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I have been seeing Dr. Stendig for about three months. He has helped
me to see why my grades and learning habits were so bad. Now I'm
doing better in school. The first book I read with my glasses I
understood without having to go back over it two or three times. When
I took my test I made 90%; that was the highest grade I had made on
my book reports. I was so proud of myself. I actually like to read
now because it is so much easier. Now that my grades have gotten
better me and my parents get along better most of the time.
I am so happy with my new accomplishments. I am about to try to make
the A's and B's honor role. Also, my math has gotten better too, and
it is all because of Dr. Stendig and my determination to do my
exercises at night for my eyes. I can already see some of the changes
coming through.
Nick Munson, patient My 18-year-old son started seeing Dr. Stendig because he has congenital nystagmus. We had seen several eye specialists and were told that there was nothing that could be done to help him. My son thought he was going to have to stop driving and would not be able to live a normal teenager's life. Then we found out about Dr. Stendig and vision therapy. Dr. Stendig evaluated our son and told us that there was help for him. By doing what the doctor advised and doing the exercises, he has been able to keep living a normal teenager's life. I would recommend Vision Therapy to anyone who has these eye problems. Name Withheld 5/24/00 Before I started vision therapy, my eyes gave me problems. They gave me headaches, plus they made it hard to do some of the things I like to do, like drive. After 6 months, I can see that the therapy has helped me. I'm still able to drive most of the time and my reading has improved in that I'm able to read more information and for longer periods of time. I still have trouble doing some things, but I'm working on it. If it wasn't for the vision therapy, I would probably not be doing as well in life as I have been. Cody Johnson, patient 3/20/00 Hi, my name is Bobby Montgomery and I am 11 years old. I was told I had dyslexia last year at the end of my fifth grade year. I struggled in English, Math, and Reading and my grades were very low. I already knew about Dr. Stendig because my older step-brother, Cody Johnson, was seeing him for his eye problem. My mom set-up an appointment for me and Dr. Stendig said that he could help only if I want to help myself. I am taking therapy through Dr. Stendig and it has help me a lot and the first six weeks of the next year I made the A honor roll. He also gave me glasses that makes a great difference in my work and because I broke my first pair and I could see the difference in the progress I made with them. I like to do my therapy and it's fun to do. There are some things I do not like to do like my swing ball but, I do them because it helps me. I am glad that I met Dr. Stendig and that he helps people like me through our struggles in life. By doing the therapy, I am able to see an improvement not only in my school work, but I am able to comprehend other reading material better. Since I began the therapy, I have better self-confidence and enjoy going to school. Thank you. Bobby Montgomery, patient Hi, my name is Laurie Johnson and my son Bobby Montgomery was diagnose with dyslexic last yea by Malakoff ISD. I am glad that there are people like Dr. Stendig that are will to help people with eye problems because without him helping Bobby I would have had lots of proglems keeping Bobby interested in school. With the glasses and therapy that Dr. Stendig gave Bobby it has help and some things are fun and help him in school. He also can read better and that makes a great difference since he has only been in therapy for four months. I know Bobby and Cody will have an easier life because of Dr. Stendig. He shows people that anybody can be helped if they are willing to help themselves. Dr. Stendig told Bobby that even if you are told you can't achieve anything, remember that if you are willing you can. Thanks for all your help. Bobby and Cody and I really appreciate it. Laurie Johnson, Bobby's and Cody's parent Dr. Grant, Amanda won Miss Ohio Teen USA!!!!!!!!!!! We just got home she was crowned Saturday night. She wants to have vision therapy as one of her causes for her reign for 2003. We are so excited. This is the pageant that goes on to Miss Teen USA National telecast on NBC in July. She is really excited The pageant is part of the Miss Universe system, owned by Donald Trump. The national platform for Teen USA is speaking out on drug and alcohol abuse and anti violence. But throughout the pageant Amy told the judges about her experience with vision related learning problems and how important it was to her to help bring awareness of this to the public. The pageant director has given her the go ahead to use her title to work with vision awareness as well as the other causes. She will be doing a lot of classroom visits and wants to talk to the teachers about vision. We have talked with her principal and he is very supportive of her. She is an honor student and very involved at her high school but she still remembers how she felt when she was having so much trouble learning to read and being clumsy and she doesn't want any other little kid not to get the help they need to fulfill their potential. Thanks again for all your help and support that you have given to Amy both now to the beauty queen and also to the little girl who couldn't learn to read, she would not be living this dream without the proper diagnosis and resolution of her vision problem. Laurie Stevens Ever since I was a little kid I could not write or catch a ball without fumbling for it first, but this changed after I started vision therapy. I can now play football and many other coordination sports with ease. My studies used to suffer greatly, but my ability to complete and understand my homework in a timely fashion has improved tremendously as a result of vision therapy. I had already had four eye muscle surgeries, and as a result was diagnosed with a disorder known as OCD [misdiagnosed as obsessive compulsive disorder), which causes a great onslaught of anxiety and often makes it hard to function as a part of society. Vision therapy was all I had needed all the way along. In fact I could have avoided the surgeries altogether had we known about Vision Therapy at the time. One of the most prominent changes is in my peripheral vision. My driving has improved, whereas before I often would not see an oncoming car. I am able to drive much more easily now. I definitely recommend vision therapy as an alternative to surgery. It would