SUCCESS STORIES

In this section contains 26 "Success Stories" of former Cook Vision Therapy Center patients. The stories mention such topics as reading, attention, grades, headaches, homework battles, poor self esteem, coordination, crossed eyes, golf, and tennis. To find the stories that pertain to yourself or your child, us the numbered headings below, which provide one-line descriptions of the success stories that follow.

1. "Our child has been freed to be who she is and to develop to her fullest potential."
2. "We had her tutored every year—summer, fall or both some years."
3. "She entered vision therapy a pretty demoralized little girl, feeling that there was something wrong with her."
4. "Homework is no longer a dreaded deed . . . I no longer hear the words 'I'm Stupid.'"
5. "The first year we have not had to schedule numerous parent-teacher conferences."
6. "I was extremely skeptical about the therapy actually working."
7. "Jason came to vision therapy without the ability to copy simple shapes and figures."
8. "Two years in kindergarten without learning the entire alphabet."
9. "A sweating, face-to-the-page, eye-crossing struggle."
10. "No more spills and tumbles!"
11. "You are so smart; why don't you apply yourself better?"
12. "My eye would always become lazy and turn in."
13. "Embarrassed" by a wandering eye.
14. "Not as tired when she comes home from school."
15. "Golf" Improvements
16. "Severe headaches daily"—Adult
17. "Watching Less TV"
18. Tennis—"I had begun to fear being hit in the face with the ball."
19. "Ricky's grades have gone up from C's and F's to all A's, except one B+."
20. "Jonathan has become an eager and wonderful reader."
21. "The teachers were telling me how lazy Zach was."
22. "We were very much in doubt that anything would work"
23. "She was being tested for Attention Deficit Disorder."
24. "He no longer needs his Ritalin."
25. "His teachers felt he exhibited signs of ADD."
26. Adult reading gains "not calculable in dollars."

1. "Our child has been freed to be who she is and to develop to her fullest potential."
   "Since Vision Therapy ended [18 months before] April has just bloomed! She now has the confidence and coordination to participate in sports—tennis is her favorite. Her coach calls her 'Dead-eye April,' meaning she's right on the mark! Before V.T. she couldn't follow a ball to hit it or run without falling down. Her reading, spelling and overall schoolwork has tremendously improved. Her self-esteem and determination are great. Her attitude is so much more positive. Now she figures problems our and how to succeed, whereas before V.T. she was almost defeated before she began. My husband and I feel like our child has been freed to be who shis is and to develop to her fullest potential."
   
   
2. "We had her tutored every year—summer, fall or both some years."
   "Dana had a terrible time with reading, which resulted in trouble with every subject. We had her vision checked a number of times with the diagnosis 20/20. We had her tutored every year—summer, fall or both some years. Her self confidence was getting worse with every year that went by. Through a friend we heard of vision therapy and I called for an appt. I finally felt that we had found the answer to a problem that never had a name. She has had dramatic improvements in Math, Reading, all subjects. Her memory has improved—no more studying for days before a test. Her self confidence has grown by the day. Thank you so much! I tell everyone ab out vision therapy and Dana's success."
   
   
3. "She entered vision therapy a pretty demoralized little girl, feeling that there was something wrong with her."
   "Torrie's progress has been dramatic! She came in barely able to put letters on a straight line and now she has such control over her handwriting that it looks as if it were professionally printed! She also has no more headaches or hand cramps. Her math scores have also risen sharply—and she is able to complete her assignments in half the time. She is even beginning to do some recreational reading on her own. All of these changes have led to her feeling much more confident about her abilities-to the point that she told her teacher she 'loved school.' She entered vision therapy a pretty demoralized little girl, feeling that there was "something wrong with her." She is now back to her old out-going self. It has been like night and day.
   
   "We had really run the gamut of specialists from learning specialists to doctors of every sort. I came here wanting to be hopeful, but feeling very skeptical. I am convinced—and very grateful."
   
   
4. "Homework is no longer a dreaded deed . . . I no longer hear the words 'I'm Stupid.'"
   Alan's schoolwork has improved so much that he is enjoying going to school. He now has the confidence to sit and read a book. School grades have improved. Homework is no longer a dreaded deed, in fact he does most of his work at school now, and has little to bring home. His self confidence has risen greatly. I no longer hear the words, "I'm stupid" or "I'm a dummy." He has also improved in sports. Alan has a much more positive attitude now. It has made a tremendous difference in the whole family!"
   
   
5. "The first year we have not had to schedule numerous parent-teacher conferences."
   "Chris finished his therapy right before he started 4th grade. His performance has improved dramatically! This is the first year we have not had to schedule numerous parent-teacher conferences. Chris is able to do normal schoolwork without crying and frustration. His ability to comprehend and to work independently have been recognized by all. He is having a great year for the first time ever. We are all grateful for Vision Therapy and the difference in Chris' life.
   
