Thank you to all the staff that worked with this child. Nanci

"My child has attended several weeks of intensive therapy in the Talkies^® program at the Lindamood-Bell^® Center. I wanted to write to commend your instructional program and thank you for creating this incredible program to help children such as my son. When he started the program (merely 6 weeks ago) he had limited expressive language. In the short time that he has been in the program, his expressive abilities have increased dramatically and he is speaking in full sentences (and often in multiple sentences). He said to me the other day, "I like talking".

As a parent, I have searched high and low for a program such as Lindamood-Bell to help my son. Our family will be forever grateful to you and your program. Similarly, we are very grateful to the wonderful staff that have worked with and nurtured my son on his journey.

Thank you!!

Al, a father and judge

I am so happy to share this little story about Andrew, a 14 year old, that we made a difference for. We didn't just teach him to decode isolated words, we taught him to love to read books! Lucky us.   - Nanci

Thank you so much for all you have done for Andrew. On his last day at Lindamood-Bell he was given "Lord of the Flies." That same day he left for a vacation with family friends. I was surprised that he took the book with him. I was even more surprised to get this message from him today:

"Just finished my first book since 4th grade."

Since he's going to be a sophomore in high school that really says something. I believe you gave him the skills not only to read but also to succeed in whatever he chooses in his life. What a gift.

Thank you very much.
Paige

Dear Nanci Bell,

My son Tom, learned to read at Lindamood-Bell in 240 hours of instruction in Seeing Stars ^® for decoding and Visualizing and Verbalizing ^® for comprehension in 2009. I am very grateful to you for helping my child access the world around and beyond him a little more. I met you briefly at the International Conference in Anaheim 2011. I thanked you for believing in my boy, and for helping him see that learning to read is attainable, and fun. Thank you for looking past his unique challenges, and capitalizing on his unique strengths. I commend you, and your amazing teachers, for bringing my son back to academic life, and giving him the confidence and tools to read, and to feel smart.

Tom is almost 11 years old, in the 3rd grade, and has diagnoses of Autism, Speech/Language Impairment, Expressive/Receptive Language Delay, Sensory Integration Disorder, Dyslexia, and Dysgrafia. In 2008 , as our school district planned to promote him to 2nd grade although he failed all of the subjects, our school district Special Services told me not to worry about my son not reading. "If he can't read by 5th grade (Special Services Coordinator told me, the parent of a first grader), then we should worry." "What should he do until then, I asked." Silence. The IEP team then decided that I would teach him to read, because they could not. I was a College English Professor at the university, and the District said that because I was the most "passionate" about him learning to read, I should just teach him. I got a lawyer, and I set out to teach him to read myself.

By then, my 8-year-old Tom was very sure that he "did not go to school" and definitely "did not like learning to read." In addition, he was a victim of repeated bullying on the public school campus, a guinea pig to ineffective classroom inclusion models, and a recipient of the damaging ignorance of inappropriately trained staff. Tom spent 2 years (Kindergarten and First Grade) on Sight Word List one, and by the end of first grade, he still did not have a full grasp of the alphabet. He would come home upset each day, telling me he was "stupid" or a "fool." His autistic tendencies amplified, he lost academic skill sets, and sunk further into maladaptive behaviors, and decreased social communication. We removed him from public school when the District Aide was feeding him rocks during recess. He was so stressed out, dis-regulated, and very sad. In addition, we feared for his safety in their care. We filed Due Process against the school district, and received a 40-hour ABA in-home program, NPA Speech and OT, Cognitive Therapy and Compensatory Education , the method we funded our initial 80 hours with Lindamood-Bell.

When Tom started at Lindamood-Bell in April 2009, he had been out of public school for close to one year, and had been home schooled with all of the services listed above. We worked daily, hours-upon- hours of intensive alphabet recognition, and phonetic work, amongst a myriad of therapists, teachers and myself. Since 2003, he had not had a single positive learning, or academic experience in a school environment. When he began Lindamood-Bell, my husband and I were concerned that his sporadic attention levels might not be able to sustain 50-minute concentrated bursts of focus. We were concerned about his sweetly manipulative, extremely effective, task-avoidance techniques, and how instructors would power through this. We were concerned that he would be too difficult for the teachers to figure out, and that he would be asked to leave the program. We worried about his compliance, and introverted behaviors. But, most of all, I was starting to become extremely worried that he really couldn't read. I did not want to believe the school district's hypothesis that he would never read. But the task of teaching him to read seemed so daunting. Multiple therapists, and I had been working with him 6-8 hours per day, 6-7 days per week for an entire year, and we were only at the alphabet, the most simple phonemes, and CVC words. Was he truly mentally retarded, like the District hinted repeatedly, and I should just face the facts and give up?