be well worth your time. Derek Dieleman, patient I just wanted to write a short note about your vision therapy that you did with our son Derek, and what it means to us. Several months ago, our sixteen-year-old son was having a lot of problems with eye-hand coordination. He had just begun to drive and would start to pull out in front of other vehicles because, even though he looked, he couldn't see anyone there. When my husband and our son played catch, Derek almost never caught the ball. He struggled with getting his reading assignments done on time because he read so slowly. Over the past several months, since he has done the vision therapy, we have noticed several changes. He can now catch a ball and get his homework done faster. He is a more confident driver, as a matter of fact, he is more confident overall. We wish we could have done vision therapy when he was younger. Derek had four eye surgeries to correct the muscles in the eye, but every surgery lead to more problems in the future (including a panic phobia due to so many surgeries and all that each one entailed). Vision therapy has been the answer that we have been looking for. Linda Dieleman, Derek's mother 5/11/02 I have always known Olivia responds well to praise and that she has a great desire to please. However, even I was not prepared for the change in her. She has begun taking more initiative with her vision therapy and pride in how it is done. Where I used to be the one to remind her of what was next, redirect and encourage her to finish each activity, now she takes the check-off list and wants o be sure everything is done and done properly. One day she asked me to evaluate what she was doing "like Dr. Stendig would." I said I thought she was doing quite well. "Yes, but what do you think Dr. Stendig would say, 'cuz he's tough, you know." "Well, he's tough but I don't think he means to be harsh." "No, mom, he needs to be tough like a good coach so I do things just right and can keep improving." It seems she has now become your advocate and fan. Thank you again for taking your time to meet a special need. Debbie and Rick Dodd, Olivia's parents 3/13/02 Before vision therapy, Matt's problems with school affected our lives daily. Matt was always a very good child; the only difficulty we incurred was when it was time to do his school assignments. The amount of work he had at home would depend on how much he did at school, and as he went higher in grades the work increased. We could not do some of the extracurricular things we would like to have done because everything centered around Matt, homework and school. He was unable to participate in some of the other things he would like to have done. The other problem was, we could not find an answer to the problem. We knew he was intelligent, but after about 4th grade his school performance did not reflect his abilities. As a teacher I felt I should be able to get to the bottom of what was wrong. He was tested for ADD, but he seemed to be what they called a borderline case. When I had his eyes checked, part of the problem was found. We thought this meant that glasses would be the answer, but it wasn't so. We became more desperate when Matt started high school and his teacher reported to me how tired his eyes seemed to be. I started to do some research, got on the internet and searched for Matt's diagnosis of Convergence Insufficiency, and that is when I found Dr. Stendig. Matthew was diagnosed by Dr. Stendig and is in vision therapy. We are all beginning to see a light at the end of the tunnel. I see improvement and now his teachers are beginning to see it. Matt is finding it easier to concentrate and work. My husband and I are very appreciative of Dr. Stendig. We all want to see our children succeed and we cry when they feel they have failed. We are so happy at what we are seeing in our child now. Bonnie S. Byrd Ham and Larry R. Ham, Matt's parents Ms. Byrd Ham is also an elementary teacher Before I found out I had an eye condition I thought I was just stupid. My mom took me to a doctor who gave me pills to make me slow down and concentrate on one thing at a time, but it didn't help much. [Diagnosed ADHD, given Ritalin or a similar drug.] It was kind of hard on me to go to the nurse every day to take the pill because people made fun of me because I had to take pills to be smart. I got in a lot of trouble in grade school because I was getting in fights over people making fun of my weight and because I had to take pills. Then one of my mom's friends was talking about how her son wasn't doing well in school and that he was having pretty much the same problems as me. She took him to get an eye exam and found that he had an eye condition that affected his way of learning, and his grades went up after he started this program to help him get his eyes to do what they would normally do if they didn't have this condition. My mom took me for the eye exam and found out that that was the same thing that was causing my problems. When I heard that I would have to wear glasses I was about ready to cry because I was having problems with other kids making fun of my weight, and getting glasses would make it ten times worse. The first day I wore the glasses to school people made fun, but my best friend encouraged me to ignore all of the jokes and stuff. But after that I was ok with it and in the end it has paid off. I really appreciate what you have done for me, and I hope you will continue to help people with the same problem for many more years. Thank you so much. You have changed my life for the better. Tricia Curran, patient Chris has always had a hard time reading. He was tested for dyslexia, and while he did not meet the criteria for the language program, we knew he had some form of processing problem: he turned around numbers and letters. He always thought they were right even though they were reversed. Many of his teachers said he'd grow out of it. We felt that he was falling through the cracks of education. His frustration level was increasing and the education system was not helping. Thanks to vision therapy activities, Chris now understands what was happening with his eyes. His handwriting skills have improved. He has become conscious about writing what he actually sees. The eye that once fluttered while watching a moving object does not flutter today. He now focuses with both eyes [binocular vision]. The eye-hand coordination exercises were challenging. They made his eyes and mind come together on a specific small area [convergence, fusion, tracking etc.]