   
6. "I was extremely skeptical about the therapy actually working."
   "For the past 4 years, Daniel has been making almost all failing grades. Last week he brought home his first passing report card—all B's! He is enthused about making good grades now. He will actually pick up a magazine and read it. I think Danny's self esteem is improving along with his grades. When I first came to Cook Vision Therapy I was extremely skeptical about the therapy actually working. After the last improvement in grades, I can only conclude that this is what made it all possible. Thank you.
   
   
7. "Jason came to vision therapy without the ability to copy simple shapes and figures."
   "He was unable to read or recognize simple sight words. He had difficulty catching a baseball and could not do most activities that required fine motor skills. He is now reading signs, books, newspapers and any words that he comes upon. He is writing sentences and paragraphs. His is playing baseball and having much success in school. We are so pleased that he has gone from being below grade level to being on grade level land pushing to achieve goals above grade level."
   
   
8. "Two years in kindergarten without learning the entire alphabet."
   Before vision therapy, Nathaniel spent two years in kindergarten without learning the entire alphabet or any sight words. Now his is learning to read and not only recognizes school words but reads all kinds of signs out in the world. His handwriting has improved too, as well as his attitude at school.
   
   
9. "A sweating, face-to-the-page, eye-crossing struggle"
   "I have seen a remarkable recovery in Ross in just a month or so! Reading was an incredible struggle: a sweating, face-to-the-page, eye-crossing struggle. Now Ross is happy and eager to read. His self-confidence is soaring. He is so relieved to know that his difficulties were caused by something concrete, that could be "fixed."
   
   
10. "No more spills and tumbles!"
    "No more spills and tumbles. Caitlin's coordination has improved dramatically. She no longer walks into walls and people. Caitlin has more confidence in everything she does now."
    
    
11. "You are so smart; why don't you apply yourself better?"
    "Before therapy, reading was a chore. I couldn't study and I hardly ever read for fun. Since therapy, however, reading is much easier and even enjoyable. Everyone used to tell me that I just wasn't working had enough. "You are so smart; why don't you apply yourself better?" was a common phrase around the house when grades came. Now I realize that I wasn't just lazy. There was a real problem. Thanks to vision therapy, that problem has been corrected."
    
    
12. "My eye would always become lazy and turn in"
    "I began therapy in January of my senior year in highschool. Before than I had always struggled in school. I was not a bad student, but there was plenty of room left for improvement. Today is my last day of Vision Therapy, and of highschool, and thanks to the therapy I've made all A's and one B this quarter and exempted 4 out of 5 exams. When I was little, I used to read anything I could get my hands on, but when I had reading and studying to do for school I quickly quit my reading for fun. Now I am able to do both because my eyes don't quit on me. My hand-eye coordination and my sports have also improved. More than anything, I've noticed that my right eye no longer turns in. People used to be able to tell when I was tired because my eye would always become lazy and turn in, but not anymore!
    
    
13. No longer "embarrassed" by a wandering eye
    "Before vision therapy my left eye was stuck over . . . [near my nose] and because of that I was very embarrassed and had low self-esteem. My right eye was very tired and both eyes were red all the time. Since therapy both eyes are straight and clear. I am no longer embarrassed and am happy to interact with other people because I don't have to worry about what my eye is doing or what they are thinking about my eye."
    
    
14. "Not as tired when she comes home from school."
    "Brittany is finally finishing her schoolwork in school for the first time in five years. She's been able to read longer without falling asleep. Brittany has been a happier child even though she is 10 years old. She's not as tired when she comes home from school and isn't always asleep minutes later."
    
    
15. Short and Long Golf Game Improvements
    "I can now tell if my shot is going to land short, long, etc. I can "read" greens. My putting has improved tremdously."
    
    
16. "Severe headaches daily"—Adult
    "When I came to vision therapy, I had severe headaches daily. I could not read for longer than about 5-10 minutes before words began to blur and run together. Since I've been in therapy, I have not had a headache. I have noticed that each time I pick up a book (which I now enjoy doing) I read several chapters before stopping. My eyes no longer tire after a few paragraphs.
    
    
17. Fourteen-year-old "Watching Less TV"
    "I have see a change in Donovan's self-esteem and eagerness to learn, both of which were lacking before coming here. He is also reading more and watching less TV. His grades are improving in school and his work is getting more detail oriented."
    
    
18. Tennis-"I had begun to fear being hit in the face with the ball."
    "Especially in the area of tennis, I've grown much more confident of my game. Prior to therapy, I had begun to fear being hit in the face by the ball and my reaction time was slowing down. After 4 months, my game is much more aggressive; I track the ball better and by development of my peripheral vision, I'm able to place the ball more accurately without "telegraphing" to the other player where I'm placing my shot. When the game heats up at the net, I'm confident, alert and relaxed. When the game keeps me back in the service court, I'm able to put more power into my swing and I'm always aware of the other players positioning without taking my eye off the ball."
    
