Levi succeeds in Aptiv's Youth Programs
May 10th, 2019, La Crosse -
“For me, Aptiv is a huge part of Levi’s success, says Andrea, mother of Aptiv participant, Levi. “Aptiv helps give him the guidance he needs to navigate many different settings.”
Levi, who is 8 years old, has been a part of Aptiv’s Youth Services program for the last two and a half years and currently utilizes 1:1 Mentoring and Supportive Home Care. Prior to choosing Aptiv as his service provider, Levi was a part of surround care at Kindergarten.
“The reason we initially chose Aptiv is because we like the idea of working with a company that Levi could grow with and not ‘age out’ of,” says Andrea. “The youth services are perfect for what we need now, and as he gets older, and even into adulthood, this is an organization that will continue to benefit him.”
During his time at Aptiv, Levi has grown significantly and has been consistently reaching his goals. One of Levi’s goals recently has been to work on his safety skills.
“Levi struggles to recognize danger, he just wants to do what he feels like doing. He doesn’t understand that he could get hurt if he doesn’t follow the rules or if he is not aware of his surroundings. Getting him out into the community and working on things as simple as crossing the street, looking for cars, and navigating parking lots are huge wins for us,” says Andrea.
Staff at Aptiv have commented that Levi has made a lot of progress in practicing safe pedestrian skills. He now looks for cars when crossing the street, stays close to staff instead of running towards something that looks fun, and interacts appropriately with staff and peers in public. Aside from practicing his safety skills, Levi has also made a lot of progress in transitioning smoothly from different locations to home and working on taking restroom breaks consistently throughout the day.
“Having the behavioral specialists, and the goals that Aptiv offers us, gives us options and ideas that we may not have thought of,” says Andrea.
Recently, Levi took a trip to Clearwater Farms where he was able to work on all three of these skills. Jordyn, Levi’s Behavior Specialist, commented that while at Clearwater, “Levi assisted the staff in sweeping the barn, feeding the animals and watering the plants. Levi also demonstrated safe skills by letting the animals smell him before petting them, by approaching the animals slowly and by washing his hands after touching the animals.”
Aside from his trip to the farm, Levi enjoys going to the YMCA and the local library where he is able to practice these skills and achieve his goals.
“Levi absolutely loves the staff he works with. It gives me a huge peace of mind that he is excited and happy to be going with whomever is staffed with him,” says Andrea. “Sometimes that is all I need to know he is getting a great benefit from these services.”
Levi enjoying time at Clearwater Farm.