Then and Now

THAT WAS THEN

Alli wrote this story back in April before she started Vision Therapy.  At the bottom I translate it and note some of the common problems Alli had before VT.

This is what she wrote with translation in the parenthesis:
NOTICE - missing sounds, incorrect use of vowels, upside down/backwards letters, use of capital and lower case
WOS  (ONCE)  THAR (THERE)  WEZ  (WAS)  A   RABO  (RAINBOW)  
 IT    DID    NOT    NO    (KNOW)     HAM    (HOW)    MINE   (MANY)
COL RZ    (COLORS)   UR  (ARE)    IN     HIZ       (HIS)  RADO   (RAINBOW)



After a few weeks of therapy she wrote the story below.  For some of her auditory issues we had been working out of a book titled, "Helping Children Overcome Learning Difficulties".  An activity would be as follows:  Alli, say "SPIDER"  - now say it again but dont say /p/.  In the story below you can see she has started to HEAR sounds so she spelled QUIETLY   ---    C  Y   I   LE  (phonetically correct if C is just /k/ and  Y is said "Y")   She still has backward letters and capital and lowercase mixed in, but small improvements were made.

It says:  "Ring ring, I woke up.  I went to see Hazel.  Quietly I woke up Hazel."

The picture below Alli drew in June.  It shows improvements such as being able to spell sight words like "you" and spell correct phonetically like "hav".  She still misses the /n/ sound in thank, but now she is mostly using lower case.

 "You have the most patience, thank you."

Alli drew this after an ESPECIALLY difficult day.  She drew me at the table working with her and then in the bottom corner consoling Jill (who is crying).  As I have said before, this has been hard, if not harder, on Jill.  I am so glad Alli considered me "patient".  I did not always keep my cool!!

THIS IS NOW.....

SEE YOU IN THE MORNING

There are so many improvements it is unreal.  She can spell words like good and morning.  To see her spell MORNING and not miss any of the sounds is just incredible.  I guess I need to show her how to spell MOMMY!!

Alli and I have 3 more days of VT every day.  (Then we taper to 3 days a week and only 20 - 30 minutes, not 90 minutes like we have been doing daily).  We are so excited. 

This coming Friday, Alli's final appointment, Dr. Griffith is going to administer a different dyslexia test to see how things have changed for Alli in that regard.  Then Alli will be seen again in one month and then three months and then just annually. 

The improvements Alli has made with her eyes should not regress.  Now that she knows how to use her eyes it should stay that way forever, but the check ups are just to be sure nothing has been lost.

Alli was retested in reading and math at school last Friday and  scored higher on her READING than she did on math.  I dont have her placement yet, but nothing came up as a red flag, AND more importantly, she could READ the test herself AND for an hour and a half she worked without getting tired.  She is a new person and on a different path for LIFE!!!  ALLI YOU ROCK!!!!

THREE MORE DAYS!!!!


Updated 10/22 - I wanted to include a picture of what Alli is doing 2 months post Vision Therapy.  Here is a link to the post Alli's Journal

Updated 8/9/2014: I notice that I have not linked the one year update so I wanted to include that:
ONE YEAR LATER

The LIGHT at the end....

When Alli was coloring this she said, "You know, everything I see is clear now, I can even color better!"

What an amazing kid, she worked so hard all summer long, she never complained about having to get out of the pool to do her therapy, she never complained when Jill got to go on special trips with Shane but she couldn't go because we had therapy left to do. 

 Alli and I have worked so hard and so consistently that her therapy is coming to an end, ALREADY!!  When we started on this journey I was hoping that we could finish it in 6 months.  Her last appointment is scheduled for August 30th and that will be 20 weeks, 4.5 months (120+ hours).

Current story she can read to me

She will start third grade completely caught up (actually, she is beyond where she needs to be!).  I think our school days are going to be way different than before.  Prior to Vision Therapy Alli would start yawning and have red, teary eyes after 15 minutes.  Now, we consistently work for 45 minutes at a time and she is never tired at the end.  What a life changing MIRACLE this has been for her.

She chooses on her own time to write these little stories.  Although her spelling is still mostly phonetic, she is LIGHT YEARS past where she was!

Thank you so much to everyone for all the amazing support you have shown to Alli, Jill, Shane and I.  This has been a difficult journey, but made so much easier by having so many out there to support us.  It has meant so much to me especially, I can be so hard on myself, so THANK YOU!!!

Shane goes back to work on Monday.  (BOOHOO!!!)  Our routine days will start up again.  Maybe I will actually get our Spring Break trip to Colorado posted on the blog!!  Only 4.5 months late.....I wonder why?

Alli's current coloring project.  She says, "I could not have colored this before my eyes were fixed. I can see all the little lines now."