Where Ren Started
When Ren started at Cornerstone on June 3, 2019, he was curious and creative but did not yet know how to communicate. During his initial assessment, he was able to point to request to go and emit vocal approximations for two activities with echoic prompts. However, he struggled with articulation and was limited in his motor abilities. He initially communicated with American Sign Language paired with vocal approximations. Ren was interested in playing near and following or imitating other children but struggled to share toys with them. Furthermore, joining group activities was very aversive for Ren. He was a messy eater and refused to use utensils during mealtimes. Ren engaged in maladaptive behaviors frequently throughout the day, and they were often long in duration. Ren frequently took his shoes off and engaged in maladaptive behaviors when prompted to put them back on. His skills were in Level 1 of the VB-MAPP, with an overall score on the VB-MAPP Milestones Assessment of 18.5 points at the time of his initial assessment.
How Ren Improved
By the time Ren graduated from Cornerstone, he was able to vocally mand using three-to-five-word sentences, and his articulation had greatly improved. Although Ren was sometimes frustrated when working on programming, he was able to self-monitor his behaviors and was motivated to complete his programming tasks. Through his participation in desensitization programs, Ren gained the ability to calmly wear his shoes all day and attend group with his peers for at least 10 minutes at a time. Ren’s motor skills were strong, and he quickly learned to use utensils during mealtimes and complete many mealtime skills independently, such as microwaving his food for an appropriate amount of time, placing his plate and utensils in the dishwasher, and cleaning the table. Ren gained many social skills, as well, and would often spontaneously offer toys and other reinforcers to his peers. As Ren’s functional skills increased, his maladaptive behaviors decreased. His overall score was 130.5 on the VB-MAPP Milestones Assessment when he transitioned from Cornerstone.
The staff at Cornerstone are blown away by all that Ren accomplished over the last four years. They are excited to hear about Ren’s success as he transitions to school. We know that he will continue to acquire new skills, while having fun along the way. Good luck, Ren!
