Any experience with College Living Experience?

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jennifer54
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Location: Detroit, MI

04 May 2013, 11:10 am

Have any of you had experience with College Living Experience? Did it help your son/daughter live independently? Help a lot with social skills?



Lynne45
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04 May 2013, 7:37 pm

Hi, I hear great things about CLE and get the newsletter. I saw a parent's story this month so am copying it below.

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By Patty and Scott, CLE Monterey Parents

CLE Monterey parents, Patty and Scott, share their son, Erick's, successes and accomplishments throughout the transition to post-secondary life. We thank them for sharing their experiences and for the awesome kudos to the Monterey staff!

Our son, Erick started at CLE in June 2012. His growth in the last 10 months has been nothing short of phenomenal! Every time we talk to him he has another adventure to tell us about.

Erick has always been very high functioning when it's come to academics. He has continued this success while at CLE. The one-on-one tutoring and study sessions have helped prepare him for exams and projects. With the support of CLE staff, Erick has also become a great advocate for his own educational needs. This support has decreased his anxiety and worry; helping him feel more competent and confident.

Erick has also done a great job living on his own for the first time. While he knew how to accomplish simple tasks around the house (making simple food, washing dishes, doing laundry, basic shopping), he had never been responsible for accomplishing these tasks on a regular basis. With the independent living support provided by CLE staff, each week, Erick does his laundry, makes his shopping list and completes his grocery shopping, and cleans his apartment. He's also become an expert at using the public transit system.

Erick's confidence in his own ability has really grown. On one occasion, when he had trouble with this cable connection, Erick went to the Comcast office, on his own, and explained the problem to the customer service representative. Based on their advise, he had to unhook the modem and return it to Comcast so it could be exchanged. The representative explained how he needed to reinstall the modem and Erick returned to his apartment and installed the modem without a hitch. On another occasion, when the power cord for his computer stopped working, he was able to find a store that carried a replacement (a suggestion of his advisor), check their store hours and confirm they carried the cord he needed, and get to the store (by bike) and purchase the cord. He even remembered to bring his laptop with him, to ensure the cord they had actually worked with his laptop so he wouldn't have to return in case it didn't work. These accomplishments, along with so many more, have really boosted Erick's confidence in himself.

Lastly, we can't say enough about the social skills Erick has learned and enhanced. There's always something going on at CLE where he can practice his social skills. He attends a number of social events each week including dining at local restaurants, going to the movies, bowling, hiking, and miniature golf. He's even invited classmates to his apartment for snacks and a movie! He's becoming more and more comfortable in social situations. His progress is so noticeable that family members and others who haven't seen him in a while always comment on how much more poised and at ease he's become.

We cannot say enough about the staff at CLE. They are true professionals, each with a heart of gold. They are loving and caring and want nothing but the best for Erick. They celebrate his successes and support him during his challenges. We feel completely confident that Erick is being well cared for while in the CLE program.

We won't say Erick's a new person; because he was a pretty great person before he started CLE. What we will say is that because of Erick's hard work and that of the CLE staff, Erick's been able to tap into the skills and talents that were within him, just waiting to be discovered.

We look forward to Erick's continued progress as he attends his second year at CLE. Based on what he's accomplished so far, the sky's the limit for him. We could not recommend CLE more highly. Thank you CLE for everything!
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ASDMommyASDKid
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04 May 2013, 8:31 pm

Given that this is this person's only post, I would be wary until you get actual established member posts. You never know if someone from CLE is doing searches and when he/she finds a post just registers and posts an advertisement type response.



jennifer54
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Location: Detroit, MI

06 May 2013, 2:32 pm

Thanks for the warning. I looked into CLE last year and it looked really great. But my son refused to go. He said he didn't like the psychologist, but it was really because he was angry that my ex and I were divorcing.

Anyway, I really liked it. Only problem is they want the kids to go to the community college across the street. My son cannot sit in a lecture class. He needs to work while learning to live independently.

Plus, all his therapy is included, and my ex will agree to pay for it. So that's a plus. Anyway, more thoughts please from anyone out there.