"To me Cornerstone started as a new and exciting career opportunity but has literally turned into my second family. I feel very lucky, because when James was diagnosed with Autism I had the best support system possible. I’m sure for many parents getting that diagnosis is terrifying, because it’s not like a diagnosis with an illness where the doctor just prescribes you some medicine once they figure out what the issue is. For me though, getting the diagnosis didn’t really matter, since I work at Cornerstone it wasn’t a surprise that my hunch was correct & James is indeed on the spectrum, and I knew exactly what I wanted for him, which was to start going to Cornerstone. Putting the Autism label on James didn’t change the person he was to me, he could grow 5 more ears and he would still be the same little boy that I love unconditionally, but I did know there was so much more inside of him that needed to be brought out. That is the beautiful thing about Cornerstone, the amazing therapists are able to see this light inside each child and find ways to pull that light out for the world to see. It is difficult to put into words but before James started at Cornerstone he was just very much in his own little world. He has only been there for 4 months now and we have seen a drastic change. He is just so much more aware of the world and people around him. He interacts with other kids his age, which he never did before, he is able to listen and follow directions much better, and he’s potty trained! I didn’t think the potty training thing would ever happen but thanks to his therapists and team lead he caught on super quick and is consistently using the potty! He is also talking so much more & is able to tell us what he wants and needs, which helps relieve his and our frustration! I have learned so much from working at Cornerstone but the greatest lessons have come from the kids, both the ones I work with and my own son. I think the best thing the kids have taught me is that sometimes it’s best to not try and figure out why a child is doing something that seems weird but to just go with it, it usually makes life a lot more interesting."

"I will tell you if you are looking at sending your special superhero to Cornerstone, do it. To all of these amazing people, it’s not just a job, it is their passion. Thank you to Cornerstone for giving my son a voice when the doctors said it was not possible."

"We just want to thank everyone at Cornerstone! We’ve always felt welcome since the first visit to tour the facility. Our son has come so far in the almost 2 years he was there."

"Everyone at Cornerstone truly has a heart of gold. Everyone is loving, tender and kind. Their support towards our family is unparalleled to anything we have experienced, and we probably won’t experience it again."

"God is truly at work in Cornerstone Autism Center. Wesley’s therapists went above and beyond our expectations. We are forever grateful to each and every one of them and will miss them so much. They are our Cornerstone family!"

"The task of describing gratitude has always eluded me. How can I accurately convey the depth of how much you impacted Gabe’s life? Michelangelo spoke of his creative process: “Every block of stone has a statue inside it and it is the task of the sculptor to discover it… I saw the angel in the marble and carved until I set him free…” and that is truly what you are. Magnificent artists that see the world differently, that saw Gabe differently. You look at a child, like Gabe, and see the beautiful and perfect statue just waiting to leave the world in awe. My heart could never be full enough with appreciation and love for everything you all have done for him! Thank you."

"When we first found Cornerstone, we were lost and so confused on what to do for our son. Within just a few short weeks, we felt so much hope! When we first started, Brady did not speak. Just a few year’s later, he gave a graduation speech! I don’t know where we would be now without Cornerstone."

"Cornerstone has been amazing for my son. They helped teach him the tools necessary to help him grow and be independent. Everyone is friendly and it feels like a giant family."

"Cornerstone is a wonderful place. They have been so great to our son and so helpful. The staff is nice and respectful, and they always have a smile on their faces. We couldn’t ask for better people, thank you!"

"Thanks so much to everyone at Cornerstone! You guys rock and I can’t express my love enough. You are true life changers!"

"Cornerstone has given much to our son—smiles, laughter, joy, and most notably, a voice. Because of the hard work and dedication of his therapists, we are finally getting to know our little boy, and the gratitude we feel cannot be expressed."

"Because of Cornerstone, my son is now able to manage his frustration, initiate conversation, eat with a fork and get dressed on his own."

"I will always have a special place in my heart for the loving care my son has received and can’t wait to see all the great things he will accomplish. Cornerstone has been a gift to our family and has forever changed my son!"

“Our son, Sharv, is three and a half years old. He has been going to Cornerstone almost a year now. We are very happy that we made that decision. Before sending him to Cornerstone, he wasn’t speaking a lot. Because of that, he used to feel frustrated as he wasn’t able to communicate with us. As a result, there were problem behaviors like biting and hitting. We have seen huge improvements in those behaviors. He is also playing appropriately with toys nowadays. Cornerstone Autism Center also helped a lot from the potty training perspective. We are seeing huge improvements with Sharv in this program. All the staff in Cornerstone are very professional and knowledgeable. They are always ready to help you with your child and always ready to answer all of your questions. We would highly recommend Cornerstone to our friends.”

