Testimonials

From Parents of a 7-year old with Asperger’s Syndrome:

Since we were first introduced to Dr. Gwen Fiske shortly after our son’s diagnosis with an autism spectrum disorder in 2010, she has proven to be an amazing resource – not only for our son, but the entire family.  Dr. Fiske carefully guided us through the initial post-diagnosis months as we attempted to learn more about our son’s diagnosis and provided us with excellent recommendations and resources.  When our son made the transition to public school, Dr. Fiske assisted us in advocating on his behalf to ensure that he received appropriate services and made herself available to our son’s teacher so that she would also feel supported.  Needless to say, we couldn’t have asked for a better introduction to the IEP world.

As our son has grown and his needs have changed so have those of our family, particularly with respect to the sibling dynamic.  Dr. Fiske and Mason Intervention have worked with both of our children to facilitate a solid sibling bond and have provided us with guidance as to how to handle various sibling-related situations that have arisen over the years.  We can be sure there will be many more in the future, but know that we will be supported.

Like all parents, we want the best for our son.  And, like all parents, we sometimes fall short.  But one thing we’ve always been able to provide him is the best treatment available.  Thank you, Mason Intervention.

From the Martin Family:

We first met Gwen when she was in her Doctoral program at Northwestern University. My son, Jack, has been with Gwen since he was 3 years old. Jack is now 16. When he was born, we were told that Jack would never walk, talk, read, write, do math, etc. Jack has had many different therapies since he was 3 months old, but I can honestly say that I believe the work that Jack has done with Gwen has made the most dramatic and important difference in the world. With Gwen’s help, Jack has made amazing progress. He is able to read! He can socialize! He can advocate for himself when he really wants to do something!

After Gwen did testing on him, she designed a reading program for Jack that was a combination of several specialized programs. Because Jack’s learning problems are unique, none of the existing programs were appropriate for him. Today, I can say that Jack has functional reading skills. Jack is also able to do very basic functional math and this is an area he continues to work on. Moreover, at Mason Intervention, Jack has increased his social skills by participating in groups with similar kids. The current focus for Jack is on ‘life skills’ and, in keeping with this, he now has a job at Mason Intervention for which he is paid a small stipend. This helps Jack in many ways – he has to follow written directions, and he has to be responsible just like anyone who has a job. Because of the varied academic and social skills therapies that Jack has participated in at Mason Intervention with Gwen, he has the self-esteem to ‘spread his wings,’ so to speak. He has learned how to be an alter server at our church, he stared in “Beauty and the Beast” with Special Gifts Theatre last spring, and he is now riding independently at his hippo therapy program.

We cannot say enough about the impact that Gwen Fiske has made on Jack’s life. I wish that every child with special needs could have the opportunity to work with her. She sees each child as an individual and she develops treatment plans that are designed to address both the academic and behavioral issues of the child. For the last thirteen years, Gwen has advocated for Jack at his school IEP meetings to make sure Jack’s schedule was appropriate for his way of learning. She really works to maximize each child’s potential!

Besides the outstanding dedication Gwen has given to Jack, she has also been instrumental in our family as a whole. Gwen has been very sympathetic to the emotional stress our family has faced having a special needs child. Gwen Fiske, Ph.D. is simply the BEST there is!