Testimonials - Chris Vinceneux, OTR/L

The following are some of the letters we have received
from parents, teachers, advocates, and therapists as a testimonial
of how our services have helped children with special needs.

Autism and Occupational Therapy

Dear Chris Vinceneux,

I feel really fortunate to have had your involvement with Daniel as his consulting Occupational Therapist these past two years. Your initial assessment and skill in articulating Daniel’s neurological needs resulted in the level of OT services he needed to really benefit from the therapy. We have seen remarkable changes in Daniel since then. Prior to your training of the OTR on staff and consultations with us, Daniel’s OT sessions were a struggle for his therapist. Your experience in assessing the appropriate level of sensory input Daniel required helped to turn his sessions around. Through your regular reviews of videotaped sessions and phone conferences, his OTR has received from you the technical support, training and supervision she required to make a noticeable impact on Daniel’s sensory processing abilities. Your work has increased my son’s ability to remain more calm and focused in more stressful environments, to readily engage in tasks, and transition from one activity to another. When Daniel began under your care, he could not easily participate in group activities nor focus on tasks without repeated prompting. Now, a new world of possibilities is opening up to him because of his increasing ability to integrate his sensory experiences and motor plan what he needs to do. He can hit a tennis ball repeatedly on the tennis court, roll a bowling ball, maneuver a bike, play catch, do an increasing number of fine motor activities with less assistance, and stay more involved in activities... I have the videotapes to prove it!

Autism and Attention Problems

Brush my student? Use a therapy ball to apply pressure? Give joint compressions? I don’t have time for all these occupational therapy recommendations!! I’m too busy as it is! These were some of the concerns I had when I first heard about implementing a sensory diet in my already busy classroom of special education students. However, working with children with autism and their many sensory needs, I soon discovered that it was my advantage to use the techniques I had learned from Chris Vinceneux, OTR. They weren’t time consuming, some taking only a few minutes, and they could be integrated with other activities; these activities made my job easier in the long run since the students could attend better. Now when someone says diet, I don’t think about food!

Autism and Behavior Problems

Chris Vinceneux, OTR is a vital member of my son’s ABA-based home program team. Not only is Chris able to provide activities to work on specific gross and fine motor skill deficits, he is also very knowledgeable about sensory-motor issues that affect many persons with autism. Chris is familiar with applied behavioral analysis and the goals that he has written for my son reflect that knowledge. For example, we have been able to teach my son to unbutton by starting on large size buttons, then decreasing in size. However, motivation was an issue so Chris showed us how to make a bag that would hold a highly desired item, which my son had to unbutton to have access to. Chris is able to analyze drills from a sensory-motor viewpoint and give input when discussing program or learning issues. My son was unable to point or touch requested items and was unable to look where people were directing him to look. Chris came up with a tracking plan, which worked on these two issues. My son has learned to generalize these skills and can isolate on the computer screen what we want him to be paying attention to. With Chris’s input, occupational therapy has become an integrated part of my son’s program, and not a separate service.

Autism and Motor Problems

Thinking back two years ago it amazes me to see how much Stephanie has progressed. I remember when Stephanie had to be hospitalized to have her teeth worked on under general anesthesia. Now, Stephanie is able to have her teeth checked up at a local dental office, and on two occasions Stephanie has had two cavities worked on during her regular dental visits. I give credit to the techniques taught by Chris Vinceneux, OTR, on gum massage, brushing, and deep pressure. Another big improvement for Stephanie has been the fact that she’s not falling down like she used to do. Chromosome 22 ring has caused Stephanie to have low muscle tone, and poor motor coordination. Through the occupational therapy intervention directed by Chris, Stephanie has been able to walk on different terrain surfaces without constantly falling down. Because of Stephanie’s second diagnosis of autism, she has had a great deal of sensory problems. Stephanie couldn’t tolerate getting her teeth brushed. Now she has improved to the point that after brushing her teeth, I can even ask her to stick out her tongue so that I can brush it to a count of ten. It is great to see Stephanie’s willingness to be compliant with this task. I’m very grateful to Chris Vinceneux for being able to make a thorough Occupational Therapy assessment, finding all of Stephanie’s deficiencies, setting up a comprehensive plan for her school, and for the individualized training I received. Most of all I thank Chris Vinceneux for the support and encouragement he’s always given to us, my husband and I. A sincere thanks from both of us.

