Gifts

Our son Hayden was 2 years old when he first and seeking help for him. He had a speech delay as well as a sensory processing sensitivity. As he aged we noticed he was behind his peers in all aspects of development. From ages 2 to 5 he received therapy through the school district, early intervention as well as receiving private therapy. It seemed that no matter how much effort and money was put into speech therapy, OT and educational assistance, we were moving along at a snail's pace and he was falling farther and farther behind his peers. Because he has no official diagnosis it is hard to find exactly what was going on to aid him.

Hayden began seeing Christina when he was 5 years old. He is now one month shy of his 7th birthday. He has mild sensory processing disorder, ADD, dyslexia and other learning disabilities (nothing officially diagnosed because of his age).

We originally were seeking therapy to help development of both his fine and gross motor skills. Christina immediately began to evaluate and come up with a strategic plan to help him in all areas that proved difficult for him ( physical coordination, recognizing and writing letters and numbers and pencil grip / writing). This was something completely different for us. Someone that would look at the big picture and find a path for him. Even the developmental pediatrician couldn't help us with this. Christina has also evolved her plan for Hayden as things change and as he grows. She is always thinking about what is going to best help our son. She is a true advocate.

The work Christina started out doing with Hayden consisted of working on his gross motor skills with a little bit of fine motor fit in. As Hayden and Christina became more familiar with each other, she was able to see what Hayden needed and suggested we invest in The Listening Program. The original investment was hefty but we decided it was worth it. We've been doing the program for over a year now and have seen great results. Hayden's ability to recall information has dramatically improved. As well as him being able to organize his thoughts better. His attention span has also increased tremendously. Before we started the program Hayden had a hard time sitting still in circle time for more than a minute. He can now sit during class, follow directions and listen to stories for 20 minutes.

While we were seeing results with our work with Christina and the Listening Program, we all agreed that we wanted to see more gratifying leaps in his development. She suggested we try the Interactive Metronome program. We started this program in October committing to a 6 week program of 3 in office sessions per week. The results we have seen have been absolutely astonishing. Hayden has gone from barely being able to write the letters in his name to writing full words and recognizing 75% of the letters in the alphabet. He is able to write numbers 1-10, while three months ago he couldn't distinguish the difference between a number or letter. It seems he is finally absorbing the material that he is receiving from school and at home. Things are beginning to “click” for him. Not only have his academic skills improved, his physical capabilities have skyrocketed. We took Hayden skiing over the holiday break for the first time and he mastered it in 5 minutes and spent the entire day skiing. It was very hard for Hayden to navigate his body before Interactive Metronome. Recently he has become obsessed with basketball and he mastered the art of dribbling and shooting hoops in a matter of days. This is something that he would have attempted before with a clumsy approach and would give up easily due to frustration. His skill and determination to succeed has flourished in the matter of months since we began Interactive Metronome.

The Interactive Metronome program has helped Hayden organize his thoughts and his body and has really given him a tool to help him navigate his world. This program has been the breakthrough we have been hoping for. Everyday our son is surprising us with something new he has learned or a new skill and talent!

Christina came into our lives and has been such a blessing to our entire family. When we started with Christina 2+ years ago, my son had significant core weakness, sensory discrimination challenges, motor planning challenges, visual fine motor delay and issues with attention

Chrstina's work is second to none. Her thoughtful suggestions of different solutions for Jake were foreign to my husband and I, but with great patience, insight, and knowledge of her field, we adapted these into our daily lives and I can say with 100% confidence, the most impactful work we have done. Christina is also always looking for ways to address issues and suggesting alternatives to consider, and gently pushing us to think of things that she knows will make an impact. From doctors, to schools, to specialists that she has researched, her work does not stop when you leave her office.

Christina is more that just a great therapist. She is passionate about everything she does and takes great pride and responsibility with each child she engages with. She has helped me through many different stages of Jake's development. She is always there for us when we have questions, challenging situations, or just someone to listen as we make our way on this journey. And she is also there for the tears and the victories too!

Changes do not come overnight. But I can tell you, families that are willing to make the investment of time with Christina, I promise you will not be disappointed.

A few months ago, our son's kindergarten teacher suggested that we explore occupational therapy to focus on his handwriting. This was somewhat of a shock for us and while we were not resistant, we wanted to make sure that it was a necessary step. It was recommended to us to contact Christina at Child's Play. From the moment I spoke with her on the phone, I knew that we had found the right place for our son. She made time to speak with me on a Saturday and she was very up front about what they could offer and what results were possible.

For the past couple of months, he has been working with Miss Larissa and we are seeing dramatic improvement in his handwriting and confidence! My favorite part about this program is that she makes it fun for him. While he may not realize the work that he is doing through these fun exercises, the results speak for themselves. He looks forward to his appointments and loves being able to show off his improvement from week to week.