. Chris is now the field goal kicker for the football team. The varsity coach was surprised at his accuracy and consistency. He is also the goalkeeper for the soccer team. The skills required for these sports have improved through the development of accuracy and focusing. Chris has found more confidence, become more self-reliant and developed a higher self-esteem While we have not seen the overwhelming results in grades going from C's to A's, I do feel the vision therapy has been successful in improving the processing of information and using that information. Chris is 14 years old. I can only imagine the progress that could have been made if we had started him in vision therapy at age 6. Kristi and Jerry Copeland, Chris's parents 1/29/00 Although our son made good grades, beginning in fourth grade a nightly minimum of four hours of homework was required. After many conferences with his teacher and much frustration, I was told his homework shouldn't be taking that much time. However, the problem persisted until finally the school district tested and evaluated his needs. He was diagnosed as dyslexic. Upon entering fifth grade, he was in an MTA class and received a few modifications which greatly helped his situation. After completion of the 8th grade, a teacher recommended Dr. Stendig's vision therapy program to help Taylor reach his full potential as a student. After the exam Taylor was excited, and upon receiving his glasses he was very motivated. I have noticed many changes; among them that he's reading more books and magazines. I believe vision therapy is giving my son an advantage! Thank you for developing vision therapy and for helping all children. Doyle and Yvette Hudson, Taylor's parents 2/15/00 As a mother, I always thought something didn't add up right with my daughter Lydia. Lydia has a long attention span and is a hard-working girl with strong reasoning power. Her school grade was about A/B average, but we realized that she could not read very well. She came home with a headache every day from school; she didn't have any on the weekends. When she became 5th grade and went to middle school, her headache continued. We took her to her pediatrician to check out. She couldn't find anything. Since I have an eye problem, I suspected she might have inherited the same problem from me. I asked to test for dyslexia because she was flipping letters like 'b' and 'd,' and was reading words like 'was' as 'saw' until 3rd or even 4th grades. She was rejected as a test candidate because her school grades were too good. Any way, I was more worried about her headache than her grades. We started vision therapy with Dr. Stendig at the end of Lydia's 5th grade. After she finished therapy with Dr. Stendig, her headaches are gone. Now she gets 100's in reading. She doesn't read super fast but she says she understands everything that she reads. Her self-esteem went up. She even argued with her teacher about a test result. At the beginning of the semester, she was so intimidated that she couldn't go talk to a teacher who, she wrongly thought, was ignoring her. Thank you, Dr. Stendig. Machiko Hollifield, Lydia's parent For years my son Efren was an unhappy child, not liking school; it was a battle every day for him to get up and get ready to go. His 5th grade teacher decided to test him for ADD because he could not keep focused for long periods of time. Once he started on Ritalin, his grades did not get any better. He would say that he did not notice a difference whether he took it or not. Then a co-worker mentioned that she had taken her son to Dr. Stendig to have his eyes checked and that his problem was his vision. My son was now in 8th grade and school was getting harder. I figured I had nothing to lose by taking him to Dr. Stendig. When Dr. Stendig diagnosed him and said his problem was not a learning disability but his vision, I was relieved. It is amazing that all those years were wasted not knowing what the problem was. Annual eye exams never noted any problems, and finally, along comes Dr. Stendig who finds the problem in a minute! Dr. Stendig explained it would take 6 months of therapy, which was nothing compa red to years of frustration. I can't say doing vision therapy every day with my son has been easy, but when you think of the rewards it brings it makes me happy to know it is never too late to start. If I'd only known about vision therapy years ago, life would have been much easier not only for my son but for me. Better late than never. I have seen a more positive attitude in Efren regarding school; he is a much happier child. His reading has improved and school is easier for him. I wish more people knew about this eye therapy. It has changed our lives! Ruth Arreola, Efren's parent I noticed the eye movements when Jake went through testing at your office and the difference in testing after 5 months of treatment. He doesn't give us a fight when told to read books or do his lessons, and he can read faster without having to re-read the lines. This is both good and bad, now when he plays games on his computer he can read the prologue and instructions much faster and start playing the game. We have noticed several changes in his actions:
Thanks for all your help, Doc. It's a real pleasure now that we have our son back. William J. Whitburn, Jr., Jake's father 12/21/99 I believe I am seeing a big improvement in my son Jake. There is certainly enough contrast in the before and after effects of your treatment. Jake seems to be displaying a lot more confidence in himself. He appears calmer in any given situation, and not as hyper as he's been in the past. He and I seem to be able to communicate with each other without losing our patience as quickly and as easily. I don't know if I can attribute this to his new glasses, or the coordination practice kit, but he seems to be more affectionate toward me. His skills at teasing and kidding around seem to have been enhanced as well. It's been difficult encouraging him to do the practice, etc., but I'm so thankful he is accomplishing the task. Although we know he could have been done sooner, had he worked the plan harder, at least the problem was discovered before more damage was done. I will always be thankful to you, for discovering what was wrong in the first place, and for your invaluable help in finding it. Jake seems to like himself more now, and he gets along better with those around him. In my opinion, nothing more needs to be said! Lynne Whitburn, Jake's mother 12/21/99 Dear Dr. Stendig, Schoolwork had always been a struggle for our youngest son. Although, I felt a visual and / or auditory problem was indicated- all doctors found nothing “conclusive”. Thanks to your findings and visual training, Michael is on the right track. Knowing a physical problem slowed his learning helped him tremendously. He now had a clue and a