan Bedell’s program!

The reason I am contacting you is because Timothy is on the tennis team at his middle school and will try out for the high school team in May. He has found that if he does the skip cross before he plays his match, he does better. So, he wants to know if there are any exercises or movements that would increase his coordination. He really is doing very well in my opinion but he wanted me to ask anyway.

Give my best to Jan!

Dana C. April 2013

 

We knew something was wrong with our 9 year old daughter when her younger sister could read better than she could, but my husband and I had no idea why or how to help her. It wasn’t until she was 11 years old, and in a homeschool co-op with other peers, that we realized how much her delays affected her view of herself and her ability to interact with others.
As homeschool moms, we have the ability to shelter our children from negative peer influences, bullying and the like, but I hadn’t realized how even positive peer influences wound the heart of struggling learners. Our daughter knew she was behind and couldn’t read like her friends. She would retreat to Mom whenever she grew uncomfortable with her limitations. It was one of only a few coping mechanisms she had for the internal struggles that ensued.
I knew I had to do something, anything, to help her overcome her learning challenges. We suspected Dyslexia when the usual switching of her B’s and D’s lingered. She would skip words, start reading a word she couldn’t decode and fill in the wrong word with one that started with similar letters. She complained of headaches when she did academics. Keeping her on task and getting her schoolwork done everyday put a strain on our relationship and our days typically ended in tears.
I had no idea it would be such a challenge for a homeschooler to get help. Even tried and true homeschool sources couldn’t offer any resources that we could afford. As with many homeschoolers, we have both a large family (8 children) and a single income. So we searched and searched, bet couldn’t seem to find any way for her to be tested or evaluated to see if she truly had Dyslexia or something else. I was also concerned that even a Dyslexia diagnosis would not help us to fix the problem for her.
After trying a developmental pediatrician through our insurance we were told she had ADD and should be put on Ritalin. We knew this was a wrong diagnosis; her issues had nothing to do with an inability to stay on task, and everything to do with her inability to read at grade level. We felt like we were back at square one with no real options to help our daughter overcome her challenges. We were at our wits end, yet we owed it to her to find something to help her reach her potential.
My frustration came up one day when speaking to a friend and fellow homeschool mom who shared with us that another mutual friend had similar issues with her daughter and that she not only overcame her issues, but advanced to college level work by the age of 16 using the program.
Hope returned. We learned about this program called Little Giant Steps (LGS), which uses a neurodevelopmental approach to addressing a gamut of learning disabilities. Nationally, LGS specialists are part of the International Christian Association of Neurodevelopmentalist (ICAN) network.
The approach has found that certain children have incomplete neuropathways that cause the brain to become disorganized and information is stored and recalled improperly. By doing certain exercises, these pathways are completed and the brain becomes properly organized so that information can be stored and retrieved efficiently and without obstacles.
When our daughter was first evaluated by an LGS neurodevelopmental specialist, we were shocked to discover that she couldn’t skip across a room, crawl or track an object with her eyes. Though she seemed to go through all the stages of development as expected as an infant and toddler, it was clear that there were pathways that were not complete and likely the source of her reading challenges and other physical manifestations we hadn’t realized before.
We began the journey of healing. And we are so relieved and grateful. In the first four months alone, our daughter improved one and a half grade levels! Along the way, an extra blessing surfaced. Our daughter had also been diagnosed with scoliosis. The curvature of her spine had advanced so drastically and so quickly that the doctor believed she would require a brace. But to our surprise, her scoliosis not only arrested, it receded (which is medically unheard of) due to a hanging exercises required by her neurodevelopmental program.
Our daughter is not even halfway through our eighteen month commitment with LGS, but she has made significant strides and for the first time in a long time we, with God’s help, feel she is FINALLY on the path toward healing… healing for both body and soul.
By Terri Hall 10-11

 

John was diagnosed with dyslexia in 2005 while in first grade at our local public school. He could barely write legibly, spelling tests were impossible and he was in the lowest reading group in the class. He couldn’t remember ‘sight words’ (i.e. ‘the’, ‘and’, ‘an’) that he had studied the night before and he struggled with math concepts. He started saying things like “I’m not a very smart boy” and getting upset when he couldn’t do his homework. Since John was still making good grades on his report card, he didn’t qualify for services within our school district, so we withdrew him from public school and began our search for help.
From 2005 to 2008, John attended three different schools, spent two years in private tutoring with a reading specialist and we spent over $30,000 in private school tuition, tutoring and testing with very little progress. In 2008, we finally found hope at the most unlikely of places, a home school curriculum fair, where Jan Bedell of Little Giant Steps was giving a presentation.
We began the Little Giant Steps program in October of 2008 and have been working through the program for sixteen months. We have had great results, especially in reading comprehension and word recognition. John’s reading comprehension went up two grade levels in the first four months of the program and went up another two grade levels over the next year – four grade levels in sixteen months! His word recognition increased almost four grade levels within this same time period. His auditory and visual processing has greatly improved, too, which has helped him in all areas of study. John can now read with much greater ease and confidence. He is able to ‘see’ more effectively when reading, no longer passing over punctuation marks or losing his place. He has made great strides as a result of the ‘Little Giant Steps’ program.
I always knew John was bright and I am so thankful to the Little Giant Steps program for helping us open the door for future academic success.
On LGS program from October, 2008 to February 2010
Jeannie Grapevine, Texas

 

Seth was placed on the Little Giant Steps program primarily because he is (or was) dyslexic. He had all the classic letter and number reversals in his writing. While this did not seem to prevent his reading well, it certainly was a problem in writing and even, to a degree, in Math.
I am extremely happy to report that Seth has been “reversal free” now for several months and that his spelling has improved drastically. He would not “test” as dyslexic anymore—thank you, Ruth Young!
Seth also had a few sensory issues which were addressed by his program. He will now eat onions (he always refused before). His coordination has also improved dramatically, even though he is in the middle of a teenage growth spurt! Improved enough to milk the cow—which is a VERY coordinated activity, in case you never tried it!
On LGS program from May, 2009 to August 2010
Marie, Karnes City, TX

 

My son Will was officially diagnosed with dysgraphia in the 7th grade by a public school diagnostician. He had a post-high school vocabulary and reading level but wrote like a 3rd or 4th grader. He was told that he would never be able to take notes on lectures because it would take too long for his brain to process what he heard and then put it down on paper. Once he wrote something down, it was predicted he would miss one or two of the next points taught!

