Where Levi Started
When Levi started at Cornerstone in June of 2020, his imagination and creativity was amazing, but he engaged in scripting for much of the day. He found it aversive when peers were playing in the same room as him and avoided engaging with his therapists, making it challenging for his therapists to gain instructional control. Levi had difficulty ending reinforcement and handing back toys. Transitions from reinforcement often led to refusal. Levi frequently engaged in escape/avoidance behaviors but found it aversive to request a break. His skills were mostly in Level 1 of the VB-MAPP, and he demonstrated few skills in Level 2 of the VB-MAPP. His overall score on the VB-MAPP Milestones Assessment was 39.5 points.
How Levi Improved
By the time Levi graduated from Cornerstone, he was moving away from reinforcement and putting toys away when his therapists asked him to. In addition, Levi was able to engage in reinforcement next to peers and attend a 15-minute group with other children. He sought out the attention of his therapists and other adults and often asked them to join him in play. Levi would functionally communicate with his therapists and peers using full sentences, he communicated his feelings, and asked for a break when prompted to do so.Furthermore, Levi learned many skills during his time at Cornerstone, including reading and writing, and how to complete several daily living skills, such as wiping down tables and sweeping the floor. He was able to follow a daily schedule that included academic work, social skills training, and daily living skills. Levi mastered 117.5 programs from the VB-MAPP Milestones Assessment during his time at Cornerstone and achieved a score of 157 out of 170.
When asking Levi’s family about their experience, his mom said they have nothing but great things to say about Cornerstone! She
continued, “I honestly don’t know where we would be without you guys. You have changed our lives forever, and by helping Levi, you have changed his life for the better. We will miss Cornerstone and his therapists, but I think he is ready for his next big adventure (public school). Again we can’t thank you guys enough for everything. Keep doing your amazing work.”
Levi made incredible progress and was ready to transition to school, but his hilarious stories and antics will be dearly missed by everyone at Cornerstone. We know that Levi will continue to master new skills and teach everyone about his favorite videos and characters when he goes to school!
-Kayla Helms, MA, BCBA