workable solution to his reading problems. He has gained a great deal from his visual training games along with a sense of accomplishment. Mike still has a long way to go to “catch-up”, but he’s now on a firm foundation. He knows he can achieve even though he may need to work harder the next few years to close the gap! Fondly, The Roth’s Dear Dr. Stendig I used to get in trouble a lot for talking. My report card was okay. I got A’s, B’s, and C’s. I didn’t like school very much. I didn’t like reading and writing that much either. I started taking pills last year to help my brain wake up. I did a lot better in school. I made A’s and B’s. I did not like the way the pills made me feel. I didn’t want the kids to know I was taking the pills. I feel better since I started my vision therapy. I won a ticket to six flags for reading the most books. I passed the TAAS test too. I won’t have to take those pills anymore. I will be like a normal kid. Matt Dr. Stendig, After two months of V.T. I asked David, my son, if he was seeing better. He said “Yes, I can see a lot better with my glasses”. I said, “Can you tell if the V.T. is helping?” He said, “Yes, I used to see the before and after, but now I just see the same thing”. Mother, Louise Danielle, my daughter at age 3 went to preschool. She liked to look at books, although she was not that fond of being read to. Her first school experience was kindergarten and she didn’t do bad, I felt she was not paying attention. First grade she wasn’t learning words like her other classmates, and I was told not to be concerned this early. Second grade was no better, the teachers told me to work with her at home. So we didn’t do very good at reading books at home so I purchased “Hooked on Phonics”, I believe it cost $500.00. We worked on this for 2 years. The first year I worked with her. Progress was slow and I’m not sure who was more frustrated, Danielle or I. I decided I was not a teacher and found a tutor for her. She enjoyed the time spent with her. The tutor said she would forget what she had learned between visits. I sold the “Hooked on Phonics” to the tutor and started looking for more answers. I called Scottish Rite Hospital in Dallas, TX. To make an appointment for learning disability test. We were put on a waiting list and had to acquire a sponsor in order to afford this all day test. The next year it was time for our appointment. We went thru the 3rd grade while we waited for our turn to find something out. During our year wait we found another tutor. This tutor was specially trained in dyslexia. This was the school system diagnosis and also the opinion of both tutors. Danielle did a little better with this tutor although she did not like it and it was expensive. Her progress was very slow, the school she was going to was getting rough and had so many challenges with discipline and just keeping kids in school, that my daughter was falling through their cracks. We were faced with the decision to put her in a private school, or moving to a new school district. We had always rented so picking up to move worked out to be cheaper. Luke, our son, was 5 years old and 2 kids in private school was tall order for a middle class family. After many years of praying to God about what to do, my husband Buzz led us to a small country town outside of the Metroplex. He had to drive 1 hour to get to work. Our two kids could play outside in their own yard now, and we enrolled Danielle in 5th grade at Millsap Elementary. I talked to the principal, Ms. Brenda Fortenberry for an hour or more a couple of times a week, about her learning differences as they now are labeling her. She now had a resource teacher and a homeroom teacher, and lots of personal attention. Through the 5th & 6th grade she had incredible teachers that loved her and worked tirelessly with her. If memory serves me, Danielle was reading at a 3rd grade level at the end of 6th grade. After our experience with Scottish Rite Hospital Dyslexia Diagnostic Center, we were given help with resource for school such as computer programs and state funds for the school since she was diagnosed with dyslexia. Mr. Fortenberry found a computer for her and other students to use. Teachers were sent to Scottish Rite for training in this area. Looking back I see my mistakes in over looking the obvious, such as her eyesight. Although in my own defense I say the standard school eye test and pediatrician eye test didn’t turn up any sight problems. Now in the 7th grade, Danielle had gone to summer school as well as regular school to not loose what she had learned the previous school year. Her 7th & 8th grade resource teacher Mrs. Cindy Berry made great strides in two years. She warned me against unorthodox learning techniques she had encountered and she was a treasure and answer of prayer from God. Still I had a nagging feeling something was left undone. I went to a licensed ophthalmologist to have her checked. He said she was slightly farsighted, not really bad enough to have glasses. One day on a local Christian radio station, I heard of a doctor who specialized in children with learning problems. My husband heard the same advertisement while at work. He was an eye doctor. We drove 2 hours to Irving, TX. to pay him a visit. She had a number of eye related problems that were keeping her from being able to read and lead a normal life. He asked me “How has she made it in school this long?” The first person we called to tell the good news to be her beloved teacher, Mrs. Berry. Mrs. Berry knew Danielle well, she knew what a smart special (now a teenager) person she was. She never had any discipline problems and was friendly and long-suffering through out all she has gone thru. In her 8th grade assembly, she received an award for “Outstanding Achievement in Most Improved 8th Grade Reading”, May 10, 2000. Danielle is now in the 9th grade and is doing very well. Her I.Q. has always been in the normal range and her vocabulary is above normal for her age and peer group. Her 8th grade report card was As & Bs. Ninth grade using 9th grade textbook she is A, B, & 2 Cs. She has played a clarinet for 3 years and is in Flags. Now for my son Luke, his is a short story. He has been a good student until 3rd grade when he started getting Cs. I now had some experience with Danielle’s past difficulties Luke went to see Dr. Stendig in the beginning of the 4th grade. Yes, he needed glasses. The 4th grade was A’s & B’s, and now Luke is in the 5th grade and has all A’s. When children can’t see with their eyes and transmit it to the brain properly, they sometimes fail at learning and sometimes get so frustrated that they misbehave. The good news is that some doctors go the