Then we met the Center Director and Tom's Consultant, at Lindamood-Bell. They took time to understand Tom's unique needs, and used creative methods to get him excited to learn. Academics, homework, and any type of learning of anything that resembled schoolwork had been a constant battle. The CD and Consultant made Tom feel smart, and motivated. He would run laps with them at the break to fortify attending behaviors. They were conscious of his interest in camping, animals, and surfing, and engaged him on multiple levels, including a pretend fishing trip for a reward for having a "smart-boy body" during session. The Consultant would successfully pull him out of scripting behaviors, and she did amazing,hands-on parent training with me. The CD was always available to answer my questions, accommodate and coordinate with me. I felt a sense of calm, respect, and trust in Tom's teachers at Lindamood-Bell that I had not experienced in a long time. Tom is so lucking to have them in his life.

As we commenced our second Due Process, we took a loan through Lindamood-Bell financial services to pay for the next 160 hours. His academic skill sets increased by years, and my son finally had the tools and the confidence to read. I chronicled this event, and how I day-by-day, watched him learn to read, and start to visualize. During Tom's time at the center, along with beautiful bursts in his academic prowess, his self-confidence grew. I stayed around during the ten-minute breaks. I would watch him, and encourage play with other children. Initially, he would sit next to me outside and snack on his lunch, eyeing the children around and not interacting, and as his time progressed, he began to engage in conversations with staff and other children, read the bathroom doors (BECAUSE HE CAN NOW!!), and declare his independence that boys do not go into the girls' bathroom with their moms. He asked me if he was "smart," and he made me yell in happiness when he used abstract language to inquire-"Guess what this thing is, Mom. . .Its good and its cold, and it starts with an "I." Ice cream!!!!!" I had never heard him utter a word-based joke, riddle, or anything like that before this moment. Thank you.

Dear Nanci Bell,

As Matthew completes his sixth grade of school this year, we wanted to let you know that he continues to work very hard and put all the skills that Lindamood-Bell has taught him to good use. Matthew's GPAs continue to range between 3.8 and 4.0. He holds no IEP nor 504. His communication skills are excellent! He was even asked to go to the Valentine's Day dance this year. Not too bad for a child who was once on the autism spectrum disorder with receptive and expressive skills in the 1% range. It took a decade of advocacy to accomplish this achievement but Cinderella said it best "Even miracles take a little time!" Your services have changed all of our lives and we are eternally grateful.

Just as Matthew continues to work hard we wanted to let you know that he is also playing hard. We have enclosed some pictures of Matthew swimming with the dolphins at Discovery Cove, Orlando, FL. These pictures take my breath away when I think back to where Matthew once was.

I'm sending this letter and pictures to the office where Matthew attended. You most certainly have an exceptional group of dedicated and fun loving professionals there. Matthew loved going to school there. I'm also sending a copy to the Rhett Bell Scholarship Foundation as Matthew was a scholarship recipient. Without that scholarship our family would not be enjoying the sweetness of life that we are today! All of the RBF supporters most certainly are to be very proud of having been a part of something so life changing as the 100% rehabilitation of Matthew!!!!

We certainly hope that everyone enjoys their summer! We'll be in touch.

Gratefully yours

A couple test scores after 80 hours of V/V ^® :

Oral Directions:

• 5th% to 25th% percentile

Paragraph Reading:

• Reading Rate: 37th% to 63rd% percentile
• Comprehension: 9th% to 37th% percentile, 7.2 to 12.2 Grade Level

"I had a difficult time articulating my thoughts into words as we spoke on the phone. Speaking about my experiences at Lindamood-Bell would have brought me to tears. Typing the words is easier for me. Before attending Lindamood-Bell, I had been distraught and thought about ending my life. My education throughout school consisted of apathetic teachers and being moved from self-contained classes into mainstreamed classes. Attending school had been an awkward situation both academically/socially. Half of my life had been dedicated to fixing myself, as if I were broken. Nothing had worked and I was loosing hope. Thirteen years of academic abuse and giving up seemed easier. My emotions were in a constant turmoil. You saved my life by accepting me into your center and I will be forever grateful.

Working around my schedule had probably been a cumbersome process. I remember hearing you say, "We will open on Sunday, if it is necessary" and that statement in itself, brought tears to my eyes. I felt secure, even before entering the center. As I walked through the doors of Lindamood-Bell, I felt a relief. Finally, instructors that understood me and were able to differentiate my instruction. No one felt sorry for me and it was refreshing! The day that you observed me will be ingrained in my mind forever, you had asked me if I enjoyed reading out loud or silently. I replied silently and than you told me to read out loud. When you said those words to me, a feeling of ebullience came over me, you cared about my education! In the past, broken promises and dreams were a part of life. My future is now brighter. Thank you for allowing me to feel hope again and for restoring my faith in human beings. You're an advocate for children and adults, never cease."

Sincerely, M.