Where Kooper Started
When Kooper started at Cornerstone on August 24, 2020, he was highly motivated to communicate his wants, needs, and thoughts. However, he did not yet have a reliable mode of communication and, instead, used gestures and pointing to convey information. Kooper found loud noises to be aversive, particularly the hand dryer in the bathroom. He formed strong relationships with his therapists but had limited interest in peers. He avoided getting his picture taken by covering his face or ears when a camera was presented. Kooper struggled with fine motor skills and found toothbrushing to be aversive. However, he loved learning and enjoyed clapping with his therapists when he accomplished a new task. His skills were in Level 1 of the VB-MAPP, with an overall score on the VB-MAPP Milestones Assessment of 12 points at the time of his initial assessment.
How Kooper Improved
By the time Kooper graduated from Cornerstone, he was able to mand using three-to-five-word sentences with his Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) device. He enjoyed playing with and talking about his favorite characters and superheroes. Kooper excelled in a classroom group with his peers and had fun riding scooters with them. He was toilet trained and had no difficulty entering any of the bathrooms in the center. He no longer appeared bothered by loud sounds but was able to request and wear headphones when needed. Kooper found it fun to get his picture taken and make silly faces for the camera. He learned how to complete many dressing skills requiring fine motor skills, such as putting his socks on and fastening snaps. Kooper was also able to independently brush his teeth and found it hilarious to listen to “My Shiny Teeth and Me” while doing so. His overall score was 121 on the VB-MAPP Milestones Assessment when he transitioned from Cornerstone.
Kooper’s team at Cornerstone is so proud of him for working hard to communicate with others, improve his independent self-help skills, and accomplish the skills necessary to transition to school. When asking staff what they will miss most about Kooper, they said they would miss his laugh, silliness, creativity, and overall bright disposition. Although he will be missed, we know that Kooper will excel in school! Good luck, Kooper!