Autism and Sensory Problems

I first met Chris Vinceneux, OTR, in 1996 when he was the occupational therapist for a non-public school serving young children with autism. In addition to working one-on-one with the children during OT sessions, he also provided ongoing staff training so that they could integrate sensory strategies into daily interventions. He also taught the staff how to utilize special techniques to enhance attention, reduce frustration, and alleviate decompensation. The result was clear: the children learned better. Chris also acknowledged parents as full participants of the team and parents were always welcomed at the OT sessions. They felt supported and their carry over strategies further enhanced the children’s progress. Chris’ enthusiasm and belief in the natural abilities of the child were reflected in his work -and were contagious.

When Chris left the non-public school, he focused extensively on serving children on the autistic spectrum in the community. He frequently participates at IEP meetings to share his assessment results and recommendations. He examines issues of sensory modulation, defensiveness, registration, and integration in terms all members of the team can understand. He is unwavering in his commitment to excellence and requests that the team joins him in serving the unique needs of each child. Admirably, he is also able to retain his integrity under pressure.

Autism and Sensory Processing

As an Occupational Therapist working with children with sensory processing disorders such as Autism and Attention Deficit Disorder, the knowledge, guidance and help I have received from Chris Vinceneux, OTR have been invaluable. Applying what I learned during his initial 3-day intensive training course in 1997 brought about immediate positive results with an adolescent boy severely disabled with autism. This child has made steady progress since that time, and Chris’ follow up consultations via videotape and telephone have played a major role in that progress. He is an excellent teacher, well-informed, articulate, clear and precise, as well as a lovely man, and I am certain that I am a far better Occupational Therapist because of him.

Autism and Advocacy

Since 1996, I have closely collaborated with Chris Vinceneux, OTR on the educational and behavioral services provided to children with autism. Chris is very knowledgeable regarding the neurological and sensory needs of children with autism. I have attended his in-services, co-led in-services at school sites with him, and worked with him on various cases. He is able to creatively incorporate sensory techniques into behavior modification programs without disrupting the program. Thus, he understands and is very respectful of various behavioral approaches used to teach children with autism. Chris works well with parents and staff. He is patient when answering questions about sensory and motor needs of children with autism. He is able to explain difficult concepts in terms that are understandable to most people.

I have found that many autistic children have had difficulty performing various behavior modification tasks due to sensory or motor difficulties. Further, many children are easily over-stimulated by their environment. Chris taught me how to incorporate calming and other techniques that enhance sensory and motor development in their behavior modification programs. These techniques have been very successful in helping the children remain calmer and more attentive during the training sessions. The incorporation of various fine and gross motor tasks suggested by Chris into the behavior modification program often result in increased progress of self help skill development. Also, with the introduction of a “sensory diet” that provides calming techniques all throughout and at different times during the therapy sessions, the children are much more able to perform the given tasks and demonstrate increased attention, motivation and compliance.

My son, Sean, is diagnosed with Asperger's. Sean was having a number of difficulties with the most severe occurring at his school. At school, Sean was experiencing frequent and long tantrums (over an hour in length). He was being restrained numerous times a week and would come home with bruises and had nightmares from being restrained. The situation at home kept on deteriorating. A behavior intervention plan was developed; however, it was ineffective, as it did not address the sensory overload that was contributing to Sean's tantrums. Prior to Chris's involvement, my son had an OT who had not been able to help with his difficulties at school. This OT provided vague explanations regarding Sean's sensory needs and seemed unable to solve the classroom chaos. Not until Chris Vinceneux, OTR entered the picture did things start to turn around. After reading Chris's evaluation, I knew someone finally understood my son! Chris stepped in with weekly OT sessions and regular consultations with the teachers. Chris coordinated with the teachers to integrate a sensory diet into Sean's daily class schedule and to help the teachers understand how Sean's brain works. In addition, Chris modeled to the teachers different techniques for working with Sean. Chris provides me with thorough explanations of Sean's sensory needs, how his brain works and what he is working on during the OT sessions. Chris is very professional in IEP's and Due Process Hearings, yet playful and caring around my son. I feel blessed to have met Chris. I can not imagine where Sean would be without him. Chris gave my son an opportunity for a future! A million thanks are not enough!