Will appreciated the label because it was the first time in his life that he believed the learning problems were not his fault. Suddenly, he could believe he was smart and that there was help available to get him through school with coping and compensating strategies. On the other hand, I felt like the diagnosis was a terrible thing. Would he always struggle in school? Would he not be able to go to college? Would he be unable to get a good job to support a family?

Shortly after we learned of Will’s disability I was helping to lead a prayer group in the home of Jan Bedell. When I asked her if she had a job, she explained that she worked with children who struggled with learning. I asked her if she was familiar with the term “dysgraphia.” She shrugged her shoulders as she walked casually into the kitchen saying, “Oh, that’s just because of a disorganized brain.” My jaw dropped to the floor. The “death sentence” my son received seemed to be an easy thing for this lady to understand and to fix!

Within a few months Will had an evaluation and two of his sisters and I went on program to improve our brains. It was a busy four years that followed of doing what seemed like crazy activities. I say it like this because in all my training for a Texas teaching certificate and in all my 15 years of teaching in public, private and home schools I had never heard of neurodevelopment. Nobody had ever taught me about the brain and how to make it work better so learning could be easier.

Today, Will is a successful upper classman at McMurry University in Abilene and his two sisters are making straight A’s with an extraordinary online high school called New American School. My brain is working better, too, because now my closets and cabinets are organized, I can remember a 7 digit phone number and I only rarely lose my keys or sunglasses.

R. Y. 2009

 

After 10 months on the Little Giant Steps program, this week all the letters my 10 year-old daughter had continually and consistently written REVERSED since kindergarten have flipped and now fluently come out on paper facing the right way. She doesn’t even pause to ponder which way the letter “p” faces.

I thank God and rejoice that her learning problems are falling by the way side as her brain changes and new neural pathways are built. This learning challenge seems to have vanished! I thought it would remain a challenge and she would always pause to ponder which way her letters and numbers go. This is truly the difference in The ND Approach vs learning to compensate!

Our diligence and hard work on program is paying off. I am celebrating and wanted to share. We had a Little Giant Step today!

C. K. in Perry, Georgia September, 2009

 

My husband and I have one son who has been on program for 6 months. We home school our children. Our middle son did not start learning to read until he was 7 years old, and reading and spelling have always been difficult for him. We are mainly working on visual dominance, macular reflection, and tactility issues. I sometimes feel like the “Patch Patrol” constantly reminding him to wear his patch! And then, there are the dreaded “bug glasses” as we like to call them (pinhole glasses)! We have also worked on visual and auditory sequential processing, conceptualization, and articulation. At our 4 month re-evaluation, we were so encouraged with the results. We saw changes/progress in all areas, including a 2 grade level jump in all academic testing areas. I was especially thrilled with his improvement in reading decoding which is very weak. We have yet to see improvement in spelling, but I have faith that it will follow once his visual dominance and reflection problems are completely corrected. I am sold on the benefits of this program and so very thankful for it and the work of our evaluator. It has been an answer to prayer!

Jen B. 12/99

 

My son, age 7, was evaluated one month ago. He has big time dominance issues but praise God, the ear muffle and eye patch are working miracles. His emotional state has gone from constantly on edge to “go with the flow”.

J. S. 1/2000

 

 

My 16-year-old son has always excelled with fine motor skills, and academically he’s had no real problems. I have always noticed, however, that he was lacking in gross motor skills. He could walk and talk and do all the essential things, but he was uncoordinated and not athletic at all. He has had a job for over a year, is very artistic, likeable, funny and talented. I always worked under the theory that some people are just stronger in some areas than others, and he’s just not an athlete. No problem — he excelled in other areas, so no big deal.

When he turned 15, I started trying to teach him how to drive. There were the usual problems at first of making turns too wide or too tight, etc. My more experienced friends told me to be patient, that those skills would come. But after many times behind the wheel, I began to wonder if he would ever “get it.” He wasn’t noticing cars turning in front of him, would only brake when I yelled to STOP (after saying slow down, start braking, and other encouragements, until it became necessary to scare him into actually stopping), wasn’t noticing when lights would turn yellow or that it had turned red, or even that there was a signal ahead at all. I would tell him to turn into the next subdivision, or some other such instruction, and he would say okay and then just not even slow down. I kept wondering what his mind was on that he wasn’t paying attention to me or the road or anything.

I took a break and a family friend worked with him for a time. The results were the same — my son couldn’t stay in his lane, didn’t seem to be paying attention, and came precariously close to driving full speed into ditches and other cars. No matter how much practice he had, he wasn’t improving. Over the course of several months, I had come to realize that my son was more than just uncoordinated. He had a lack of spatial awareness that was severely affecting his driving ability, and probably other areas of his life that I was unaware of.

