Satisfied Customer Testimonials

S.M.I.L.E Testimonial from the Dhanidinas

S.M.I.L.E was life-changing not only for our son, Kiyan, but for our whole family. S.M.I.L.E. is very unique in that it looks at the ENTIRE child – not JUST his weaknesses.  It was the perfect program to build a bridge between Kiyan’s strengths and his weaknesses.  The program’s philosophy addresses each child’s sensory needs in fine detail, as well as keeping in mind the “bigger picture” such as the child’s strong sense of self, strong personal ethics, and self-esteem.  The program facilitates children connecting and engaging with each other to learn how to build friendships and other social skills through grace and courtesy-related lessons integrated in the curriculum. We were given so many “tools” to address Kiyan’s needs in a functional manner which we could practice in our home environment.  One of the most valuable “take-home” components of the program was the weekly homework assignments.  This “toolbox” is something I still use (a year later) for sensory preparation exercises almost every morning.  The program is very child centered where the highly qualified staff celebrate the child’s successes and expect nothing BUT he very best and children rise to that.  Kiyan was able to build his skills to move forward developmentally in his skills that he needed (such as vestibular balance, fine motor, motor planning, etc) in order for him to be prepared for academic success in his formal education.  The staff is extremely knowledgeable and trained in this area and the environment is very positive and energetic.   It's contagious -- I hope you catch the S.M.I.L.E spirit!

November 2006

Dear Dr. Youssefi, Kamran, Arousha, Lauren and everyone else that has made such a tremendous difference in Jordan’s life.

I wanted to share some photos of Jordan from the past few months, since you have not had the pleasure of being with him.

I thought Thanksgiving would be a perfect time to share these with you, since we are so thankful and feel so blessed for all that you have done for Jordan and our family.

As you can see, he is thriving in every way. He is doing beautifully in kindergarten and in his enrichment program. Academically, he is way ahead. He scored the 2nd highest of his grade (approximately 200 children) on the standardized Phonological Awareness and Literacy Skills (PALS) test. He has made so many friends, and his classroom skills and behavior are great.

He is participating in swimming and Tae Kwon Do, and he was on his first competitive soccer team this fall. He was so proud to receive his first trophy. For this winter, he has asked us to do a basketball league with some friends from school. It is an instructional league that meets once a week.

We have so much gratitude for your team and for GMS.

With much love,

Marissa, Adam, Jordan and Jared Levin

March 2004

My husband and I knew our son was special from the very beginning. From six months on, he would twist his wrists and ankles around in circles, in constant motion. It seemed he needed the movement to get sensory input. He was delayed in walking (18 months). Once he walked, however, he seemed to develop normally. At preschool, however, he was observed to have difficulty with motor planning-for example, cutting with scissors, holding a pencil, and crossing his legs into a seated position.

In elementary school, our son was placed in the LD program because he needed occupational therapy, and he would only receive these services with an LD label. He progressed well with LD classes, but the OT services were not helping as much.

In third grade, he was no longer eligible for OT services because he placed out of the LD program. This is where we saw the most negative change in our son. He became frustrated easily, did not want to participate in any sports programs, despised PE classes in school because he was occasionally laughed at or ridiculed because of his lack of athletic ability. By the end of third grade, he told me he no longer wanted to live because he could do nothing right. I was terrified to hear this because, being a nurse, I knew that when a child stated something like this, it should be taken very seriously.

We realized we needed to find someone to help our son immediately, to break this cycle of hopelessness we were seeing. I called private OT services, but they could not see us for at least six months. One OT, however, suggested Dr. Youssefi as an alternative, telling us that other clients had utilized his services and had had excellent results.

We first met with Dr. Youssefi in December 1999, and while watching our son play on the gymnastics equipment for only a few minutes, were certain he could be of assistance. What a relief it was for my husband and myself, to hear someone not only acknowledge that a problem existed, but that he could help fix it!

We began classes in March 2000, twice a week, when our son was ten. He now takes class once a week, at the age of 14, and practices year round, with an intensive week of summer camp each summer. He plays basketball every winter, and is testing for his black belt in Tae Kwon Do this spring. Dr. Youssefi’s classes have helped tremendously with flexibility and strength. My son can climb a rope ladder with ease, do 20 push-ups, and performs gymnastics stunts on the trampoline. The biggest change we have seen, however, is in our son’s self-esteem. He no longer feels defeated before he even begins. Dr. Youssefi has taught him to try, and try again, until he can do anything he sets his mind to.

My son, who was struggling in school in 3rd and 4th grade, now gets straight A’s in 8th grade. He feels great about himself, and is a happy young man. I’m sure Dr. Youssefi played a major role in these changes we have seen. His program is a necessity for children with sensory-motor issues, poor flexibility and strength, and low self-esteem. Dr Youssefi performs miracles with these children.

David and Barbara Kent

Leaving a child with special needs at a new place for yet another intervention is always a hard decision. It is therefore our pleasure to try and make that decision a bit easier. As parents who have searched far and wide and spared few efforts to find the best solution for our son, we can strongly recommend G.M.S. Our son, who attends the sensory motor integration morning program, has a variety of strengths and weaknesses. His main areas of weakness were motor planning, social communication and physical strength. We have found the G.M.S. staff to be talented and truly devoted to the needs and talents of each child. They create a protective, nurturing environment that is designed to give your child the confidence needed to grow. At the same time, they motivate and challenge your child in a manner that enables him or her to do extraordinary things. Communication between the staff and parents is the best we have ever seen—with daily reports with pictures! Those reports demonstrate both the activities and progress being made by your child, and also the excitement felt by the staff with each improvement made.

And indeed, we have seen improvements in our son that we believe are directly attributable to his time at G.M.S. Those improvements include increased motor planning on the playground, better auditory processing, increased stamina, a much greater tuning into his environment, and more pretend play. All these improvements have increased our son’s happiness and confidence with himself as well.

In all, we have never regretted spending a dime, or making the commute. We cannot think of a better place for our son.

Margaret Rice and Paul Horwitz, Arlington, Virginia

February 2004

Dear Dr. Youssefi and staff,

Daniel began attending classes at GMS in the spring of 2002 at 7 years of age. At that time Daniel was lagging far behind his peer group socially, emotionally, and physically. He was unable to ride a bicycle and had little desire to learn. Daniel’s handwriting was extremely poor. He was very awkward while participating in physical games and tired very easily. Daniel’s school experience was filled with stress each day and his self-esteem was very low.

GMS has been providing Daniel with a challenging and exciting program. We find the atmosphere gives the children lots of opportunities to work hard while having fun. The rock-climbing wall is a wonderful addition to the sensory motor program. We find the GMS staff to be very knowledgeable, dedicated warm and caring. We are impressed with the quality of the program. The classes and camps are well organized and improve each season.

We have witnessed tremendous progress since Daniel started your program. You have helped us through each stage step by step and we are so grateful for all your kind support and assistance. You shared in our delight when Daniel learned to ride his bicycle, which he now does with ease and confidence. Daniel’s fine motor skills have improved as well. The quality of Daniel’s handwriting has improved dramatically. It is very neat and age appropriate at this point. Daniel enjoys building with his Lego pieces, which was a frustrating endeavor just a short time ago. Daniel’s abilities continue to improve and his stamina is greater. All of these improvements have helped Daniel to relate better to his peers and have resulted in a richer social life.

We are so grateful to have the opportunity for Daniel to be a part of the GMS program. Thank you so much for your kindness and for helping improve the quality of life for our son.

Sincerely,
Amy & JP Morgenthal