Our Stories
Parents of an oppositional five year-old
" When Dr. Tolk first met our family, our son was terrorizing the house and falling to pieces at school. After two unsuccessful pre-school placements, and daily raging tantrums we were at our wits’ end. Our son showed a large gap between his social/emotional development and his cognitive development. We sought a thorough neuro-psychological evaluation, which yielded no specific diagnosis. Shortly after that, we began working with Dr. Tolk. Using an eclectic mix of strategies – behavioral, personality-based, family-oriented – Dr. Tolk helped us put effective systems in place to manage our son at home and at school. Although we were initially wary of “behaviorism” and the harshness and rigidity which we assumed that implied, Dr. Tolk crafted systems that were firm and consistent, while being tailored to both us and our son. They worked. She met regularly with us and with our son, worked very closely with our son’s school to understand how to best help him and to help them adjust their teaching practices so that they would work better for him. She also supervised a shadow-aide, who maintained the structures around our son as long as they were needed. When he outgrew them, Dr. Tolk carefully “faded” the aide. Dr. Tolk worked with us to explore different options for elementary school placement, and now periodically checks in with us and the school to make sure that everything stays on track. Playing soccer with a team, advancing academically, and receiving love and respect from his teachers (instead of frustration and dismay), our son is now thriving and successful. He still challenges us occasionally, but we have the structures and skills to cope with the situation."
Father of an autistic 14 year old
"My wife and I wanted to take this opportunity to thank Whole Child for all they have done for our family. It has been a long, tough, and exhausting road raising a child like our son. It seems like a long time ago when we first met Nann and she gave us a dose of reality and guidance on how to navigate it all the best way we could. There were many bumps in the road and along the way, Whole Child was there for our entire family whenever we needed them. There are no words to describe how grateful we are. The name says it best, "Whole Child." They gave us advice on IEPs, Behavior Plans, Reward Systems, Programs, Services, Books, ABA Therapy... the list goes on and on. They helped us at home, at school, and in the community. They took care of every family member in our home, including our other son & our dog. We feel very blessed that we found them. Our son is excelling at school and is accessing the program well. We just wanted to pass along our sincere and utmost gratitude to all of them. They definitely went above and beyond."
Father of an ADHD 8 year old
" We have worked with many professionals over the last several years trying to get help for our daughter. Our work with Dr. Susan over the last few months has been more helpful than any other professional that we have worked with. Please tell her “Thank You” from us."
Amy Walthall, Psy.D., private practice psychologist
" As a private practice psychologist, I am very impressed with Whole Child’s work. There are limits to what parents and kids can learn in a therapy session, and I am grateful there is someone who can go right to families and kids, in their home or in school, to help directly where the problem is occurring. I’ve seen kids make phenomenal progress with Whole Child that another clinician might have found impossible."
Mother of an autistic 15 year old
" Since ending our work together, my son had the chance to practice what he has learned. He recently went snorkeling and he was polite, respectful and helpful to everyone on the boat. He voluntarily helped others with their equipment. He played a card game with 5 other teenagers for over an hour. The work of the Whole Child team really helped him. He is very happy at school and doing well academically, too. Thank you for making it possible!"