I had heard about Little Giant Steps and the neurodevelopmental approach from friends, and I wondered if the program could help my son. I had mostly heard of the program helping kids with dyslexia and auditory processing problems, so I wasn’t sure if my son could be helped, but I wanted to check it out. We had our first evaluation five weeks ago and were given exercises and activities that were supposed to help. Last weekend, I finally took my son driving again, and there was a world of difference! From the very beginning of the driving session, he turned into the correct lane, stayed in his lane, kept the proper distance from other cars, was aware of other traffic, paid attention to traffic signals, etc.

I am so excited about his progress! We still have some practicing to do for sure. I have been letting my son drive everywhere we go, and I have noticed that the longer the session, the less he pays attention. But I am greatly encouraged that with practice and continued participation in the program, he will be a safe driver within a couple months.

K. B. in Dripping Springs, TX 7/09

 

Wow! Nate is really doing so well with academics now. He is learning his math facts, a new vocabulary word every day and his reading has just soared over the last few weeks. Now that his auditory digit span is up to six, he is able to sound out words phonetically.

The most amazing changes have occurred in the way he relates to people and life around him. We recently took a family vacation to Orlando, FL. It was wonderful – because of Little Giant Steps, my son was able to “cope” with large crowds, changes going on, communicated with people, and was socially interactive with people. He even found a friend at the pool – a little British boy that was his age that was there on vacation. A year ago, we went on the same trip (my husband goes to an annual conference in Orlando) and it was a total nightmare. Nate couldn’t deal with anything. It was an awful time. This time, he was just like any other “normal” child; instead of freaking out, he would say to me, “…mom, my feet hurt and I’m hungry…” which was a blessing to us. We purchased a behind the scenes walking tour Sea World – got to pet a penguin and a shark, got to feed stingrays and dolphins, we had lunch with Shamu, etc. He participated in all of it – an enjoyed it to boot! It was a great family vacation for us – thank you so much for helping us help him. I can’t thank you enough!

Cathy Wheeler, Plano, TX ’09

 

My son is doing fantastic! He is just like a different child. Everyone comments about it; the speech department at the public school, our family, friends, etc. He is playing t-ball and is an excellent player. I wondered if he would be too shy w/ all of the attention and stimulation, but he is not having trouble at all.

The program was a lot of work and at times I thought I must be crazy for doing all of those things, but I wouldn’t trade it for the world now. I am grateful to Jan and Little Giant Steps for teaching me how to help my child reach his potential.

M. S. in Magnolia, TX 10/05

 

After 6 months on the Neurodevelopmental Program this mother of a 6 year-old with developmental delays wrote: “Jeremy is doing VERY well. He’s getting easier to work with. His attention span is increasing and he loves the Math N’ More! He likes to listen to the counting CD while he copies his numbers.

This morning at about 6:00 a.m., he was awake and I could hear him talking in the monitor. He was calling out, “Mom…” ~ That was a first! He has referred to me as mama for a while, but that was the first time he called out to me to come to him.
He’s using many more words all the time. A few weeks ago, we saw his old Special Ed teacher at church. She hadn’t seen Jeremy for a couple of months. She was amazed at how he’s changed. Her exact words were, “Oh my goodness. He’s here, he’s really here. He knows what you’re saying and he responds. That’s great.” She also told us whatever we’re doing it’s working, so keep doing it! I told her all about Jan of course. Thanks again for everything.

Ives in Edmond, OK 8/05

 

Our son just started Little Giant Steps. We have been working his program as diligently as possible. I wanted to tell you about a “little giant step” I experienced last night.

At our initial meeting, it was mentioned that the adrenaline and cortisol in his body can hinder “sympathetic” feelings. Along those lines, I have never seen him cry because he was genuinely sad. I have only seed him cry when he was angry, had been disciplined, or did not get his way. Last night I saw him cry a different “cry”. It was not the out of control hysterical cry I am used to, but a quiet, sad cry because he was upset about something.

His little brother let our dog have one of his stuffed animals (a monkey). The dog bit off the hands and ears. Instead of first getting furious and mad at his brother (normal reaction), My son came to me crying about what had happened to his monkey. He was upset and very sad for his poor monkey (it was not a human, but at least he showed compassion for something) and he wanted to be held and consoled by me. Besides when he has been ill, it is the first time I can ever remember him acting or feeling “tender”. I felt like crying myself.

God Bless LGS and the work you all are doing. What a motivation I experienced to keep moving onward!

Allen H. 6-2007

It is great to hear from you! I was actually just thinking about you guys.

Everything is going real well. I just finished college. I studied Arranging and Orchestration at Berklee College of Music online school. I’m getting to be a musician just like I dreamed about when I was 14 years old working with LGS. One of the big reasons I’m able to do this is because of you guys! Thank you so much!!! There is nothing I’d rather do then to be a worship leader and write worship music.

While in college I recorded a new song.

I hope to get to see you again someday!

Take care
Allison 11-12
 

To say my son’s handwriting was bad is to put it mildly. It was (to borrow from Judith Viorst), “Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad” handwriting — which breaks my heart to say, because he tried so very hard. It’s as if his hands just didn’t work right. We tried everything to help him: We bought handwriting workbooks. We tried copy work. We quickly gave up on dictation. It seemed that everything we tried only added to Jake’s frustration, and the more we practiced the worse it got. We couldn’t understand — why was this so difficult?For years I kept thinking things like, “At least it can’t get any worse!” or “He’s just a boy and all boys have bad handwriting, right?” or “There’s always typing!” It was such a source of frustration that we had all but given up. And then we found LGS.

Eventually, Jan would teach us about mixed dominance and its effect upon motor control. We began doing the prescribed exercises, and Jake began to make steady improvement in all areas. We were so hopeful! But something still wasn’t quite right; after about a year, Jan noticed Jake was regressing. Thanks to her experience, she recognized the cause immediately: Despite what we all thought (Jake included), he wasn’t right handed after all — he was a lefty!