extra mile to think it out as to why people don’t see all the same. There seems to be a lot of variables to our lives. How we look, feel, and see. And what we believe in. Aeron Danielle Luke Dr. Stendig, We want you to know how pleased we are with the outcome of Justin’s eye therapy. When we first cam to you we were grasping at straws. We had been to five other eye doctors, and each one told us something different. We were so frustrated we really didn’t know what to do next. I had talked to my aunt who lives in Plano. And told her how frustrated we were with Justin’s schoolwork, she said her son had the same problems and she wished she could help. We knew his problems were vision related; we just didn’t know what was wrong. My aunt found you in the phone book (vision learning specialist) jumped out at her. She called and was able to talked to you, she was impressed with the fact that she could talk to you and you really seemed concerned about a child you didn’t know. She called me and I called you. The next week we were in your office, after three hours drive from OK. C., you did an eye exam and told us what was wrong with Justin’s vision, which by the way, was what the others told us, but they treated him for one problem at a time, you treated all five at the same time. When we left your office that first day we had our doubts. All we had to show for our money was a bag full of expensive toys. After just a few months we could tell a difference in Justin. And now after a year of vision therapy, Justin’s vision is great, his attitude is improving, he has more self-esteem and his grades have gone from D’s to B’s & one C. We joke about that expensive bag of toys now, but we would not trade it for anything or you either!! P.S. It’s well worth the drive for the care we got from you and your staff. Sincere Thanks and Love, The Baldridges Issac’s pediatrician in 1996 and in 1997; when he was a 7th & 8th grader, he tested his eyes and declared him 20/20 vision. Let’s go back farther, though. Between kindergarten and third grade Issac showed to be a gifted child in story writing, drawing and sculpting. He received awards but lacked reading skills. Never were we, his parents, told that he hadn’t passed the TAAS tests and because we weren’t raised in the Dallas/Ft. Worth Metroplex at the implementation of the test into the Texas schools we didn’t know of its importance. That was to change though. I started to volunteer his first year in school. I liked it so much I volunteered throughout the 2nd grade too. One Valentine’s Day after providing hand-made Valentine’s for all of Issac’s students and teachers (made of course by Issac and me) I was informed; out of my insisting to see his grades a shock of my life. Not only was he not passing the TAAS tests, but he was showing behavioral problems as well. He was said to be talking a lot in class and was on occasion “goofing” or not attentive, not focusing on schoolwork and not following through with assignments. That summer I, at his reading teacher’s suggestion, tried to kick him in gear. I made check lists with places on it for him to check off chores as he completed them. We read to each other ½ -1 hr. daily. Some of the books were well above his level – but because he was interested in their subject matter all was well. He was then going to the third grade, so I drilled his times tables for 3 whole summer months! I thought this would be all he needed to straighten him out- some old – fashioned discipline! At the end of his third year he was all around “B” student with comments on his report card such as “NEEDS” improvement in performing basic operations even though he received B+ grades and awards on commencement day. This child worked his buns off that year and still his last report card echoed: 1) Reading below grade level 2) Promoted to 4th grade 3) Needs improvement exhibiting self control Beginning the 4th grade year, we moved from Dallas to Garland. But before we could move into our new home a shroud was held over Issac’s past that sealed his fate up until that point. While still in the Dallas Independent School District, a guidance counselor, which I will not name observed him in class. Upon her recommendation and his teachers, Issac was too isolated by himself in the front of class. This embarrassed him I know, but I felt helpless. In the last 2 weeks, in the school system I saw my child ridiculed, ostracized and accused and labeled a “troublesome child”. It was all documented and we were finally told to seek professional help! (All in a matter of 2 weeks of his 4th grade year!) After those 2 weeks were up I was determined to get help but I didn’t know where! Like I said we move to garland. Garland was a new world with much to explore. We prayed and my husband after listening to a Radio station heard about Dr. Stendig. Through much testing and eye examinations, Dr. Stendig declared even though Issac had basic 20/20 vision and eye malady existed. One of Issac’s eyes saw on one level of a reading line and the other eye read on the level below that. It’s complicated but that’s the gist of it. But along with the eye malady came behavioral problems that persisted because of eye- brain connections were thrown off. He encouraged us and assured us what with time, bi-focals and vision therapy the eye malady would improve and the behavioral problems would lessen. They did. Fourth and fifth grade years had many good things for Issac. He accede the TAAS tests and was one of the first to ace them in his 5th year and was on the honor roll. Today at 12 and going to the 7th grade Issac is a kind, well adjusted pre-teen who is self assured and liked by many friends in Garland, TX. Dear Dr. Stendig, Matthew has always had problems in school. I wondered if he had A.D.D. or some other learning disability because it took him longer to understand things. I did extra work with him at home K-2nd grade to keep him caught up at school. He did manage to make A’s, B’s and C’s on his report card. He hated school, especially reading. Everything began to fall apart in third grade and his teacher told me she suspected he had A.D.D. We went through all of the testing. We were able to rule out learning disability but he was diagnosed with A.D.D. We had his vision checked and everything appeared fine. We started him on Ritalin. It did make a difference for him. He went from making A&B to the “A” honor roll. He actually began to like school. He did explain that he felt different when he took the pills and that he was being made fun of. Matthew began having severe headaches. The nurse checked his vision and sent a note home telling me she suspected a problem. We immediately made an appointment to have