“Cornerstone has helped Ryush and us in many aspects, to name a few: Potty training, through techniques at Cornerstone and home has improved. Ryush is now off a nappy during the day and mands to go to the toilet or even goes to the bathroom himself. Tantrums and crying has reduced significantly as he has become more vocal in expressing his needs such as food, potty, toy, t.v. Taking Ryush to a local store has its challenges, but when he is in a good mood, he does excellent and even helps pass the groceries to the cashier. Before Cornerstone, I used to take him to the store but most often Ryush used to end up crying, and not to mention it was exhausting for me to handle him. Ryush also has fun at Cornerstone with the other children and his therapists. He is always happy to go to Cornerstone and has a smile when I leave him and when I fetch him. He seems to like to make others laugh and smile, and he is once again the happy boy I remember. Thank you Cornerstone!”

"I want to thank Cornerstone for having the financial adviser provide a presentation on special needs financial planning. We had our follow up meeting today and we feel much better about taking actions for the future to help provide for our sons when we are no longer here to take care of them."

"When Layden first started ABA at Cornerstone, he had difficulty responding to his name, had to be heavily prompted when interacting with peers, took us by the arm to take us to what he wanted, did not appropriately play with toys, could not easily identify body parts or mimic the movements of others. We were battling tantrums, physical aggression and non-stop hoarding of objects. Today, Layden is able to focus for longer periods of time, has a long list of words in his vocabulary – no longer needing to drag us by the arm to communicate. He has mastered more complex tasks like going to the dentist, getting his hair cut, washing his hands and unzipping his jacket. Layden independently interacts with his peers now, sharing toys and showing compassion. We are so proud of Layden and all of his accomplishments and cannot thank Cornerstone enough! We are so happy that Cornerstone has become part of our family."

"My son Chase was diagnosed with PDD-NOS when he was 3 years old. Chase is non verbal but has a personality that will light the room up and a laugh that is contagious. In June of 2013 Chase started ABA at Cornerstone Autism Center. I can’t say enough about the Staff at Cornerstone. Chase has responded well to being there in the short 13 months. He has a wonderful team on his side. I get to meet often with his team leader. His therapists are always more than willing to discuss his day at drop off and pick up. Chase gets to spend 7 hours per day, 5 days a week at Cornerstone. They have truly helped with several aspects that we have struggled with. Chase had a very tough time with haircuts. Cornerstone was able to customize a program to help with that. He gets haircuts at the center with the help of his therapist and they are much smoother. Chase has struggled with going to the doctors and taking medicine for several years. Cornerstone has built a program that involves using a blood pressure cuff, stethoscope and other various items into his programs throughout the day. This has made a tremendous difference in how he acts at the doctors. For the first time I was able to get Chase to take liquid medicine orally without him resisting. Cornerstone has been able to get Chase to communicate with signs that has made a huge impact for him. His frustration level has decreased since he can communicate what he wants or needs. It is very rewarding to see Chase light up when we arrive for drop off. They have done an excellent job in helping Chase as well as making a fun and safe environment for him to learn in. I would highly recommend Cornerstone Autism Center to anyone I know. You will truly be impressed with the staff and the beautiful facility in Greenwood. With the continued support of all the great people at Cornerstone, together we will help make the pieces of the Autism puzzle fit for Chase."

"I don’t know where to start….or how to express the heartfelt joy and camaraderie I feel for you all. I had learned of ABA Therapy many times at various support groups and online, but held off from pursuing it because I knew we couldn’t afford it. I called Cornerstone and our insurance and started the process of enrolling…and we figured it all out! Collin has made the most progress I could ever imagine at Cornerstone. The team there works so HARD in a loving, compassionate, caring, educational, resourceful way. I cannot sing the praises of our team at Cornerstone enough! Allen and I have felt very ‘taken care of’ at Cornerstone. We feel like we can ask any question without feeling silly. We love that we are kept in the loop about everything happening on a day to day basis. The response time in receiving help or correspondence is amazing. The resources available to us are innumerable. The fact that he is in a setting that allows for him to learn his basic academics while going through ABA therapy is awesome! Thank you to everyone at Cornerstone. I don’t want to think about where we would be without all of your hard work and caring compassion."

"When Tyce first started at Cornerstone in November 2012, he had a limited vocabulary. He would mostly just repeat what you told him to say. He couldn’t tell us what he wanted or needed, he made little to no eye contact, and he was delayed in several areas. We thought we’d never know our son’s personality, his likes and dislikes, his favorite colors, foods or activities. Today our little hero can tell us anything! Not only is he using words, but he is using full sentences, knows what things are and how they work, loves drawing and coloring, and is fascinated by any and all animals. Tyce will be five in December and he can identify most of his letters (he struggles with M, N and V), identifies numbers 1-12, and picks up on things so quickly. We have recommended Cornerstone to several people and will continue to do so because they have taught our family how to live with autism. They have shown us a side of our son that we thought we’d never know and taught him things we feared he’d never be able to accomplish. Cornerstone has given our family the tools we need to help Tyce succeed in anything he puts his mind to!"