It has taken us two years and a lot of work, but he is making amazing progress! We just started cursive this week. He’s gone from hating handwriting to enjoying it: No more complaining when I pull out the handwriting sheet, no more tears and frustration. Thank you, LGS! 8-10

 

When I was asked to use one word to describe our experience with Little Giant Steps, I said, “far-reaching”. Learning of Ashton’s God-given left handedness is surely the most positive result of being on the Little Giant Steps program. We would never have discovered that he was really left-handed ourselves. Using his left hand, along with left eye and left ear dominance will be a great leap in getting him on to better functioning in all areas of his life.
Also, far reaching is the effect of neurodevelopmental principles and concepts on other members of our family and our home education. Occluding eye and ear became normal for several of us. My reading comprehension, actually listening comprehension with audio books, has vastly improved. We also see improvement with a younger son showing dyslexic symptoms and struggling to read.
We’ll be forever grateful for Little Giant Steps methods and activities as we continue to use them in the education of us all.
On LGS program from February, 2009 to January, 2011
Betty, Cedar Creek, TX

 

Wow! Nate is really doing so well with academics now. He is learning his math facts, a new vocabulary word every day and his reading has just soared over the last few weeks. Now that his auditory digit span is up to six, he is able to sound out words phonetically.
The most amazing changes have occurred in the way he relates to people and life around him. We recently took a family vacation to Orlando, FL. It was wonderful – because of Little Giant Steps, my son was able to “cope” with large crowds, changes going on, communicated with people, and was socially interactive with people. He even found a friend at the pool – a little British boy that was his age that was there on vacation. A year ago, we went on the same trip (my husband goes to an annual conference in Orlando) and it was a total nightmare. Nate couldn’t deal with anything. It was an awful time. This time, he was just like any other “normal” child; instead of freaking out, he would say to me, “…mom, my feet hurt and I’m hungry…” which was a blessing to us. We purchased a behind the scenes walking tour Sea World – got to pet a penguin and a shark, got to feed stingrays and dolphins, we had lunch with Shamu, etc. He participated in all of it – an enjoyed it to boot! It was a great family vacation for us – thank you so much for helping us help him. I can’t thank you enough!
Little Giant Steps has changed our lives. This summer is totally different than past summers. Nate wants to spend time with friends, fishing, sleepovers, art camp, science camp, swimming lessons, etc. He’s changed into this social child that we’ve never seen before – thanks to our efforts via Little Giant Steps. This is absolutely so exciting to see this change in Nate! Thanks for giving us the tools to change his life…
On LGS program from July, 2007 to July, 2008
Cathy, Plano, TX

 

When I was asked to use one word to describe our experience with Little Giant Steps, I said, “Victorious”; my daughter said, “life-changing”. Our very first visit to the LGS appointment with Jan Bedell was somewhat overwhelming for all of us. My husband came along, at my urging and for support. I knew we really needed him to be on board with this. (It’s harder for dads to see some of the “issues” kids have as they don’t spend as much “school time” with them. Convincing him has taken a few years.) The other reason I needed hubby along was due to the investment, we really needed him on board financially. I would have to say that cost is the only negative experience we had. It was so expensive, but so worth it.
So to this appointment we headed with trepidation: a skeptical dad, a scared and losing hope mom, and a little eight year old girl that was defiant and defeated, as up to this point nothing else had helped. She was smart enough to know that something was “different” in the way she learned and felt. We survived and headed home overwhelmed, but willing.
We worked really hard and made a little progress at our second evaluation, and then about halfway to our third evaluation something happened in Daniela. She realized that the program was really working. She felt changes taking place and began to get on board with it and with a better attitude. By the way, the behavior modification program, Token Economy, really works too!
She was a different child as she walked in to the third evaluation 10 months later. Her processing increased a solid point in every area, her math score dramatically changed 2.7 points, word recognition was improved from 2.4 to 3.3 and even comprehension increased from 2.5 to 3.2. By her fourth evaluation she was totally on board. By the fifth and final evaluation she strutted in to Jan’s office, though nervous to do her best on the test, she was confident, positive and a total advocate of the Neurodevelopmental Approach of Little Giant Steps.
This little girl has changed so much, in so many ways. But the best change is seeing her encouraged and not defeated any more. Mom has gained all hope back and dad is so pleased with the progress she’s made. He says, “It’s all been worth it, to see her change and be positive and confident in all areas has been amazing.” Big sister said, “She’s really growing up, she’s turned into a buddy! She used to be really hard to be around!” Others have noticed, too.
We didn’t know where the money would come from to pay for the program, but God was faithful to provide it. But that’s just like Him! And Jan always had a nugget or two for mom’s spiritual growth along the way, but that was just an added bonus God blessed us with. LGS is an amazing program that has completely and thoroughly changed our lives. I will tell anyone who will listen – do this for your children who need it, they are worth the investment. Take the year or two that it takes and work really hard, do the program, make the time!! It was the best gift I could’ve ever given to my sweet girl. She now feels worth it also, it has given her a new lease on life.
She was not the only one to change, the mom that sat on the couch waiting for her parent conference at the very last evaluation was also quite different. No longer hopeless, I was at peace and full of hope and courage for her future. It is a battle, but we can face, fight and beat it; this process has proven that. Thank you, Jan, for all the work and research that’s gone in to this awesome program.
On LGS program from October, 2009 to July 2011
Beth, McKinney, TX

 