his eyes checked. After the initial consultation, Matthew told me that he would finally be like a “normal kid”. He was relieved to find out that it was his vision and not ADD that was causing his problems. Since we began the therapy, I have noticed some definite improvements. He likes to read and write stories. His handwriting has improved 100%. He seems less anxious and relates better to other people. Matthew’s teacher has also noticed the changes. The therapy has been beneficial to him. Thanks, Jill How I saw the world before I met Dr. Stendig. I have been wearing glasses since I was one and a half years old and now I am thirteen and I am seeing a lot better. Before I came to Dr. Stendig I was seeing 20/70 with my contacts. My sight was okay, but I have always had to sit in front of the classroom and have had trouble with reading. I didn’t like to read in front of the class or read at all. But now that I can see I enjoy reading more. My sight from far away was not too good either, if someone told me to look into the sky at a small bird or far away plane I couldn’t see it. I would just say oh yeah, that’s nice, without knowing what they were really talking about. When my mom would ask me to look for a street I couldn’t see the sign until it was about 3 yards away. I didn’t like my glasses at all because they were so bulky and thick, I was embarrassed of them and didn’t think to highly of myself. I want to be a normal kid or teenager now. And I can give great thanks to Dr. Stendig. My daughter, Jonna, and I are dyslexic. I am a teacher and my daughter is a sophomore in high school. Because of my dyslexia I knew what to look for in Jonna’s development. When she was tested for kindergarten her spoken vocabulary was very high but her better-sound recognition was low. I had read to her since her birth, but her reading readiness was below grade level. During first grade I expressed my concerns about her reading but was told not to worry. Luckily, Jonna’s second grade teacher was a personal friend. By the end of the first week of school, her teacher called and said that we had a problem! I took Jonna to Scottish Rite Hospital in Dallas for dyslexia testing. Jonna was extremely apprehensive about the tests, but the people who did the testing helped her understand what dyslexia is and that she wasn’t dumb. Jonna began a multi-sensory program called MTA that teaches phonics. She went to private lessons one hour five days a week, year round from second grade through fourth grade. Even with this training she felt she was not as smart as her classmates. She still had to read and read again to get what a passage meant. This became increasingly more difficult as she was in honors English and Pre AP English. In sophomore Pre- AP English students have a very challenging reading list and when Jonna got the summer reading list, she panicked. She told me there was no way she would be able to take the class. Then a chance encounter in a K-Mart parking lot changed all that! I ran into a teacher friend whom I had taught elementary school with a few years earlier. She told me about this wonderful doctor, Dr. Stendig. I called and set up an appointment for Jonna to be tested. At 15, she was not excited at the prospect of getting glasses! To no ones surprise, Dr. Stendig concurred that Jonna had a problem. Jonna would read the left hand side of a passage then skip down a few lines and read right hand side of the passage. That’s why she would have to read and read to comprehend the passage. When he put the lens on Jonna her head jerked back and she said all the words are on the same line! It was a very emotional moment for both of us. Jonna has completed the exercises which we renamed Eye-Aerobics and no longer wears the glasses. She has read and comprehended the books for Pre AP English. Her self-confidence about reading has improved and she no longer thinks she is dumb. Now she jokes when she ahs those dyslexic moments and talks openly with friends about her glasses. As her mom, I felt that the MTA helped her get through elementary and intermediate school. Middle school was a struggle and I was concerned about high school and ultimately college but now we both have the confidence that she will succeed. Life with dyslexia stinks! There is no other way to put it. You feel as if you are dumber that you other class mates! In grade school, I was extremely slow at reading. I also had a hard time when it came to sounding out words. In the second grade, my teacher expressed her worries about my reading level to my mother. My mother, who is also dyslexic, took me to Scottish Rite Hospital for dyslexic testing. I hated the fact that I was being tested for some thing I had never heard of and hardly understand. But the staff at the hospital was very understanding and helpful! After the testing, I began to be tutored in an MTA class. I went every weekday for an hour at a time. This continued for 2 years. Words became easier to pronounce, but I still felt that I was not performing as well as I should be. I didn’t quite feel like I was as “smart” as my friends. As I have grown older, I have learned to cope with my dyslexia. But this year I had entered into a Pre-A.P. English class. The reading list was a mile long. I didn’t think I was going to be able to take the course. I just knew I would not be able to cope with all of the reading. But a good friend of my mother’s told her about a wonderful doctor who could help fix my dyslexia. This is where Dr. Stendig came into play! He examined me and determined that I need glasses. Now any 15 year old would never be happy about getting glasses! So naturally I wasn’t. But I quickly realized they were a new chic look! Something new to talk about and it drew attention to me. Which wasn’t bad at all. All in all, I must say that Dr. Stendig has helped me more than he will ever know! Reading has became much more easier since I have worn the glasses. Thanks to Dr. Stendig, my dyslexia has become a thing of the past! My name is Michael and I am 11 years old. I have been wearing glasses since kindergarten. I had problems reading the chalkboard. At first I thought it was the teacher writing too light, but it wasn’t. Then, it got harder in reading. I would always skip lines, I still do, but not as much as I used to. In gym, I would have problems with catching the balls. I used to hate gym. I also had problems in math and writing, but in 3rd grade started to love writing, reading, and math. I think having glasses is the best. School is still hard but I love it anyway. Michael Michael always sat too close to the television. She never noticed signs for McDonalds until she would arrive. During her pre-kindergarten