Services and Programs
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- Evaluations About Processing Disorders |
TestimonialsLetters from Mynd Works Clients: Mynd Works was recommended to us for our ten year-old daughter who was diagnosed with ADD and Central Auditory Processing Disorder. Mary Beth Simpson, our OT, tested Jessie and recommended Dynamic Listen Therapy three times per week for one and a half hours each session. Language processing is a skill most takes for granted, but a weakness results in confusion, disorientation and frustration. Mary Beth described Jessie as having a blanket over her consciousness. I felt I was finally given a clear explanation. Everything made sense: Jessie was overly dependent, defensive, sensitive to noise, and suffered from too much confusion in general for a child with above average intelligence. Dynamic Listening would open up pathways in her brain, increasing her understanding and awareness, thereby clearing the fog which seemed to surround her. I was braced for the usual resistance knowing Jessie would overreact to wearing headphones, and was relieved when after the first session she was eager to return. Jessie enjoys everything about her therapy in the bright, mirrored room with a swing, hammock, therapy balls and innovative toys. She especially enjoys Mary Beth who teachers her new ways to have fun and learn about herself, while listening to Mozart. The positive changes we have seen in our daughter have ranged from subtle to dramatic since she began Dynamic Listening therapy. Her disposition is brighter and she is more relaxed and playful. Homework is easier and not the emotional trigger it once was. She has begun to read for pleasure as her comprehension is improving. Jessie is willing and able to clearly explain when she is upset or has a problem. Her teachers note she is now asking for help in class when she needs it. Her work on her most recent long term school project was impressive. She came home from school knowing hat she had to do and when it was due. Her enthusiasm and confidence has soared as a result. She is a happier child and our relationship and family dynamics have improved immeasurably. I feel fortunate that such a valuable service is offered here in Camp Hill. I know families had to drive to Maryland prior to the opening o Mynd Works. We look forward to Jessie's ongoing progress and are grateful to Mary Beth Simpson and Mynd Works for helping us to better understand our daughter, and for opening up her world. Dee and Chuck Farrell For years we struggled with our son's very unique challenges, with no answers to our questions, no relief and no support. Then I found Mynd Works. My son, who is often afraid of new people and situations, was put totally at ease. The therapists were able to zero in on my son's needs and develop and individualized treatment plan for him. And let's not forget about the parents. The therapists sat with me with a box of tissues and listened to me cry out my fears and frustration with the kind patience o friends. Everyone is making wonderful progress. Thank you, Mynd Works! Elizabeth M. At my son's five year-old check up in April, it was noticed that there were a few minor skills with which he was struggling. At five, he should have been able to achieve them. We went to [another clinic] for testing and found that e could use some assistance. Here is where our problems began. It was now May. Both [clinics we contacted] could not offer my son any assistance until he started kindergarten in the fall. [This] was not acceptable to me to wait four to five months t get my child the help he needed. Also, I did not want him to start kindergarten with a problem, better to overcome that problem before he gets started. A friend suggested to me, Mynd Works just opened. Why don't you give them a call? A week later my son was in for a complete evaluation at Mynd Works. He began his OT with Mary Beth Simpson the following week. The progress has been remarkable. He loves to go to play with Mary Beth once a week, and does his listening program two times a day for a half and hour each. Mary Beth and I are astounded by the leaps in progress that he is making. He just needed a little extra guidance. Today, he started kindergarten. He is able to cut a straight line, draw shapes, and hopefully sit and listen to his teachers for a reasonable amount o time for a five year-old boy. I do no know where we would be right now without Mynd Works. I certainly know that my child I better for the experience, and looks forward to seeing Mary Beth to tell her all about his first day of school. Thank you, Letters from DLS clients at the STAR Center in Colorado (courtesy of Dynamic Listening Systems): Dear Dr. Minson, We wanted to thank you again so much for the wonderful results our son has had from the DLS listening therapy. As you may recall, when he first came to the center, he had been experiencing a great deal of trouble both in school and outside it due to over-stimulation, dyslexia, inattentiveness, obessive-compulsive fixations, appropriate emotional/behavioral responses, and social difficulties. We really appreciate how tremendously helpful, supportive, responsive and caring you and your staff were throughout the therapy process. And the results were great! Our son now has a much easier time reading, socializing, paying attention in school, modulating his emotions and behavior, and transitioning from one activity to another. We saw marked improvement in ALL of the areas of concern, plus a big change in his self-esteem. Everything just became easier: no more battles over getting dressed or going to school, tantrums in general have become rare, and watching the ease with which he socializes now is just a joy for us. Thank you, thank you, for the wonderful gift you have given us: our son, at ease with himself and in the world! Sincerely, Anders has always liked animals and music. He loved to sing, but would not let himself be prompted to speak. Sensory integration work had aided to stabilize his moods. When I read about Tomatis' work and the development of his approach into a combination of Listening Therapy and Sensory Integration Work, I felt strongly that it would further help our son. We hoped that it would enhance