When I was asked to use one word to describe our experience with Little Giant Steps, I said, “FANTASTIC!”
After the first month I asked David if he noticed any difference and he said, “Yes. My eyes do not hurt when I read!” I didn’t know that they hurt in the first place! However the eye activities that were put on his program helped his eyes track better, so he now enjoys reading! He also says that he can concentrate better and when given instructions he can remember a list of them without having to ask repeatedly what he is supposed to do next. His reflexes are better, he can enjoy a conversation better by having quicker responses, and he has more confidence in himself.
We are excited that David has done so well and that he was able to graduate in just 4 months! We will continue with the program that our evaluator, Ruth Young, designed for us for another year. We have seen such great improvements that we want to make sure we glean all that we can from this program!
On LGS program from December, 2008 to April 2009 (Just 4 months!!) 18 years old
Sue, Plano, TX

 

Justin is much more dependable than he used to be. He can be trusted to do a job well and thoroughly and even has been trusted with training others to do some important things (milking the cow, for example).
He also has made great progress in acting in more “socially acceptable” ways. Other people used to cringe when Justin arrived. Now, they actually look forward to his company! While he still “talks too much” and occasionally too loud, he catches himself (which is a “Giant Step”) As parents, we have repeatedly rejoiced over this.
Furthermore, while Justin has never been academically behind, his nearly illegible handwriting had always been a limiting factor in his schoolwork. While his penmanship is not “textbook neat” it is now entirely legible and is no longer holding him back in his other schoolwork. He has even begun to enjoy composition work, which in the past was his most dreaded task.
On LGS program from May, 2009 to August 2010
Marie, Karnes City, TX

 

When we came to Little Giant Steps two years ago, Timothy was barely passing 2nd grade. He wasn’t reading very well, couldn’t remember things that he learned the day before, couldn’t concentrate because the noise in the classroom bothered him and he was just really frustrated. At home, just cleaning his room was extremely overwhelming for him.
One of the first things we noticed after he was on the program for about four months is that he was able to clean and organize his room with little supervision. It is like we have a different child!
Timothy has been back in public school for 4th grade (after being home schooled for 1½ years and focusing on the Little Giant Steps program) and is making mostly A’s and a few B’s. His reading has improved beyond our wildest hopes. He has improved exponentially in every academic area. His teacher said, “I don’t know what you did with him, but this is not the same child as in 2nd grade.”
I met with Timothy’s dyslexia teacher recently because she sent out results of her end of year testing. Even though the report showed that his scores increased in every area, I wanted to know if this was satisfactory progress. His teacher said, “N o it wasn’t just ok progress, it was GREAT progress!”. She said he was the “STAR of the class” and that all of the students look to him. For example, at the beginning of the year he could read 15 out 50 words. At the end of the year he could read 45 out of 50 of the words on this specific test. She said most kids do not make this much progress the first year!!! She said, “You know, he still has a whole year left in this class.”
Here are Timothy’s TAKS scores for this year:
• Reading: 93 (only missed 3 out of 40). This score is one point away from “commended”.
• Math: 82 (only missed 8 out of 42). Because of this score, he will not be pulled out of class next year for math tutoring.
• Writing: 72 (only missed 7 out of 28). His writing improved a lot this year and I know it will continue to improve next year.
We are so proud of him and he is proud of himself, also. These scores are just more evidence to substantiate that the ND approach to learning is incredibly successful!
On LGS program from February, 2007 to April 2009
Dana, Frisco, TX

 

When I was asked to use one word to describe our experience with Little Giant Steps, I said, “life-changing!” When we first met Jan, Jonathan was really struggling in his school work. As a 3rd grader, he couldn’t read well, couldn’t spell anything, and was forgetting his alphabet. He could hardly copy from the white board and his writing was not smooth and legible. Emotionally, he was insecure, shy and very down about himself. He hated school work and didn’t want to play with his 3 other brothers. As a home school mom, I tried to help him, but nothing worked.
When we first started the Little Giant Steps program, I was overwhelmed with all that needed to be worked on. The first 8 months, we saw little improvement, but he was making progress. After this, I made therapy the number one priority. We got up at 6:00 a.m. to do chores, etc. and started doing LGS activities at 7:30. That’s when we started to see big changes. In our excitement, we added two of our other boys to the progam.
After two years of hard work and determination, Jonathan is finally a different person. He is in the 6th grade and reading on an 8th grade level and loves to read! He is spelling and remembering. School is enjoyable now and he does very well. He can copy from the board. He is making straight A’s in 7th grade math and really likes it. He now laughs and plays games with his brothers and friends. He has become outgoing and confident.
On LGS program from November, 2005 to October 2007
Rebeca, Troup, TX

 

When I was asked to use one word to describe our experience with Little Giant Steps, I said, “freeing!” I knew Joseph was smart, but how he daydreamed! He had a hard time focusing and when he did math, he jumped all over the page. It took him hours to get school work done. Also, he would have little bursts of frustration with his brothers and was hard to reason with. I was tired of always having to keep my eye on him and everything.
After the improvement in his brother’s life, we decided to have Joseph join the program. Joseph really took the initiative and woke up early and did 2 hours of therapy before his other school work. It has been very freeing to see him change. At completion, he is reading at 10th grade level. He is actually enjoying Algebra and he can focus and complete his work twice as fast. He doesn’t skip around anymore. I do not have to check on him constantly and he is trustworthy to get his schoolwork done. He gets along so much better with his brothers and will actually reason out situations. He is much calmer, yet fun and still our comedian.
On LGS program from August, 2006 to October 2007
Rebeca, Troup, TX

 