doctors appointment she called the boat on an eye chart a triangle. The bold lines were triangular. The details were lighter and thinner lines. She also called a C and O. When I took her to an optometrist, he started, “Her eyes are fine, she just doesn’t know her letters”. Michael was reversing letters and numbers. These reversals continued through third grade. Sometimes when she is tired she sill will still reverse. Michael’s father always believed that he was dyslexic, so we thought that she might be dyslexic too. When the kindergarten teacher introduced reading vocabulary using an overhead projector, Michael was not learning the words at school because they were blurry. The school nurse recommended that Michael have another eye exam. The new optometrist put her in glasses and stated the magnification for distance would help during reading so she should wear her glasses all the time. Michael’s problems increased. She would leave out lines, ends of words, substitute words for small words and loose her place. She had problems completing work on time especially copying calendars, assignments, writing paragraphs that were to be copied at a distance. Her lens needed to be strengthened 1-2 times each year. At the start of her fourth year the optometrist recommended Dr. Stendig because his own son had participated in Dr. Stendig’s vision problem. As a special education reading teacher, I was trained to tutor children who had Michael’s problems with reading. I was feeling self-doubt and frustration with not knowing how best to help her. Financially a year ago we could not afford this therapy, because it is not covered by our insurance. We delayed therapy help for a year, but were able to take Dr. Stendig’s recommendations and do the training on a pay as you go basis. The frustration has lessened because answers to why she skips lines missed words, reverses letters and is uncoordinated in sports, was shown to be a vision problem that Michael can work to improve. What a difference the correct help made in eliminating these problems. It was sure worth the money. Elizabeth Before receiving vision therapy I was easily distracted and had trouble concentrating. I was very uncoordinated. Because I was uncoordinated I could not participate in any sports. I had trouble getting along with my peers because I lacked in social skills. Now I am able to make good grades in school. I could read and spell even with all of these problems. I don’t know how I learned to cope in society with these problems, but somehow I managed. Debra We first decided to have Mark evaluated because of comments by his teachers about having to correct his work multiple times. He couldn’t read a word and copy it correctly. When he corrected it the first time he would make a different mistake and have to correct it again. The teacher tried having him use a paper under each line so he wouldn’t get confused and ever used a paper with a rectangular hole to expose one word at a time. These helped but didn’t solve the problem. He was becoming frustrated and it took a lot of time he could have been spending on new works. His handwriting and printing have been terrible. He has to concentrate and write slowly to make it legible. When he has to write papers it take a long time. He was a little slow to start reading but halfway through first grade we found some books he really liked and he has been reading at or above grade level since then. He has kept up with his work at school it just takes time and effort. Vision training has greatly improved his handwriting speed and reduced his mistakes. He no longer gets frustrated and enjoys school more. Kathy I have been having a problem with my eyes. I have been miserable for the past 4 years. Since I have Dr. Stendig I have improved a lot. I barely have a problem now. I really think I have improved. Now I have been getting better grades. I also don’t have to work as hard I also feel better about myself people don’t make fun of me now when I read out loud. I am very glad that I met Dr. Stendig. Crystal Well I have had problems since I was about in the first grade. I was having problems reading the papers that we had to do and I always failed them. I repeated the first grade because I could not read my papers when I got them back from the teacher. In 1992 we moved to a little town named Wolf City. I took a test, which I failed. That year I got glasses for reading and started eye training. This has helped me with my grades in school. Now I can read much better. I can spell vocabulary words and write reports. It has helped with my hand and eye coordination with football and soccer. I can catch and kick with accuracy. My grades in school have been better. Chris Our daughter (age 10) was struggling with her schoolwork assignments. Reading assignments were very difficult. It was hard for her to stay on task. We were planning to have her tested for learning disabilities when we were referred to Dr. Stendig. He tested her vision with different tests and found various difficulties and deficiencies with her vision. He prescribed corrective lenses and his vision therapy regimen. After 6 months our daughter has improved dramatically with her spelling and reading and all her other schoolwork. It is easier for her to pay attention in the classroom and stay on task. The improvement in documented in her weekly grade folder. I have worn glasses for the past seventeen years of my life. Ever since I can remember, my eyes have caused me grief. Since my first pair of glasses, I have required multiple adjustments to get the prescription mildly acceptable. My glasses would cause me to have headaches, get nauseous, or at the extreme, become physically ill. Will each new doctor, I told him of my woes with glasses. The various eye doctors- both optometrists and the more expensive and inaccessible ophthalmologists- prescribed adding prism- which did seem to help- and one doctor even prescribed bifocals to a 20 year old college student! I am now 30. I keep myself healthy, and my inability to get to the root of my eye problems disturbed me. None of the suggested solutions seemed to help me, and after the bifocal ordeal (which by the way did not work), I had resigned myself to the same routine after each vision checkup. My eyes would deteriorate. For the first two weeks with the new stronger prescription, I would have to return to the doctor’s office for multiple adjustments to alleviate the nausea. And once the nausea resided, I would get headaches after wearing the glasses for six or so hours. The headaches were sometimes unbearable, and I was taking Tylenol constantly. I had originally thought that it was the stems pressing hard against my temples