Jonathan's Journey
When my son Jonathan was younger we didn't notice any particular academic problems, but he did seem to get seriously stressed whenever we did standardized testing. He also had a hard time with reading comprehension, even though he had learned to read fairly easily. It seemed as though he was strong on basic skills, but had a hard time pulling them together for any kind of higher level thinking.
As he approached middle school age, I noticed a rapidly increasing anxiety with his school subjects and much of life, along with a decreasing ability to comprehend most subject matter. He even started to have trouble expressing himself verbally, to the point that we sometimes couldn't understand what he was saying. He also began to have significant bouts with depression.
We took Jonathan to a neurologist, who found nothing wrong and couldn't help him. Our pastor spoke with him, but couldn't seem to help. We tried changing our curriculum and our whole style of teaching. We investigated food allergies, and got very slight improvement, but nothing that really helped much. Jonathan's problems were wearing him and our whole family out.
Finally we decided to take Jonathan for a neuro-developmental evaluation. Linda assigned Jonathan a variety of exercises and other therapies with his N-D program, and we started to work hard at it. Jonathan, in particular, was eager to do anything he could that might make a difference. After about 6 weeks (I think) we suddenly saw a change. Not nearly 100% improvement, but enough of a change to give us hope. That alone was a big help for Jonathan, who had felt hopelessly discouraged.
Over the past 3 years Jonathan has continued to make steady improvement, to the point that I sometimes feel as though I'm witnessing a miraculous change. He only rarely feels depressed now, and then only very slightly, which seems pretty good for a 16 year old. After spending four years on algebra 1, with four different curricula, his brain suddenly "turned on" and he finished the course in a few months. Now he is racing easily through algebra 2. All the rest of his school subjects are going well for him. Perhaps the most dramatic improvement has been in the area of listening and reading comprehension. Before, he could barely read at times; now he reads well and just finished "Moby Dick," which he had set as a personal goal for himself. He is able to follow and contribute to philosophical discussion, and his memory is now superb. He has a little more difficulty at this time of year, probably due to the pollen in the air, but he is no longer overwhelmed or impeded by depression or mental confusion.
Through all his struggles, Jonathan developed a real empathy for others, and he is now planning to be either a middle school teacher, a counselor, or a pastor. Today he started coaching a younger boys' soccer team. Although I haven't always understood the rationale behind all the exercises Linda assigned Jonathan, I have seen unmistakable improvement, and I thank God for how he has led us in finding help.
Melissa
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As he approached middle school age, I noticed a rapidly increasing anxiety with his school subjects and much of life, along with a decreasing ability to comprehend most subject matter. He even started to have trouble expressing himself verbally, to the point that we sometimes couldn't understand what he was saying. He also began to have significant bouts with depression.
We took Jonathan to a neurologist, who found nothing wrong and couldn't help him. Our pastor spoke with him, but couldn't seem to help. We tried changing our curriculum and our whole style of teaching. We investigated food allergies, and got very slight improvement, but nothing that really helped much. Jonathan's problems were wearing him and our whole family out.
Finally we decided to take Jonathan for a neuro-developmental evaluation. Linda assigned Jonathan a variety of exercises and other therapies with his N-D program, and we started to work hard at it. Jonathan, in particular, was eager to do anything he could that might make a difference. After about 6 weeks (I think) we suddenly saw a change. Not nearly 100% improvement, but enough of a change to give us hope. That alone was a big help for Jonathan, who had felt hopelessly discouraged.
Over the past 3 years Jonathan has continued to make steady improvement, to the point that I sometimes feel as though I'm witnessing a miraculous change. He only rarely feels depressed now, and then only very slightly, which seems pretty good for a 16 year old. After spending four years on algebra 1, with four different curricula, his brain suddenly "turned on" and he finished the course in a few months. Now he is racing easily through algebra 2. All the rest of his school subjects are going well for him. Perhaps the most dramatic improvement has been in the area of listening and reading comprehension. Before, he could barely read at times; now he reads well and just finished "Moby Dick," which he had set as a personal goal for himself. He is able to follow and contribute to philosophical discussion, and his memory is now superb. He has a little more difficulty at this time of year, probably due to the pollen in the air, but he is no longer overwhelmed or impeded by depression or mental confusion.
Through all his struggles, Jonathan developed a real empathy for others, and he is now planning to be either a middle school teacher, a counselor, or a pastor. Today he started coaching a younger boys' soccer team. Although I haven't always understood the rationale behind all the exercises Linda assigned Jonathan, I have seen unmistakable improvement, and I thank God for how he has led us in finding help.
Melissa
Back to Testimonies