My 16-year-old son has always excelled with fine motor skills, and academically he’s had no real problems. I have always noticed, however, that he was lacking in gross motor skills. He could walk and talk and do all the essential things, but he was uncoordinated and not athletic at all. He has had a job for over a year, is very artistic, likeable, funny and talented. I always worked under the theory that some people are just stronger in some areas than others, and he’s just not an athlete. No problem — he excelled in other areas, so no big deal.
When he turned 15, I started trying to teach him how to drive. There were the usual problems at first of making turns too wide or too tight, etc. My more experienced friends told me to be patient, that those skills would come. But after many times behind the wheel, I began to wonder if he would ever “get it.” He wasn’t noticing cars turning in front of him, would only brake when I yelled to STOP (after saying slow down, start braking, and other encouragements, until it became necessary to scare him into actually stopping), wasn’t noticing when lights would turn yellow or that it had turned red, or even that there was a signal ahead at all. I would tell him to turn into the next subdivision, or some other such instruction, and he would say okay and then just not even slow down. I kept wondering what his mind was on that he wasn’t paying attention to me or the road or anything.
I took a break and a family friend worked with him for a time. The results were the same — my son couldn’t stay in his lane, didn’t seem to be paying attention, and came precariously close to driving full speed into ditches and other cars. No matter how much practice he had, he wasn’t improving. Over the course of several months, I had come to realize that my son was more than just uncoordinated. He had a lack of spatial awareness that was severely affecting his driving ability, and probably other areas of his life that I was unaware of.
I had heard about Little Giant Steps and the neurodevelopmental approach from friends, and I wondered if the program could help my son. I had mostly heard of the program helping kids with dyslexia and auditory processing problems, so I wasn’t sure if my son could be helped, but I wanted to check it out. We had our first evaluation five weeks ago and were given exercises and activities that were supposed to help. Last weekend, I finally took my son driving again, and there was a world of difference! From the very beginning of the driving session, he turned into the correct lane, stayed in his lane, kept the proper distance from other cars, was aware of other traffic, paid attention to traffic signals, etc.
I am so excited about his progress! We still have some practicing to do for sure. I have been letting my son drive everywhere we go, and I have noticed that the longer the session, the less he pays attention. But I am greatly encouraged that with practice and continued participation in the program, he will be a safe driver within a couple months.
On LGS program from May 2009 to January, 2010
Kimberly, Dripping Springs, TX

 

After just one month in LGS, our son Josh has made some amazing progress. Several days ago, he wrote his name for the first time with all the letters facing the correct way. This may sound like a small, even trivial thing for most children, but not for Josh. He is nine and this is a giant step! He has also started reading in the First Steps reader. After using the First Steps CD for 2 weeks, he was able to read two chapters quickly and confidently. The look on his face was worth a million dollars! We love LGS. Even though we have only been in it for a short time (4 weeks), I can already tell a difference in Josh.

Leeanna, Oklahoma 7/10

 

When I was asked to use one word to describe our experience with Little Giant Steps, I said, “far-reaching”. Learning of Ashton’s God-given left handedness is surely the most positive result of being on the Little Giant Steps program. We would never have discovered that he was really left-handed ourselves. Using his left hand, along with left eye and left ear dominance will be a great leap in getting him on to better functioning in all areas of his life.
Also, far reaching is the effect of neurodevelopmental principles and concepts on other members of our family and our home education. Occluding eye and ear became normal for several of us. My reading comprehension, actually listening comprehension with audio books, has vastly improved. We also see improvement with a younger son showing dyslexic symptoms and struggling to read.
We’ll be forever grateful for Little Giant Steps methods and activities as we continue to use them in the education of us all.
On LGS program from February, 2009 to January, 2011
Betty, Cedar Creek, TX

 

I wanted to let the Little Giant Steps team know how well Timothy is doing in school. He just received his first report card last week. He got four A’s and one B (89) on his report card! And last week his teacher told me that they took some sort of reading passage test and he made a 100! He never asked for help in reading the questions at all!

My husband and I are absolutely convinced that your program was absolutely key to his success.

D. C. in Frisco, Texas 11/08

 

A year ago, my 15 year old daughter was only able to do less than half of her 9th grade school work. I’d known for a long time that she was having problems, and I’d tried many different things to attempt to help her, but obviously, something was seriously wrong. Much prayer and searching led us to Little Giant Steps. We started the program with much “weeping and gnashing of teeth”, but managed to persevere, and each time she would go in for an evaluation, she showed tremendous progress. After one year, my daughter’s reading comprehension progressed from the 6th grade to college level! As we prepared to start up school again, my daughter told me she “hated” geography and literature, two subjects that we would be doing again, using the curriculum that she had bombed out on two years earlier. I tried to reassure her that she would understand it better, but she remained unconvinced. We have now done four days of school. She has already finished her literature assignments for the whole week and told me, “I even understand it!” She is also really enjoying geography. I thank God daily for LGS and the help that we have received from them!

J. D., Galveston, TX 7/08

 

When I was asked to use one word to describe our experience with Little Giant Steps, I said, “life-changing!” When we first met Jan, Jonathan was really struggling in his school work. As a 3rd grader, he couldn’t read well, couldn’t spell anything, and was forgetting his alphabet. He could hardly copy from the white board and his writing was not smooth and legible. Emotionally, he was insecure, shy and very down about himself. He hated school work and didn’t want to play with his 3 other brothers. As a home school mom, I tried to help him, but nothing worked.

When we first started the Little Giant Steps program, I was overwhelmed with all that needed to be worked on. The first 8 months, we saw little improvement, but he was making progress. After this, I made therapy the number one priority. We got up at 6:00 a.m. to do chores, etc. and started doing LGS activities at 7:30. That’s when we started to see big changes. In our excitement, we added two of our other boys to the progam.

After two years of hard work and determination, Jonathan is finally a different person. He is in the 6th grade and reading on an 8th grade level and loves to read! He is spelling and remembering. School is enjoyable now and he does very well. He can copy from the board. He is making straight A’s in 7th grade math and really likes it. He now laughs and plays games with his brothers and friends. He has become outgoing and confident.