that caused the headaches, but I had the various doctors adjust the stems so it barely touched my temples. I could never figure it out, and the various eye doctors didn’t seem as interested as I in resolving this nagging problem. I changed optometrists just about every year in the hopes of finding one that would figure out what was wrong with me. About two years ago, I changed jobs. This new job required me to be at the computer a minimum of eight hours a day. My headaches got worse, and my neck ached constantly. My eyes teared all day, and by mid-morning, they were usually bloodshot. By the time I got home at night, I was physically exhausted all of the time. In June 1998, I went to an optometrist who prescribed an unusual prescription: I could actually see doubles of everything. I went back to get the glasses adjusted- to say the very least. He could not figure out what was wrong. In fact, he redid the exam and made another set of lenses just to appease my anger. The new prescription was not any better. The double vision went away, but the nausea and constant headaches were more than I could bear. I fought with him and the insurance company to force him to take back the glasses. He agreed to restocking the frames but charged me for the lenses and the exam. I was not eligible for another exam until January 1998, so I had to wait six months to find help for my headaches. My faith in eye doctors was at an all time low, and realizing that I would have to live with this constant pain for the rest of my life made me so unhappy. I January 1999, I made an appointment with Dr. Stendig. He came highly recommended by my husband’s co-worker. I told him about my headaches, my neck pain, the nausea, and the physical exhaustion. The cynic in me didn’t think he could help, but I wanted to give him every chance in the world. After the exam, he told me that my eyes didn’t focus on the same focal length all of the time. I don’t quite remember the technical terms he used. All I can remember from the conversation was that I needed two pairs of glasses- one for up-close vision (like that of a computer screen) and one for distance vision. He promised that the tears, the headaches, and the nausea would go away. Although I had my doubts, I decided to give this proposed solution a try. During the first week I had them, I didn’t experience the usual nausea or headaches. I was expecting them, but they never came. Neither pair made me sick or dizzy. I can wear either the computer glasses or the distance glasses all day without a headache. I have not teared in a year (except when I am watching sad movies or chopping onions.) I don’t get as tired after a long day at the office. And I haven’t had a headache because of my glasses. In January 2000, I went back for my yearly exam. Dr. Stendig told me that my prescription had stabilized- the first time in the seventeen years I have worn glasses. Joy and relief cannot even begin to describe how I felt. I was sure I was going to be blind by forty. He even took the time to adjust my distance glasses because the wear and tear of a year’s worth of wearing had bent it slightly. Needless to say, I think the world of Dr. Stendig. By taking the time to find out what was wrong with my eyes, he saved me a fortune in Tylenol. I thank him. And my liver thanks him. More than anything, he has restored my faith in doctors who care about their patients. And I even like his jokes. Thuy I was in fifth grade, the year I was failing. I got 50s, 60s, 30s, 0s, and 70s. So my parents decided to get my vision checked. Dr. Stendig found out the muscles in my eye were not working correctly. He suggested eye therapy to help me. Six months. My eyes are better and I am getting better grades. Kaitlyn I’ve never been a good reader. Sometimes when I am reading, I get stuck on words I know but I just can’t think of them or I want to say something else. It’s embarrassing when kids sometimes younger than me tell me the word I would be stuck on. I went through kindergarten twice. It was embarrassing when my friends were in first grade and I was still in kindergarten. I have never made good grades in school either. I have trouble at Math, Spelling, and Reading. It is embarrassing when friends ask you to spell a word that is very easy but you can’t spell it. My handwriting isn’t much to be proud of either. When I write, it looks like a fourth grader handwriting. It gets embarrassing when people notice it as being bad too. When I was young I was clumsy and I haven’t changed much either. Like when I am walking down the hallway I would trip over my own feet. I would also be walking into a door and I would bang into the wall next to it. I have trouble reading as you know, for example when I am reading I would read a sentence and at the end I would start on the other line and my eyes would jump to the first line that, that only happens sometimes. My eyes get out of focus sometimes too. I would be in the middle of reading again and my eyes would go across and I would loose my spot where I was reading I get headaches a lot too. I would be in the middle of reading and I would get a really bad headache. The eye training has changed all these problems. I can now read, write and spell better and my headaches are gone. Hanna Life can be difficult. Some people can have more of a battle than others. My daughter has always been a good fighter, but the odds have been against her. At an early age, two problem areas were observed. Coordination and learning problems appeared. Clumsiness at the toddler stage was evident. She would trip over her own feet and bump into objects. Sometimes she would turn around and run into walls or doors. As she grew, the clumsiness still existed just not as frequent. Learning difficulties surfaced in preschool. Reversal of certain numbers and letters was her normal in writing. Recognition of letters and sounds was inconsistent. She would stumble over simple words sometimes. Reading was learned, but with great difficulty. My daughter is a hard working girl, but at the age of fourteen still having trouble with reading and math. According to national achievement test, her performance level is second grade. Intelligence did not seem to be the problem, but there was something. Definitely a frustrating situation. Dr. Stendig found she had a vision brain conflict and needed vision training to solve her problems. She was not excited about doing the training, but wanted to improve. What a surprise when we started seeing improvement in her reading and writing ability. This has also increased her self-confidence and she is like a new person. I wish we had known about this sooner and avoided all the frustration she has suffered. |