TESTIMONIALS
At IDEA, we carefully design a program that will be specific to your child’s strengths and weaknesses.
I have been sharing cases that carry a variety of diagnostic presentations (i.e., autism, ADHD, ODD, anxiety) with John DiStasio since 2008, and over this time, he has impressed as one of the most skilled clinicians I know in Behavior Therapy in the New York City area. He has been able to work with- and accurately treat- students I have referred to him who have some of the most complex behaviors, producing results where once their behaviors are properly addressed, these students are ready to re-integrate back into the community in a very timely manner. I am constantly amazed at how patient, professional, and generous he is with his time, and the families with whom I’ve worked have consistently given me positive feedback regarding their experiences with him. He has also served as a great advocate for families when trying to receive appropriate services through the Department of Education. I highly recommend John and his team to any families whose children are struggling with behaviorally-based conditions.
Jennifer L. Oratio, Psy.D.
Pediatric Neuropsychologist
New York, NY
When your child is vulnerable in any way, when your child needs special attention and care, the people who are there for you are in your heart for life. John DiStasio is that person in our lives and the life of our daughter. John started working with our daughter when she was three, and the word autism was still a confusing and terrifying diagnosis our family had yet to absorb and fully understand.
Through his skill, expertise, devotion, and love, John helped us navigate the diagnosis, the assortment of therapies, the lows, the highs, and the ordinary days in between. John and the incredible staff he has thoughtfully brought together at IDEA, have been there for our daughter and for us every step of this unexpected and sometimes heartbreaking journey. They have brainstormed together to come up with a cohesive strategy for helping our daughter make the greatest gains possible for her. When she has hit roadblocks– as kids often do – they went back to the drawing table and came up with new ideas, new tactics, to get her back on the right path.
All children are different and have their own challenges and strengths. Our daughter happens to have a particularly complicated array of challenges, but she also has some beautiful talents and interests. John’s great skill – and a strength he brings as the leader of IDEA – is that he sees those positive qualities in her and always helps her to use them to achieve the most that she can so that she has a joyful, enriched life. And our daughter responds to this engagement and encouragement by happily heading out each day to therapy. One of the best parts of my day is when I bring our daughter to IDEA and she sees John, or any of the other members of the amazing staff, and she kisses me and pushes away saying, “Bye mom. See you later.” And we can send her off with ease and joy, knowing she is embraced and encouraged all day by people who care deeply for her well-being.
One of John’s greatest abilities is that he finds and attracts great clinicians and leads them as a team. He also collaborates fully with outside providers for our daughter’s benefit, knowing he has as much to learn from them as they do from him. John has accompanied us to doctor and dentist appointments, to the hairdresser and swim lessons. He has trained her athletic instructors, yoga teachers, brothers, and friends so they know the best ways to interact with our daughter. He and the IDEA team have set up structures not just at the office, but at home and in the community, so that the skills she learns in her academic setting are generalized in all aspects of her life.
There are truly no words to express how indebted we are to John and the IDEA team for all they have done for our daughter and our family. The greatest recommendation is the fact that we have been with him for 15 years and know he will always be a member of our family, and we will always be a member of the wonderful IDEA family.
Esther - Parent
I am pleased to write on behalf of IDEA and its outstanding work with our students.
As Head of the Alexander Robertson School, I have had the privilege of working with John DiStasio, Executive Director of IDEA. I find John to be an extraordinary professional who care deeply about the students he has been entrusted to with his talented team of providers.
They are well trained and most knowledgeable in providing their students with proper support, administered by talented professionals who in addition to being highly skilled in their areas of expertise are also experienced teachers. Hence, they tend to be helpful, rather than intrusive, to the classroom teachers whose classes they serve in. It is therefore, easy to discern the progress their students make during the course of the day and school year. It is for those reasons that I wish to offer my congratulations to John, for a job well done and look forward to continuing our partnership in the years to come. Their outstanding work has enabled our school to offer an inclusion program to students who need additional help with Speech and Language, OT and Social and/or Emotional Skills, some of which can be administered at the school, in addition to those services that take place at the IDEA offices.
It is for those reasons and more, that I applaud their excellent work.
Irwin Shlachter,
Head of The Alexander Robertson School
I met John and Lisa 5 years ago at the Bellevue Children Comprehensive psychiatric emergency programs. I was the director of the program and a family of one of our patients asked if they can come to work with the patient during her stay in the hospital. I was very impressed with their professional level and clinical work. They were able to calm a very agitated patient and work with her on so many goals that none of the hospital staff was able to achieve.
During the years of my work in private practice I was able to collaborate with them in treating multiple patients with great results on every level. They have a great understanding for the family dynamic in addition to the behavioral aspects of struggling children.
Fadi Haddad,
M.D. Child, Adolescent and Adult Psychiatry
Clinical Assistant Professor- NYU School of Medicine
I have had the pleasure of knowing and working with John DiStasio for many years. I can’t think of a better, more effective professional providing services to the community of children and families affected by Behavioral issues and Autism Spectrum Disorders.
John, and his team at IDEA Associates, work tirelessly on behalf of each child, making sure that their experience is optimal and fosters the advancement of their skills. The program of services is expertly planned, executed and highly individualized. The level of parent satisfaction with their work is truly amazing.
Mike Kunin
Ramapo for Children
Director of Family Relations
and Camp Director Emeritus