More than anything, I appreciate the family-like approach that Christina and Larissa take. This is not a separate therapy program, but more a group approach to working on each child's individual need. We are so thankful that we have found Child's Play and for the progress that he is making.

My first meeting with Christina Gallo was life changing. My daughter, Emily, was two years old when we met her. At the time, we were completely in the dark with Emily. The only explanation we had from her doctors was "severe developmental delays". That's not a lot for any therapist to go on. While she was seeing other therapists, no one really had a grasp on Emily, or what to do to help her.

Christina dove in head first. She instantly made a connection with Emily, as well as my family. Right before my eyes, I could see Emily responding to this complete stranger that sat before her. Over the next year, I watched Emily transform into a more confident and capable child.

Sensory processing disorders were something we had never heard of until Christina started working with Emily. Emily was defensive and sensitive to certain sounds and touch. Christina's unique approach using the DIR/Floor time method shed new light on what we were dealing with. Her teachings were easily incorporated into our daily routine. Christina was there with us, every step of the way; ensuring that Emily had all of the tools necessary to succeed.

Emily blossomed. She was becoming more comfortable in her own skin, and was gaining the confidence to explore her surroundings.

Emily is now six, and has recently been diagnosed with Dup15q Syndrome. (Her 15th chromosome has extra genetic material) Finally, we have an explanation of her delays. She has a lot of work ahead of her, but I truly believe that her time with Christina gave Emily a strong foundation for the continuous progress that she has made. Her patience and willingness to teach our children is a true gift.

I just want to take a moment to thank you for everything you've done for us. I feel like I have a whole new son and a whole new me as well! I've been thinking about what exactly has made Tyler change and it's just a combination of multiple things. I'm more patient and understanding of his sensory needs and you've taught me ways to communicate where he feels understood. In fact, since OT, Tyler hasn't been aggressive during his tantrums.

Other major change is that he's much calmer now. Before when I would talk to him, he couldn't focus. His mind and body was go, go, go. His eyes couldn't lock on mine for very long. Every night when I would bend down to ask him to look me in the eyes I would tell him "I love you" and he would reply "yeah" and look away. Last Thursday was the first day he said "I love you very much, Mommy" and he said it 3 times in a row while looking me in the eyes! I cried. The love of a child is what I have missed for 3 years. It is the best feeling in the world.

Another huge improvement that I see in Tyler is his confidence. He went from being fearful of anything that moves (including people) to being bolder and curious. He's always been a curious boy by nature but his lack of self confidence prevented him from exploring. Now, he'll climb on boulders, slides, swings and isn't afraid to explore even when I'm out of arms reach.

I mean, is OT magic? I'm tempted to tell yes, but I know it's just a lot of hard work, expertise, trust and love from you that pushes Tyler every week to step out of his comfort zone. What you do is truly amazing. Thank you for all that you have done for us.

Before we started seeing Christina at Child's Play it was very difficult to get my 5-year-old son to behave, particularly with his younger brother. He also did a lot of sensory-seeking behaviors. After working with Christina for about 6 weeks using the Astronaut Program and the ILS pillow, we have noticed a dramatic improvement in his behavior (and so have others who know and interact with my son). He's much better behaved with his brother, much more engaged with other children -- he actually comes home and tells me about the kids in class who he played with, when in the past he didn't like to play with anyone and would spend the entire recess running around by himself, and much more talkative and inquisitive. It's as if a switch has been flipped and he is a much more calm, engaged, pleasant child to be around and we are so thrilled with his progress and so appreciative for Christina's efforts and ideas about how to work with him. We have seen other OT's in the past who didn't seem to "get" what was going on with our son, but Christina seemed to understand him right away, which was very comforting and is proving very useful in improving his behavior.

Our son Jacob has a rare metabolic disease that has resulted in an aggressive decline of his overall development. After experiencing great difficulty with other outpatient physical therapy services, we began working with Christina in our home and it has made all the difference; turning a tearful experience into an enjoyable one! Christina brings a great deal of experience and continuously offers us [parents] new ways to interact and engage Jake in various activities that help his development. In fact, she is one of the few people that can still bring a smile to his face. Jacob has experienced a lot of regression and there are a lot of “unknowns” as his disease progresses, yet Christina has been there for us every step of the way, continuing to support his on-going therapy needs. She has also offered her expertise to help us get some of the special equipment that Jacob needs. We are so lucky to have found such a skilled and compassionate therapist!

Jacob had Niemann Pick Disease, a rare metabolic disorder. He passed away in November of 2012.