I remember when our son, Greyson, was first diagnosed with Lyme disease. We had no idea he would face so many cognitive challenges. Even after a successful treatment for Lyme, when the infection was no longer present, he was left with several cognitive issues. We were told he would benefit from cognitive therapy, but I wasn’t sure where to find it. We had already seen therapists at a children’s hospital and had been to a local counseling center, but nothing seemed to work. That’s when we found you at Equipping Minds. By this point I was skeptical that anything would work, but I was bolstered by your enthusiasm at our first evaluation. You said you were confident that you could help our son.
At his lowest point during his 10th grade year, Greyson could only handle two subjects a day. Math and English would take him all day long–from 9:00 in the morning until 10:00 at night. He would be so frustrated and feel so tortured trying to make his brain work. I was beginning to be afraid that he would face this for life. You put us on a daily regimen of worksheets, cognitive card games, primitive reflex exercises, and sound therapy. I didn’t understand how all of this was going to heal his brain, but the important thing is that it did. You had done the research, and you had seen it work. We worked worked with your cognitive training program over the summer, and then the next school year started. I thought I could begin to see a difference and even had comments from friends about how he “seemed better.”
It wasn’t until I timed his schoolwork that I realized the significant change: what used to take him hours to finish he was now completing in minutes! We were using a home school curriculum that allowed a student an hour to complete each assignment. I set the timer, and Greyson would report to me: 13 minutes for one subject, 25 minutes for another, 40 minutes for the next, and 55 minutes for one that should have been 1 1/2 hours. Not only was he completing the assigned work, but he was completing it FAST! You could tell that a weight had been lifted from his shoulders as he walked around singing and smiling. I would call it a miracle, as it feels like one. I know now that this therapy is what needs to happen when neural connections in the brain are not integrated. Your research has found the solution. I want everyone to know that there is hope, there is help, and there is an answer. Your child does not have to suffer.
Thank you for a beautiful end to our Lyme journey. God bless you and your family at Equipping Minds.
Gratefully,
Melissa Shaffer
