Embracing Hope and Building a Bright Future

Meet Cooper*, a 17-year-old teenager who has a love of cars and is planning a career as a mechanic.

Cooper is Autistic, has ADHD, and an intellectual disability. His life has been filled with many hurdles and heartbreaks, including the loss of a parent.

In 2022, he reached out to Everyday Independence for positive behaviour support when things started becoming overwhelming. These feelings saw him increasingly using challenging behaviours to express his feelings, making his home unsafe for everyone. This led to Child Protection placing him in temporary supported accommodation for the safety and well-being of everyone involved.

Enter Erin, the Behavior Support Practitioner who wasn’t about to let Cooper’s struggles define him. She crafted a personalised Behaviour Support plan to help him manage his emotions and partnered with Habit Coach, Caitlin to fast-track his journey to success. Caitlin provided support in between therapy sessions, so Cooper could practice the new skills he learned with Erin.

The team focused on a key goal of Cooper’s – reducing and eventually eliminating a prescribed medication that gave him significant side effects. Working alongside his Pediatrician, Cooper and his therapy team navigated this transition head on, using new strategies to manage emotions and behaviours, such as journaling, punching bag workouts, and openly talking with his support network about his feelings.

In the past year, Cooper has achieved milestones that once felt impossible — he got his learner’s permit, improved his physical health, and saw his self-esteem skyrocket.  Cooper has now set his sights on going back to school and is excited to be working towards a career as a mechanic.

What’s Next

Cooper is now working with APM Futures to participate in their School Leaver Employment Supports (SLES) program in 2025. Plus, Cooper will hit a key milestone as he turns 18 next year. He’s working with his support team to secure ongoing Supported Independent Living (SIL) accommodation, and is feeling positive and excited about his future.

It has been an absolute pleasure working with Erin and Cooper to ensure that he has the NDIS funding in his plan necessary to assist him to achieve his employment goals. The combined efforts and ‘village approach’ to service supports and delivery is key to this success.   

Tracy Bull, APM Futures

We look forward to hearing more about Cooper’s path to living the life he wants.

Are you Ready to Achieve a Positive Life Change?  

Speak to our Access team on  1300 179 131 or complete an online form, and we’ll be in touch to speak to you about how we can help you achieve the positive life changes you want.

*We’ve used a different name to protect the identity of the individual in this story.