A Total Approach has been part of our family’s journey to help Max for over four years. Max, now six years old, has autism, apraxia, hypotonia, nocturnal epilepsy, and severe motor planning deficits. A Total Approach has always enthusiastically encouraged and supported us, although Max was, at times, slow to progress, and many other professionals weren’t sure how to help. The therapists at A Total Approach are the best we have seen, and they have dedicated themselves to constantly updating Max’s program to meet his changing needs. They also will share new ideas based on the latest research to assist him in achieving his goals. These ideas, based on the Individual Difference Relationship Based Approach to therapy as well as intensive Occupational, Physical, and Speech therapies, include Therapeutic Listening, Tomatis, pressure vests, brushing programs, and a whistle blowing protocol to help with sound production. They have coached us as parents, consulted with his teachers, and attended countless team meetings, all with Max’s needs being their focus. There aren’t words to describe how important Maude Le Roux, Angela Johnson, Mary Beth Crawford, Ayesha Ganges, Janice Buckwalter, Teresa Scully and the entire A Total Approach team have been to our family. They truly have gone above and beyond for us and remain a crucial part of Max’s treatment plan.

Thank you
 

Ken, Corinda, Drew, Max and Emily Crowther

Hi Maude, 

I hope this finds you well. It would take a book to share even the 3 days we’ve spent in the world you’ve built here in PA, and while I may someday want to do just that :), I did want to share a poem I wrote tonight, after being inspired by the beautiful common thread of PLAY that has created such a treasure trove of learning and experiences for us all even in these first few days at A Total Approach, and by the recent NYTimes story you’ve probably heard about that went viral in parent groups called, “Don’t Play with Your Kids. Seriously.

The Presence of Play

When Play is here, you will feel peace
When Play is here, you will feel seen
When Play is here, you will be heard and understood far beyond the meaning of your words

Play sets up shop with bridge builders who invite connection with no demands
Play dances at the feet of those who subdue the mandates from on high in order to wander in the messy fields of joy

Play follows you around, a steadfast doula of ideas, a maker of worlds
She is a creatrix who flows in the mystery of possibilities and in the realities of muddy raw earth

Play knows there is no more important place to be than with you right now doing this very thing
Play knows that creating is your birthright and she is the gateway that will lead you there again and again
Play knows that when you get to know her well, you will accept nothing less for yourself than the gifts of her freedom and her challenge for they will live within you shaping your life

Play is an original vibration humans feel in our bones
Play is our most universal language now exiled by the vast temples of knowledge we built on top of her when we deemed her too simple to remain enthroned in the hearts of children and the adults they grow into…

Banished from schools, disallowed from insurance coverage for therapy, and now derided in the popular culture’s view of the home, we face a grim reality alongside her…
Our world is on fire, threatening all we hold near and dear in this life, and she holds one of the most powerful keys to unlock our souls from their prisons of ego and societal expectations—what will it take for us to seek her?
Play is Power
Play is Presence
and the Presence of Play is Life

I came across my testimonial after our first 3 intensives together, and I cried. It brought me right back to how I had felt first walking through your doors. You saved us. I was told by the developmental pediatrician right after his 3rd birthday that he would probably never be in a typical classroom, doing typical things, with the other typical children.

All my best, Grateful Mom

I don’t think we talk enough (or at all) about how unsafe it can feel as a parent to begin to engage with the world of Occupational Therapy (or any therapy for that matter) and trust the therapists with your entire world. 

As a former teacher and principal, I developed a strong distaste for the way children are often pathologized, labeled, and “treated” by “experts” who might mean well but make the children and their parents feel as if they are broken objects to “fix.” 

By the time I had my own child more than a decade after leaving the school system, people were waking up to the ableist tendencies of our educational /therapeutic system. While this felt like progress, sadly, it became a different trap. We were told that seeking help for our son was either “selfish and ableist” or that it was “urgent to get all interventions up and running as soon as possible.” 

