Testimonials
My husband and I would like to thank Julia Grover-Barrey for all the help she and her staff gave our grandson, Connor. We became Connor’s guardians when he was13 months old, his father was deployed with the military.
Connor was a drug and alcohol exposed baby, born 3 weeks premature and with double clubfeet.
He was diagnosed with ADHD and placed on medication at 7 years old.
“Connor had problems with eye-hand coordination, balance and motor skills. Through the activities used by Julia and her staff Connor gradually improved. Working on balance, using a trapeze, doing obstacle courses, and other methods Connor improved his skills and was able to meet challenges.”
In addition to weekly therapy, we were given activities to do at home with Connor. Julia and her staff were caring and interested not only in Connor, but our family and all those they treated. Connor enjoyed his therapy and the therapists who worked with him.
Connor is now living with his father and sister near Savannah, GA, where his father is stationed in the Army. He asked about Julia Grover-Barrey and her staff at Christmas and wishes he could return to see them.
Sincerely,
—Judi and Don Russell
“My son had always had behavior problems. He was diagnosed with sensory issues by the time he was 2. ”
By 1st grade he was getting in trouble at school. His pediatrician sent him to see Julia Grover-Barrey. I was very skeptical, but figured anything was worth a try.
He seriously acted out during the evaluation, but I was ensured they could help with his behavior. I am so thankful that I stuck with it because it worked. Within a few sessions my son had calmed down and the daily phone calls from school stopped!
The best part for me was helping me understand exactly what my son was feeling and why, and how I can help him at home.
—Penny Gutierrez
We noticed our daughter had behavioral issues as a toddler; she tended to be physically rough in her play with peers and adults, had an abnormally high tolerance to pain, sought a great deal of physical contact, and had intense and lengthy tantrums at home.
At 5-1/2 years of age, these behaviors escalated and became overwhelming for her and our family. Some of our daughter’s problematic behaviors improved through dietary changes, but she was still exhibiting verbally and physically aggressive behavior, direction avoidance, uncooperativeness, and a general inability to cope with age-appropriate expectations.
We sought the help of a pediatric occupational therapist in our area named Julia Grover-Barrey. She evaluated our daughter and found her to have self-regulation and sensory processing issues, namely problems with motor coordination, visual motor skills, mixed dominance, and retained reflexes, as well as a strong need for active proprioceptive input, for which she recommended weekly OT treatments. Our daughter’s behavior displayed significant improvement after the first session, with less frequent and intense tantrums, and increased confidence and ability to cope, and her behavior continued to improve dramatically during the course of treatment. At the final evaluation, our daughter was found to have complete improvement in all areas except mixed dominance, which she may always have; however, our daughter has obtained the skills necessary to cope with any issues that arise.
“The transformation that occurred in our daughter was remarkable, and she is thriving in all areas of life. We like to say that Julia “gave us our daughter back.” We cannot thank nor recommend her enough.”
—The Pool Family
A multi pronged approach is critical to treating children with brain based disorders, and we have seen firsthand how profoundly these strategies can impact health and overall behavior. Our son was three when we first started seeing Julia for occupational therapy when she was working out of her clinic, and he continued with her program for nearly two years, seeing her once a week. During his time with her we saw improvements in motor skills, body awareness and positioning, communication, and behavior. Julia made it clear to us that implementing and being consistent with her "homework" recommendations would make all the difference in our son's development, and we found that to be true. It makes sense that giving the parents tools to assist their children is the best way to affect change, as they spend the most time and have the most influence on their children. With this program, the parent becomes the therapist! We highly recommend using this wholistic approach to children's health.
—Karianne Croy
Our son Nico started sessions with Julia Grover-Barrey and her staff starting when Nico was 8 years old. Though we got him into Occupational Therapy later than we would have liked, the results were immediate and long lasting. Julia is clearly passionate about her work and her direct nature and proven results made us push our son to continue weekly visits for 2 years as well as daily, at-home exercises. Today, Nico is 11 and his ability to perform at life’s basic needs and joys continue to increase and I think Julia’s program deserves a lot of credit for his progress. Whereas once Nico lagged at the bottom of his class in performance and academic capability, he is now on par.
One example of Julia’s work came about 6 months into Nico time with the program. We were camping and Nico decided to walk across a log that was bridging a small stream. Before his time in OT, he might not have attempted such an activity because it requires coordination, balance, and spatial awareness. If he had attempted it, he most likely would have been wet and bruised. Yet that day—having done week after week of exercises to strengthen, add awareness, and reprogram his spatial awareness—Nico jumped on the log and confidently strode over the creek without incident. From that point on my belief in Julia’s gift were solidified. Today, Nico’s continues to make great strides and my confidence and skills as a parent have not abated either. I constantly seek opportunities for Nico where he can “cross his midline”, strengthen his core muscles, and challenge himself in new and novel ways. Thank you, Julia for your many gifts to our son and family!
—Brian Powell