"The day I wrote this testimonial I was sad driving Kevin to Cornerstone. It was the first day of school – the first day of first grade that all of his friends were having. In my head I wanted him to be there with them. I turned around and looked at Kevin, and he had the biggest smile on his face! In my heart, I knew he belongs at Cornerstone. Cornerstone means hope for the future, big dreams for tomorrow and love and acceptance for who you are and who you want to be. What more could a parent want for their child? Cornerstone makes Kevin happy and that is all that matters. He is right where he needs to be!"

"What was my son’s life like before therapy at Cornerstone? We had tried many therapies outside of what he was getting at school. Those private therapies would end up asking us to leave because he was making enough progress in their eyes. In autism, even a little progress is still progress. So he only got what was given at his school and what we would find on the Internet. Trintin was very upset he wasn’t able to get out what he wanted to say, which would cause self-injurious behaviors. Trintin has improved like crazy, making sounds and using sign language more than ever before. I have recommended this place to so many others already. Cornerstone in my eyes gives life. It has helped my child do things he never had before. They are giving my son an amazing journey through life."

"I don’t even know where to begin because there is so much I want to say. First off thank you from the bottom of my heart for welcoming my “Squish” with open arms, and never letting go. He is the biggest gift I’ve been blessed with, and I wouldn’t change him for anything in the world. Just the thought that he was treated as one of your own children, siblings, cousins, etc. is enough to make me grateful to have had the pleasure to have met you all. This last year and a half has been wonderful watching him grow and overcome many obstacles I was told he would never overcome, and let me just say we couldn’t have done it without your outstanding help and support. Today is probably the hardest days of my life as my son is about to step out into the world without all of you. I know there are more great folks with kind hearts to come into our lives to help continue this journey, but you were all there from the beginning and it’s so hard saying goodbye. It has been a pleasure getting to know everyone that worked with my “Squish.” Never stop doing what you all do best because it’s people like you that make families like mine look forward to our children’s future. THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!!!!"

"Cornerstone has not only proven to be a safe haven for our daughter, but a place where she can be herself without judgment and thrive under the tutelage and kindness of her therapists. Thank you a million times over for all the patience and teachings towards Eliana, and for the wonderful staff willing to work with us and ease our worries. You all have truly been a blessing in our lives."

"What a difference a year makes. AJ has come so far since he started at Cornerstone. He speaks so much more than he did when he started and it’s definitely made a difference on how he handles stress. He doesn’t have nearly as many tantrums or crying jags, and he handles issues so much better. It’s made my life so much easier in that I can take him to more places now and he behaves better as opposed to when we used to just stay home to avoid public meltdowns. I honestly cannot say enough good things about Cornerstone and its staff!"

"When James started at Cornerstone, he could barely say more than ten words, was not potty trained, and not social. Two years later he is speaking in 5 to 7 word sentences, potty trained, and going to kindergarten. We are grateful for David and Debbie Ide’s vision and dedication as well as all the therapists who helped to open up James’ world and change his life for the better. Cornerstone has given us hope and helped us so much. We are truly grateful."

"Cornerstone is helping my child learn in so many ways. After just a couple months there my child is communicating better than he ever has and his behavior has tremendously improved. My child is always asking to go to Cornerstone. On the weekends my child says he’s sad whenever I tell him that Cornerstone is closed. Cornerstone is helping us as parents learn how to better understand and better handle our child’s behavior. We are so thankful and so grateful for everything that Cornerstone is offering our child and our family."

"When the boys started at Cornerstone I was surprised at how emotional I was. I was filled with hope and gratitude. I was never a tearful person until recently. Now all I have to do is say “Cornerstone” and the waterworks start up! I was again surprised by the feelings I have developed for you, the therapists. I shouldn’t have been. If I added up all the doctors, therapists, R.N.s, P.N.s, and everyone else my boys have seen in the last 3 years… well, their combined “efforts” can’t come close to what you have accomplished in 3 months. So… if I hug too much, or tell you you’re the best over and over, you now know why."

"I always knew Xander had the capability to learn and develop like other kids his age; I just didn’t have the training or the tools to help him. The staff at Cornerstone has helped Xander achieve and learn much more than I ever hoped for. I always felt better knowing Xander was safe and in the hands of people who love him like I do! Thank you to everyone who had a part in Xander’s success!"

"I can’t believe that I am packing lunch for my son’s last day at Cornerstone! This morning is filled with excitement and sadness. I am sad to lose daily contact with the amazing therapists and support team that played an instrumental role in getting Finn so far. In our 8 months at the center Finn has changed from an unpredictable, manic, easily frustrated child to a funny, playful kid. It was progress beyond my wildest dreams. We will miss every single one of you! Thank you for helping us find the kid that autism was hiding!"