Griffin’s Story

Where Griffin Started

Griffin started at Cornerstone in 2020 with only 32.5 VB-MAPP milestone points. He could communicate with adults but often repeated what they said instead of forming his own thoughts. He engaged in the behavior of self-injury in the form of biting his arms or wrists when he became upset and had lengthy tantrums. Griffin was not potty trained and wore a pull-up throughout his day—he was unwilling to sit on the toilet and a desensitization plan was put in place to aid in his tolerance of this aversive activity.

How Griffin Improved

After only a year of ABA therapy at Cornerstone, Griffin attained 142.5/170 VB-MAPP milestone points. He can write his name at the top of a worksheet, identify letter sounds, state his phone number and address, and work on a pre-academic workbook independently for up to five minutes. He can now complete daily living routines without adult assistance like tying his shoes, washing dishes, and peeling his oranges at lunch time. Before graduation, Griffin spent time in the transitional classroom and used a visual daily schedule to identify what academic subject came next. Based on this schedule, he can work for intervals of 15 minutes before taking a break to play and took scheduled bathroom breaks with classmates. He can communicate with adults using full sentences and is a social butterfly with his peers. When Griffin graduated, his self-injury was at near-zero levels, and he learned how to regulate his feelings using deep breaths and talking through his feelings with an adult. Griffin left Cornerstone both urine and bowel trained, able to spontaneously tell an adult when he needed to go to the bathroom and could complete the entire hand washing routine.

“Griffin is thriving in school! His mom reported that he gets so excited every day to ride the bus with his friends. His sweet smile and laugh are already missed so much at Cornerstone. We are so excited to see how far he goes in life!” said Victoria Oliver, BCBA and Kathleen Leahy, Team Lead.

CHECK OUT GRIFFIN’S GRADUATION VIDEO HERE!