Dr. Martine Richardson Sacks, MD

This woman is a bigot. My daughter has developmental delays that affect her ability to eat, so of course I tried to get her help. Dr. Sacks announced that even though she didn't suspect abuse or neglect, she intended to exploit mandatory reporter laws and my own disabilities to report me to child welfare "to get you services." I BEGGED her not to do that, as we've already been traumatized that way (by the Providence maternity department, no less) and FOUR mandatory reporters come into our home on a regular basis for the services we already receive. She answered that "9 times out of 10, I make these reports and there isn't even a follow up call. Because that's not a red flag or anything. She followed through, and a neglect investigation was opened. She told them that I'm "struggling with mental health" (conveniently vague, but I do have PTSD & receive disability), that I'm a hoarder (a lie) with haphazard & unsanitary piles of garbage that could injure my child, and that I… have unrealistic expectations of treatment. That last one is especially offensive since ALL I asked was help teaching my 2yo to EAT and not hit my service dog in the face with vacuum attachments. "She can't be taught, she's autistic." That's what the DEVELOPMENTAL PEDIATRICIAN said. The investigation was closed within a week. For obvious reasons, I told scheduling that we would not be working with Dr. Sacks or the speech pathologist she insisted was all we needed. She filed another neglect report that my daughter "isn't getting enough to eat." She is an evil, evil woman unfit to practice. Stay away.

This doctor struggles if a child is complex or difficult. She dislikes parents and is very discriminatory. She blames parents for their children's issues. She doesn't have good interpersonal skills and and wants to be the expert at all times. She becomes hostile if she is not "in control" or "in charge". She is underhanded and is nice to your face but lies to other providers. She is unable to understand people from diverse backgrounds and comes from a very privileged background and can hardly relate to parents with children with special needs.

Because Dr. Sacks came so highly recommended, her schedule was very full and it did take a while to get our first appointment. But she is extremely thorough and it was well worth the wait. My son had been misdiagnosed with ADHD but through all her testing she discovered that he had Auditory Processing Disorder (problem with the signal between the ears and the brain) and a tracking disorder (problem with eye movement). As a result, we were able to stop chasing the wrong problem and get therapy for the real problems. He used to struggle with so many things, but hes doing WORLDS better now. His grades and his spirits are way up. Dr. Sacks is sweet and kind and spent loads of time with him. I cant say enough good things about our experience with her.