Rebeca Bradley, Troup, TX 05/08

 

When I was asked to use one word to describe our experience with Little Giant Steps, I said, “freeing!” I knew Joseph was smart, but how he daydreamed! He had a hard time focusing and when he did math, he jumped all over the page. It took him hours to get school work done. Also, he would have little bursts of frustration with his brothers and was hard to reason with. I was tired of always having to keep my eye on him and everything.

After the improvement in his brother’s life, we decided to have Joseph join the program. Joseph really took the initiative and woke up early and did w hours of therapy before his other school work. It has been very freeing to see him change. At completion, he is reading at 10th grade level. He is actually enjoying Algebra and he can focus and complete his work twice as fast. He doesn’t skip around anymore. I do not have to check on him constantly and he is trustworthy to get his schoolwork done. He gets along so much better with his brothers and will actually reason out situations. He is much calmer, yet fun and still our comedian.

Rebeca Bradley, Troup, TX 05/08

 

When I was asked to use one word to describe our experience with Little Giant Steps, I said, “rewarding!” Joshua needed just a little help with his speech. He seemed to have a hard time communicating what was in his heart and his speech was slightly “thick”. He also was behind in reading comprehension.

He joined his brothers with therapy and we worked on switching his ear dominance. In a short time, he made some great changes. Just recently, he said he could tell his right ear was starting to kick in. Because of therapy with Jan, his reading has really improved; he went from 7th grade comprehension to 10th grade comprehension. His speech is greatly improved and much more understandable. He does very well in school. As a musician, playing piano, guitar and trumpet, getting that right ear dominant has helped him so much in many ways

Rebeca Bradley, Troup, TX 05/08

 

Yesterday Stephen was reading his 1st grade Pathway pretty smoothly & easily, so I stopped him. I suggested we try the 2nd grade reader that I have from Rod & Staff. He had shown some interest in it a few months ago, but it was too hard. I put it in front of him yesterday & he read 90% of it quickly with little assistance from me. Then later that night I caught him in bed with a flash light reading ahead of his “lesson”. This morning he is at it again. Instead of doing his chart after breakfast he’s in here reading to himself relaxed in the hammock!!! (I’m not going to stop him either!!) When he gets stuck on a word, he just asks me, & then continues on. It’s really bolstered his confidence considerably. Just thought I’d share. I knew that you would rejoice with me over any progress. What a joy to see him reading cause he “wants” to! He is tackling the words he doesn’t know instead of crying “I can’t”.

Thank you, God. Thank you, Ruth. I’ve waited 10 years for this day.

B. Sanderson 05/08

 

We are so very happy with the Little Giant Steps program. For the first four months, my 17 year-old daughter did very little structured academics. We focused on the Neurodevelopmental Activities on her program instead. At every question I had of “Should I continue this?”, her evaluator, Ruth Young, would answer, “Let’s just wait, it will be easier in a few months.” At our four month evaluation, I was shocked at the progress Sarah had made. Her reading comprehension jumped from a 7th grade level to an 11th grade level in just 4 months. A few days after the evaluation, I heard my daughter read for the first time since long before she started with Little Giant Steps and I joyfully listened to her read at an adult level for the first time in her life. Sarah has attempted Algebra on two previous occasions and I had just about given up hope that she would ever understand. After the four month evaluation, we started Algebra again for the third time and this time she gets it! She has taken 5 Algebra tests and her scores have ranged from 80% to 100%. It is like teaching a different child. Even when she doesn’t understand something, her reactions are usually much more mature. Wow! Thank you, thank you, thank you.

C. P. in Houston, TX 1/08

 

Thomas has turned a corner in the past two weeks. His emotional swings are less and his outlook on life is bright. He’s cleaned his room nicely without being reminded a zillion times, and his “maturity” level has increased — even his teenage sister is complimenting him and commenting on his changes. We are so encouraged. Blessings to you all –

S. 9/05

 

After just four months on program, this mom wrote: “Thank you so much for the encouragement. I did give Elizabeth a “high-five,” and I could tell that she was very proud. She has learned to ride her bike and she is learning letters and numbers, finally!!! Royce and I see so much improvement in her. Thank you again.

Kemp-Sugar Land, Texas 6/05

 

I have been writing things down that Lee has spoken to me since we began the Neurodevelopmental Program. Some of these include:

•”I am glad we are doing this instead of E- Sylvan. This is more fun and I am getting the help I need.”
“I feel like I am getting more things right because of my ear thing. I have more confidence.”

Young in Texas 3/05

 

I wanted to update you and Jan on Will. He is doing pretty good in school. We are very proud of his grade averages so far : history 92, P E 95, Science 83, Math 77, Language Arts 91 LDC 100.

It has been homework every night and but we are so proud of him. He is retaining information which we thought he would not be able to do. He is really having to listen and be attentive and process the information quickly to be in step.

Again, our family wants to thank all of you for your support and help for Will. I know that Will gained much from Jan’s input and instruction. I don’t think we could have made this decision for him for school if he had not had the last 2 1/2 years with Jan.

C. W. in Texas 2/05

 

I am so thankful and grateful to be able to share this approach with others. It is so strange to me that so many of my friends have children with issues that can be helped by the neurodevelopmental approach. It was such an answer to prayer for us that I just can’t help but share your program with others when I see them struggling. I am praying that the Lord will continue to use my family to reach others that feel hopeless and that are looking for an answer. The neurodevelopmental approach makes more sense than anything else out there. All of the testimonies tell me that this works. I will continue to share this approach whenever the Lord gives me the opportunity.

The icing on the cake is that you are Christians. When I first began researching for an answer to our problems, I prayed that the Lord would show me where to get help and that the people would be coming from a Christian view. I did not want to deal with anybody that would give me a bunch of mumbo-jumbo. What a blessing you all have been to my family! We appreciate your dedication in helping us more than you will ever know!