We knew we needed support and guidance but weren’t willing to seek help that didn’t align with our values around child-directed play, accepting our son’s pace and preferences, and never forcing him to do anything.

A trusted friend and speech therapist set us on a path into the incredible ecosystem of DIR Floortime, which fortuitously led us to Maude LeRoux. My husband and I first heard her speak at a virtual conference and found ourselves exclaiming throughout her talk, “Oh wow, that sounds like… (insert one of our kid’s names), “Ooh- I never realized that.”  She did not talk about children as broken objects to be fixed, nor did she use the buzzwords of urgency to align with the arbitrary timeline held so tightly by schools, doctors, and society.  It turns out that the curiosity, interest, and safety we felt in that first virtual experience is a hallmark of Maude’s engagement with families.

I decided to audit an ICDL Floortime Course she was co-teaching, and I signed up for virtual courses she offered through her training academy that, to my great surprise, included Occupational Therapists AND parents. The fact that the courses were open to parents and practitioners sent another strong signal of safety about how she sees and engages with children and their parents. 

In each meeting, I watched Maude gently guide practitioners toward a deeper connection with the children they serve. She delivered her feedback with a laser-like focus on the child’s needs, actionable steps, and unconditional regard for the therapists and families. I left each class with a notebook full of things to notice, wonder, and try with our son, along with a few tears in my eyes at how every child was seen as a wonder- worthy of being deeply known. I knew I wanted to see our son through her wise, compassionate eyes and learn how to best support him – I knew we would all be safe.

My husband and I decided that it was well worth the investment of energy, time, and resources to find a way to work with her team in some way at A Total Approach, even though we lived many states away. As leadership/team development consultants who had worked with dozens of leaders and teams worldwide, we were well acquainted with the challenge many leaders/founders have around translating their energy and approach into their team, no matter how well-intentioned they are. 

On the first call with the ATA practice manager, Angela Gaudiuso-Johnson we were floored by more than the clear connection between her and Maude. It was as if, in one session, she already knew our kids, answered questions we didn’t even know we had, and gave us clarity and direction on what to expect in our work with their team, and how to support our kids in the process.

Upon our arrival to Pennsylvania a few short months later, we were greeted with the same warmth, connection, and sense of safety by the entire team of ATA Therapists and Office Manager that we received from Maude, and Angela. The two weeks we spent with my son and stepson are some of our fondest memories as a family.  Everyone worked hard to make our experience as enjoyable and meaningful as possible in ways that extended beyond our time in the clinic. Even our teenager felt excited to see the staff the next day and tell them which of their recommendations we used for our evening outings or restaurant selections. Our now fourteen-year-old and four-year-old still talk fondly about “the toy store” (our little one’s nickname for it because of the endless array of toys, especially in Ms. Janine’s room). In the beginning, we anticipated our youngest not going inside as he frequently refused to do it in other places, but by the middle of the first day, we had the opposite problem: he cried when it was time to leave for lunch. We all carry the learning from those two weeks into our daily lives as a family, along with our ongoing connection through individually tailored home programs and consultations. 

I once heard Maude say in a class, “True safety brings healing,” and that’s exactly what she, Angela, and her team provided for us as parents. They create a sense of genuine safety that has given us all space to learn and grow at our own pace. The ATA Team instinctively understands what it takes to create this unique blend of safety, love, and expertise that genuinely impacts kids’ lives on a practical, day-to-day basis.  

With each cycle of support, we complete with ATA, we learn so much about what is possible by focusing on RELATIONSHIP first, suspending concerns about time and the speed of development, and leaning into our intuitive wisdom as parents. Have we learned a LOT of sophisticated, science-y, developmental stuff, and play-based activities aligned with our kid’s needs to do regularly in our home along the way? Without a doubt, but it’s the love, joy, and gentle, authentic appreciation for our family that has made ATA our most trusted teachers and guides.

Rebekah