Testimonials
Lauren has been seeing our son weekly for the past two years for a variety of sensory integration and other OT-related issues. He just turned five, and the progress has been absolutely remarkable! From the very beginning, Lauren established a strong rapport with him and was able to engage him in the activities she wanted to do with him (not an easy task given how self-directed he used to be). She is innovative and creative and makes their sessions so enjoyable that he looks forward to them all week. A few activities that come to mind are some amazing jumping and rolling on the exercise ball, setting up and doing intricate obstacle courses, making letters and shapes with foam, practicing a wide range of fine motor skills and learning how to write letters and numbers. Lauren is fantastic about providing me with detailed post-session updates so that I am up to speed on what’s going on. She is extremely responsive to questions and provides very valuable guidance and advice. Overall, Lauren is a wonderful and caring person in addition to being an incredibly knowledgeable and experienced therapist. We feel truly fortunate that she has been working with our son and are thrilled with the success we have seen.
-Mother of a 5-year-old boy at PS6
Lauren had the hard task of helping our 6-year-old son with his handwriting this past school year. In addition to his awkward grasp, he had trouble with letter formation and spacing. He was resistant to practicing with us, so Lauren helped to motivate him to complete homework assignments by creating personalized assignments that were fun and allowed him to get enough practice so his handwriting could develop. Our son enjoyed therapy with Lauren and wanted to please her. When he started getting comments from his teacher in his classroom journal that read “Wow! Nice handwriting!” we all knew the effort was paying off. Lauren communicated with our son’s teacher to make treatment more efficient. This relationship was so successful, that my son’s school switched from their handwriting program, to the handwriting program Lauren uses (Handwriting Without Tears). It was comforting during the school year to know that a therapist of Lauren’s caliber, knowledge, talent and personality was helping us to resolve our son’s handwriting. He has such important things to write about – now we can read what he writes!
-Mother of a 6-year-old boy at Solomon Schechter
Lauren- thanks so much for working with our son. We are so happy with all the help you have given him with his handwriting and drawing skills. It’s so great that you are able to keep it fun for him. He loves working with you! One terrific side effect is that he has more confidence and is willing to write more. Usually any request for him to write is met with resistance, but this father’s day, he wanted to write not only his own name on the card, but his brother’s name and the entire father’s day message! You’ve given us so many wonderful ideas for encouraging his fine motor development and he has made amazing strides in your care.
-Mother of a 5-year-old boy at The Browning School
As a speech language therapist, Lauren Stern and I have shared many children on our caseloads over the past 4 years.
As handwriting issues often come up in my own work with children, the Handwriting Without Tears techniques Lauren has taught me, along with the strategies regarding how to adjust activities for children with different abilities, have made a remarkable difference in my work.
When children I work with need handwriting help from an occupational therapist, I am always certain in my recommendation of Lauren. Her keen ability to specifically assess a child’s handwriting strengths and weaknesses and to create a personalized program plan is flawless.
Lauren’s flexibility allows her to work “out of the box” on the Handwriting Without Tears program, making therapy efficient and fun, while appreciating what parents can handle for homework to facilitate carryover.
Children adore Lauren because she works with them at the highest level where they find success, and she makes therapy practical and fun.
Her active pursuit of continuing education has helped make her known in therapy circles as the Upper East Side Handwriting Helper. Each family I refer to Lauren has noticed timely improvements in their child’s work. To further demonstrate their happiness with their child’s new skills, these families often refer Lauren to work with children of their own friends. There have also been families that communicated to their ISAAGNY schools how happy they were with Lauren’s services.
While I work with a variety of occupational therapists, it is Lauren that always gives me gold standard answers to questions I pose about occupational therapy, handwriting and sensory concerns. I recommend her to help your child with handwriting with utmost confidence.
-Stephanie Sigal M.A. CCC-SLP, Speech Language Pathologist
www.sayandplayfamily.com
My son has been working with Lauren for over 4 years. During this time, we have not only seen significant improvements in his body awareness and coordination, but also in his self-confidence. In fact, we attribute much of his wonderful sense of self and others to his work with Lauren. He loves meeting with Lauren — and the focus of each session has changed based on his needs at the time. By making him aware of how he responds to his environment and teaching him strategies to cope, he is so much happier at home and at school. For instance, when he was younger, he sought out sensory stimulation and was unable to keep up with certain motor-planning activities. Lauren gave him the “cues” to look for and simple techniques that could be easily integrated into the day without calling attention to him at school. Lauren is not only an experienced professional…. her warm and caring nature makes our entire family look forward to her weekly visits.
-Mother of a 9-year-old boy at the Collegiate School
My daughter has been working with Lauren over the past year and the progress has been incredible. When we first started working together my daughter did not have much hand dominance and had some trouble with her letters. Lauren was so wonderful and patient, she made learning fun! Now my daughter can recognize all the letters and is so proud that she can write her full name and the names of all our family members. It is such a fantastic improvement and she loves trying to spell out various words. Her attention span has significantly improved, as she is more focused and loves to learn!
-Mother of a 4-year-old girl at the JCP of Tribeca
As a speech language pathologist I am often asked to recommend an occupational therapist. Time and time again…. one name comes to mind… Lauren Stern! I have had the privilege of working with Lauren and getting to know her professionally and personally, for over 10 years. She is extremely talented, experienced, dedicated, and hard working. Lauren has a unique way of making therapy fun! She understands that children all have individual needs and learning styles therefore she creates one of a kind therapy plans that fit each child’s specific profile. I have yet to meet a child or family who hasn’t been impressed by Lauren. If you are looking for an occupational therapist to come to your home and work with your child on sensory integration, fine motor skills, or handwriting…look no further!!! I feel extremely lucky to know Lauren and to have been given the opportunity to work with and learn from her. You too will feel lucky the moment you meet her!
-Allison H. Kreisler M.A. CCC-SLP
NYC Speech Language Pathologist
My daughter receives occupational therapy in a gym based setting and I wanted to supplement with home services as well. Lauren was recommended to me and has been a lifesaver for our family. My daughter has low muscle tone and fatigues easily. Lauren provides us with simple sensory solutions to use at home, helping my daughter to gain muscle strength and endurance every step of the way. Lauren’s expertise and professionalism are remarkable. She genuinely cares about my daughter and her accomplishments.
-Mother of a 4-year-old girl at Park East Synagogue
When I attended parent/teacher conferences, my son’s teacher was concerned with his graphomotor development. After seeing his work compared to some of his peers, I immediately went on a search for an OT and found Lauren. I am so glad I did! Lauren’s compassion and desire to help my son provided him with the self-confidence he needed to succeed. Now, 6 months into therapy, my son’s graphomotor skills have exceeded my expectations!
-Mother of a 6-year-old boy at Horace Mann School
When Lauren began therapy with my 5-year-old son, he did not have a hand dominance. Writing brought on tears and he would scribble over anything he drew or wrote. Lauren began the Handwriting Without Tears program with my son and he now writes beautifully and feels so good about himself. I would recommend Lauren to any family who has a child with similar struggles. She has been a miracle worker!
-Mother of a 5-year-old boy at The Allen-Stevenson School