Beverly S. 10/04

 

My son, age 7, was evaluated one month ago. He has big time dominance issues but praise God, the ear muffle and eye patch are working miracles. His emotional state has gone from constantly on edge to “go with the flow”.

J. S. 1/2000

 

Our son came up two years academically in 3 months. The biggest indicator of progress to me has been that he is reading for pleasure! His problems are quite minor compared to what many families are dealing with, we were just frustrated at the lack of progress in several areas and felt like we needed an outside viewpoint.

Jenny M. 2004

 

I want to take a moment to share with you how excited we are about Miles’ progress. His improvement of more than 4 grade levels over the last 8 months is fantastic! Thank you for your periodic reassurance to keep at it and your reminder that progress takes time.

For any of your other families that question whether continuing with the program has value I can only say, the change in your child may not be obvious since it is incremental and you are seeing him or her every day. Trust your initial desire to help your child.

As each of Miles’ reevaluations approached I repeatedly wondered whether I should stop “wasting” our money. Was he making progress? Was this an exercise of futility? Miles has made a tremendous leap in ability in less than a year. The sense of achievement and pride that Miles enjoyed when he saw the results of his reevaluation was worth everything to us.

D. Young 6 /04

“The Early Learning Foundations program is amazing! Thank you! When we put our son back in public school after home schooling him for a couple of years, he started off right away needing to learn his math facts. We are really hanging in there thanks to this program. He is also being timed in these areas and this has always been difficult for him. His first test he made a 68%; but the last four tests – 100%!!!”K. M. in Midland, TX 11/08

 

My 3 year old grandson absolutely loves to do his Early Learning Foundations each day. In fact, he would like it if I’d let him continue past the two pages you recommend. Each day he wants to do more. He had terrible ear problems between ages 1 & 2. He missed a lot due to not hearing and his speech was distorted. It’s amazing how he’s picking up in his speech now that we’re doing some of the neurodevelopmental activities. Thank you for helping our children!

C.R. 3/06

 

My three year old really enjoys working on the activities. One day I got some other activity books out that I had bought at the department store, my little guy said, “no mommy, I want my big school book (meaning the Early Learning Foundations notebook)”

K. C. 7/06

“I have a praise report. Upon receiving the First Steps Book and Flash CD yesterday, I started it right away with Nathan who was in the ND program last year. This morning we went through it again and this afternoon, I asked him to read the first 2 pages with me. As I pointed to the words,he began reading! I was shocked and at the same time filled with so much gratitude for this leap…indeed, little giant steps! Our God is so good, and we are thankful for Jan Bedell and LGS for sharing such resource with us. The Lord bless your ministry!”

Thankful,
Pam and family, Houston TX. 8-12

“We were on our 3rd phonics program in one year when Jan suggested that we do Dick and Jane in a Flash. After just one session, he read pages 9 through 20!!! I was amazed! I wish we would have had this a year ago. I would recommend it to anyone. I am thoroughly impressed with Dick and Jane in a Flash!”A. G. 7/06

 

“He just completed last week his final 5 facts on rapid recall division! Very excited to have gotten through it all (starting at addition and through division). It has really done wonders with his understanding of math problems and recall of the facts!”
-Suellen in Plano- 2013

 

“My daughter had a very difficult time ’getting’ her math facts. We tried a lot of different approaches but nothing worked. Still searching, we tried the Rapid Recall System. Somehow, she began to know her facts before we studied them! I am so impressed and thankful for Rapid Recall. I recommend it to everyone with elementary students!”
- S. Phillips, Houston, Texas

“After 18 years of teaching, I finally found a math facts system that works! Even my lower level students flourished. The Rapid Recall System was so easy to use—and it only took seven minutes a day! At the end of the year the test scores proved that the students had retained their math facts. This is a fantastic product!”
- Tanda Trussell
West Texas Elementary, Stinnett, Texas

“In 2007 we adopted an 11-year old boy from Kazakhstan. His prior circumstances limited his exposure to math. When we started using the Rapid Recall System, the light came on! He eagerly whizzed through addition, subtraction, and multiplication. He felt so smart when he progressed to the next group of facts. We are halfway through the division module and his confidence has never been higher! Thanks so much!
- Heather Smith

My son has been doing Samonas Sound Therapy for about 4 months now. He has truly begun to communicate better with others, especially adults; looking people in the eyes and asking them how they are doing. He desires to sit and read for long periods of time, which before Samonas, nothing really interested him. He talks to his Dad and I about things that bother him. He is doing so much better and people at church are beginning to notice. Thank you!S. F., Houston, TX 12/08

 

After 3 months on Samonas Sound Therapy, I am happy to report all is well. I am noticing that my 17 year-old daughter has become more coherent lately. She is joining in conversations more and if she is having trouble hearing us, she is telling us to speak louder. She said that before that it was too stressful to try and join in and understand the conversation, she would just give up and zone out. That is gone, even my husband has commented on how happier she seems. What a blessing to see such positive changes and a happy responsive child.

C. S. in Dripping Springs, TX 4/16/08

 

Samonas has really gotten rid of my son’s auditory hyper-sensitivity. He is able to focus better because he is not so distracted by every little noise. Not to mention that he no longer watches the score board at basketball games so he can cover his ears when the buzzer goes off. In fact the other day I was vacuuming and he told his brother and sister that they could uncover their ears because I was done. He did not have his ears covered!

We are still working on tonal processing, but I have seen a lot of positive changes. Some were really marked, but others have been more gradual, just like everything with the Neurodevelopmental Program.

H. J., Coppell, TX 8/08