his ability to speak. Anders loved the therapy and his therapist. He now has better eye-contact with people outside the family, he tolerates crowds and noisy situations much better. He has learned that swinging will calm him and has developed some self-regulating skills. His level of curiosity and ability to stay focused with a task has risen noticeably. He is very social and his need to retreat has decreased. And, he is more open to use words in his communication. Not every therapy instills growths in every child. However, I wish that as many autistic children as possible could experience the DLS/Sensory Processing approach as offered in the supportive and friendly atmosphere of the STAR Center. Angela Mattsen The following is excerpted from an article written in 2005 by a parent whose son underwent the DLS listening therapy in 1995: It has been said that no mother is happier than her unhappiest child. I know that to be true. From the moment he was born, my youngest was unhappy and difficult. He never crawled and didn't walk until he was two years old. By the time he was five years old, he was impossible to discipline and had uncontrollable outbursts of anger. Trips to the store or a restaurant usually ended prematurely with both of us in tears. I was at a loss to explain his behavior; I parented him the same way I had my first two children, and yet no matter what I said or did, this precious child of mine was miserable. Once he started school, it only got worse. He struggled with the basics, which, of course, caused him frustration, which, then, of course, led to an increase in more discipline problems. We were like hamsters on a wheel. I started noticing a difference within a matter of weeks of starting him on DLS. Instead of running to his room yelling, You hate me! When I asked him to put his toys away, he was able to hear the request for what it was. We, and his teachers, saw rapid improvement in his learning and attention as well. Now, at eighteen, he is a senior at Denver's performing arts high school, making plans for college to major in music. He is a thoughtful, loving son-there is not a trace of the early anger. I asked him if he minded if I told his story. Nah, just say that now I have trouble keeping a smile off my face, he said with a grin. Actually, we both do. P. McCreary When our son Joseph was diagnosed with Autism, we were crushed. Without losing a moment, we researched the web and found many resources for ourselves and for our son. After employing numerous solutions from nutritional supplements to dietary restrictions to neurological retraining exercises to behavioral modifications, we stumbled onto DLS. After Joseph's first intensive, his receptive language increased dramatically as did the quality and quantity of his vocalizations. By his third booster, words started to pop out, his eye contact was perfect and he was now a listener! The DLS has been nothing short of miraculous for our family. It has returned our son to us and given him the ability to achieve his full human potential. S.R. Danton Our daughter Annie, age 9, was slow to develop and had learning problems from the beginning. She had always been in Special Ed, but thought we should try listening therapy as we had personal friends suggesting it. After just one month of sessions, we started noticing Annie's changes. Her eye contact improved, she seemed to be more with it and her mood was generally improved. We thought it might just be temporary and were afraid to believe our hopes. In time we saw significant improvement in articulation, communication (both verbal and non-verbal), and balance and coordination. She has shown great progress in balance and rhythm. Over a year has passed since she completed the program and all of these changes have remained in place. We cannot thank the center team enough. This has changed our daughter's life, and ours as well. Sincerely, To Whom It May Concern: I first heard about listening therapy in an interview with Dr. Minson on N.P.R. Radio. The program sounded intriguing, and by this time we were becoming more and more concerned for our son. He was having a really hard time in school, barely making any progress even in his highly modified special education classes. Our son was a very sweet and affectionate boy, but his interactions with others were limited to smiles, hugs, and snuggling. He always played quietly by himself, engrossed in his artwork, Legos, movies or video games. He never chose to play with his siblings or the neighborhood children. Any attempts to get him to do so, or any requests that took him away from his choice of solitary activity, led to extreme, occasionally violent, outbursts. He would be inconsolable. He didn't display these outbursts at school, as he seemed to accept that this was a place where people herded you from one activity to another. Being so lovable and kind, he endeared himself to teachers. Other children liked him too, though this was less and less the case as the years went by, children being unkind when they realize that someone is different than them. Conversations with our Fabian were either one way or non-existent. If we asked him a question, he would instead answer with a statement about dinosaurs, or whatever his current passionate interest was. Attempts to have back and forth conversations were never successful. We could simply tell him what we wanted or expected, and perhaps one out of 5 times at best he would actually understand what we said, and do what was asked. It was the same at school. Teachers were never sure if he knew what they were saying or not. Fabian liked going to school. He just couldn't understand and fulfill the obligations. Fabian was in the fourth grade when I heard about DLS listening therapy. We knew he had so much more potential, but were at a loss as to how to tap it. I did some research into the program online. The science seemed to make sense (at least to a lay-person), and I found that a similar program was successfully in use in some European public schools. We made an appointment, met with Dr. Minson, and had Fabian tested. The first month or so of treatment was really difficult for us. Squeezing frequent appointments into a large family's busy schedule was really hard on everyone. And