    
19. "Ricky's grades have gone up from C's and F's to all A's, except one B+."
    "His reading is excellent now. He hardly ever misses any words. Before he could barely make out the words. This has made a tremendous difference in not only grades but his self confidence and self worth. Also after 4 _ weeks of school, still no headaches, when before he had extremely painful headaches almost every day. I am thrilled with the results."
    
    
20. "Jonathan has become an eager and wonderful reader."
    "He reads a lot every day. And the thickness of the book never scares him! His schoolwork is near perfect and he suffers very little stress when he has large projects to accomplish. The most important thing about the changes that have taken place is that Jonathan's confidence and self-esteem is very high. He feels very successful and it shows in many ways! It has been three years since Jonathan finished his therapy and we are all thrilled with his achievements.
    
    
21. "The teachers were telling me how lazy Zach was.:
    "Zack finished therapy 5 months ago. Since then he has had straight A's twice, scored in the 96th percentile on the IOWA standardized test, and may be invited to join the gifted program. I can't go into the classroom without the teacher telling me how great Zack is. This situation in contrast to last year where the teacher's were telling me how lazy Zack was, how he was simply not trying, while I was seeing a child at home struggling for hours with his homework. What a fantastic change!!"
    
    
22. "We were very much in doubt that anything would work"
    "Chris was a very unmotivated child. He did not like to do any kind of work: reading, math, etc., anything we got him to do was like pulling teeth. He was on Ritalin about three years. He is a 15 year old boy going into the seventh grade. He has a good outlook on school now, and is trying more at home and school than he ever has. When we started at Cook's we were very much in doubt that anything would work for Chris, we had been through so many different types of training for him and they all led us back to where we started from. But it seems like the eye therapy was the answer. Thank you for everything."
    
    
23. "She was being tested for Attention Deficit Disorder."
    "Ashley has been so excited about the changes. . . . I think it would have been horrible to have her labeled as ADD when her only problem was [reading] comprehension. In the initial consultation, I could see she had a definite problem. She was seeing double. She has had a dramatic improvement. She can control her eyes while reading so now she is able to concentrate. She feels more confident in herself after seeing improvement in her grades."
    
    
24. "He no longer needs his Ritalin."
    The changes I've noticed in Ryan since he began vision Therapy are- he now reads more for enjoyment, he has more self-confidence and he comprehends what he reads much better. But, the best change has been that he no longer needs his Ritalin. He had been taking it for 2 years-he has always made good grades and still does, but with much less effort."
    
    
25. "His teachers felt he exhibited signs of ADD."
    "Christopher was having trouble staying "on task" at school and his teachers felt he exhibited signs of ADD. His father and I would not accept this evaluation. The school gave hims some psychological tests which showed he had a high I.Q. We were very frustrated that the school wanted to label him as a problem. The teachers modified his work and did not challenge him-this gave Christopher very low self-esteem.
    
    At our lowest point, I saw Dr. Cook on a television interview . . . I got Dr. Cook's book that day and read it cover to cover. This convinced me to schedule a screening visit. . . We say in five minutes that Christopher had a problem with his eyes working together. In three months of therapy, this problem has been corrected. Christopher's work is no longer modified. He scored very well in reading and reading comprehension on the Iowa Basic Test. Also he is now being evaluated for the gifted program at school. Christopher now has the tools to reach his potential. We are very, very grateful to Dr. Cook and everyone at Cook Vision Therapy.
    
    
26. "Adult reading gains "not calculable in dollars."
    "During the Christmas holidays . . . between semesters, I had the flu . . . not a totally happy occasion. But there was on delightful aspect of the illness. I stayed in bed for two days and read. In fact, I read a 464 page book. Although I have been a slow reader, I have read many lengthy books. The miracle of this 464 page book was that I did it in two days! I did not have the headaches and blurred vision that have frustrated me all my reading life . . . I was able to read for long periods instead of 15 or 20 minutes at a time . . . I didn't have constant problems losing my place . . . land I understood what I read. Last semester I read 17 books! This kind of reading had never been possible before my work with Dr. Cook.
    
    When I began working with Dr. Cook, it was difficult for me to agree to spend the time and money for a treatment that I had not heard of. It felt like I was leaping off a cliff. The joy that I feel now is that I didn't crash at the bottom of the cliff with nothing to show fro my time and my dollars. Instead Dr. Cook and his staff taught me to fly on the way down. The difference that Cook Vision Therapy has made in my life is "not calculable in dollars" . . . and I have struggled to find the words inadequate to describe my joy.