not seeing any immediate results made us ask each other over and over if we had wasted our scarce money. But then one day something happened. My son had a conversation with me! A real back and forth conversation! I was afraid to hope that we had made a breakthrough, but it began happening more and more. He had conversations with his father. He started talking and playing with his sisters. He started making friends, and having regular kid conversations with them, complete with laughter and bathroom jokes. It was like finally meeting our son after 12 years. We had always loved him, but now we could actually find out what was going on in his mind, and interact together like a family. He still has a really hard time asking teachers for help, but he is doing it more now, and gaining confidence in the process of asking for help, and getting it. Our son now feels comfortable in the world he lives in, and is able to interact in a healthy productive way. And a boy who used to cry if encouraged to participate in athletics, now takes Judo twice a week, and loves it. I am a born skeptic, and only agreed to give DLS listening therapy a try out of a mother's pure desperation to help her child. Our expectations were greatly exceeded. We highly recommend this program, and have not hesitated to recommend it to other families we have met with similar needs. Thank you. Kim Avila, Salvador Avila-Ayala, Fabian Avila To Whom It May Concern: This letter is confirming the vital work of Dr. Minson and the efficacy of his Dynamic Listening System therapy. I am an adult with ADD. I have spent a lifetime fighting an uphill battle with my learning disability and clinical depression. ADD caused me to feel deficient academically and professionally. Every aspect of my life was met with a sense of failure. My performance in the workplace was greatly affected and I was unable to maintain long-term employment. Lack of self-confidence kept me in a constant state of depression. I had difficulty with relationships both personally and professionally. I underwent DLS therapy with the hopes of finding a way to alleviate my internal pain. Through the center's listening and visual techniques I learned effective listening, enhanced my artistic abilities, and developed a constructive perspective and approach to my profession and education. The positive results I received are invaluable. My confidence increased significantly. I now approach life with the belief that I can not only succeed and excel but also overcome challenges that for so long held me back. Upon my final visit, Dr. Minson told me that I could now say that I 'had' a learning disability. He was right! His statement was proven true. Through his inspiration, encouragement, and technical methods I recently completed my degree in psychology at Regis University with a 4.0 GPA. I work at an alternative high school with teens who confront obstacles very similar to mine and I have suggested DLS therapy to their parents. Sincerely, Letters from DLS Practioners around the United States (courtesy of Dynamic Listening Systems): Four years ago I began using EEG/Neurofeedback with my special needs students. They made steady progress, overcame vulnerabilities to seizures, became more focused, gained flexibility in their thought processes, and became more self controlled, but it took many sessions. Some were carried over to an additional school year to make the kind of gains necessary to succeed in school. Even with the length of time it took, EEG has great merit and is an educational intervention I will continue to use. This year DLS was added to our program and I saw gains that amazed me. In a fraction of the time EEG took to affect minimal change, DLS has enabled students to perform in a classroom setting, negate the need to have one on one instruction, loose a severe case of dyslexia and surprise a physician with a significant reduction of medication. The gains were more significant, deeper and much faster than I had experienced with EEG. I will use DLS as my primary intervention tool from this point forward. Roberta VanHouten, R.N. DLS has been an excellent addition to our practice. We feel it is one of the most powerful tools for treating sensory and auditory processing disorders. The changes we see in the children we work with continue to amaze us! Michelle Herman and Lisa Leyden I have found the DLS System to be extremely versatile. It has been instrumental in helping to relieve stress, pain and anxiety for my clients, besides audio processing difficulties. Because the DLS System is gated, exercising the inner ear, and is structured to innervate the vassal and vestibular system, it helps to relax the mind and body more that just listing to a relaxation CD and the treatment stays with you longer. Many doctors are realizing the healing effects of music and refer patients with stress related illnesses. With my academic background in psychology, I have found that using music with all my clients produces great results. Duffy McMahon, MA As a pediatric occupational therapist that has been practicing for over 25 years, I am continually amazed at the effectiveness of the DLS equipment with children on the autistic spectrum, who have sensory integration disorders, language based and non-verbal learning disabilities as well as other developmental delays. This equipment facilitates growth and development in the areas of motor skills, language/communication and social skills at a greater rate than any modality I have used. It is also a pleasure being associated with the Center for Inner Change, DLS's sister company, and the Minsons, who offer a wealth of knowledge and experience with care and integrity. I would recommend the DLS training and equipment to any practitioner who is interested in developing their practice with this exciting, state-of-the-art technology. Diane Levinson, OTR/L Dynamic Listening Systems has been an integral part of our practice. It has enriched and enhanced the entire therapy process - a powerhouse when combined with sensory integration. Using the auditory and vestibular channel through sound therapy has been the missing link to integrating and organizing the body. The results have been phenomenal! Melissa Chaikin Kahn, OTR and Barbara K. Burton, OTR |
