The Story Behind the Program
The Story Behind AIM Programs™ and Company Keepers™
This program did not appear overnight. It evolved over many years through personal observations, practical experience, graduate study, and continued learning — and it began with a simple moment at a highchair.
The roots of Company Keepers™ began long before the program itself.
When my son Steve was about one year old, I prepared dinner the way many parents do for toddlers. His older sister was eating the family meal while Steve's dinner had been pureed in the blender.
As I placed the food on Steve's highchair tray, he looked at his food, then looked at his sister's dinner, looked back at me, and then looked again at her plate.
At that moment, a simple thought came into my mind:
"Steve will model himself after other people."
At the time, Steve had not been diagnosed with autism, and I certainly wasn't thinking about creating a social skills program or earning a Master's degree in education. It was simply an observation that stayed with me for years.
When Steve was three years old, he was diagnosed with autism. That diagnosis brought that early observation back to me in a completely different way.
Years later, after Steve was diagnosed with autism, I observed the social skills classes he attended in high school.
The teachers and social workers were wonderful, but I noticed something that concerned me. The students in the classes were almost entirely teenagers with disabilities.
I began wondering:
Where do autistic teenagers have opportunities to observe and interact with neurotypical peers in natural social situations?
I remembered the thought I had years earlier when Steve was a toddler.
If children naturally learn by observing the people around them, wouldn't autistic teenagers also benefit from opportunities to observe, participate, and interact with peers in a relaxed, enjoyable environment?
That question became the beginning of Company Keepers™.
AIM stands for Autism Integration Mentoring Programs™.
From the beginning, the vision has been to create opportunities for autistic teens and their peers to participate together in natural social activities where conversation, confidence, and relationships can develop through shared experiences.
The goal has never been to change who someone is.
The goal has always been to create welcoming opportunities where everyone can participate, contribute, and feel included.
The name came from Steve.
When Steve was about twelve years old, we were living in North Carolina. One day he proudly announced that he was too old for a babysitter. Instead, he explained that his grandmother didn't babysit him — she simply "kept him company."
I smiled at the time because I loved the way he described it.
The moment that named the program
"Grandma doesn't babysit me. She just keeps me company."
A few years later, after we had moved to Connecticut and I was developing what would become Company Keepers™, those words came back to me. I suddenly realized they perfectly described the kind of program I wanted to create.
It wasn't therapy.
It wasn't tutoring.
It wasn't another classroom.
It was simply teenagers spending time together... keeping each other company.
That's when I knew I had found the perfect name: Company Keepers™.
As Company Keepers™ continued to develop, I studied autism education, child development, and social learning.
The work of Michelle Garcia Winner and her Social Thinking® framework helped shape many of the educational concepts included in the original curriculum, particularly ideas involving:
- Perspective taking
- Flexible thinking
- Understanding how our behavior affects others
- Authentic social interaction
These concepts complemented the direction Company Keepers™ was already taking and helped strengthen many of the educational materials developed for the program.
During graduate study, I also discovered Albert Bandura's Social Learning Theory. His research provided a scientific framework for something I had been observing for years — that people naturally learn by watching, participating with, and interacting with others.
Originally, Company Keepers™ included structured lessons and a written curriculum.
Then something unexpected happened.
The teenagers arrived.
They pulled out Apples to Apples®.
They started laughing.
Talking.
Sharing stories.
Teasing each other appropriately.
Helping one another.
The lesson plans stayed in the notebook.
The games became the classroom.
The conversations became the lessons.
The peer interactions became the learning experience.
That unexpected moment changed the direction of Company Keepers™ forever.
Today, Company Keepers™ continues to reflect the same vision that first began many years ago.
Creating opportunities where autistic teens and peer mentors simply spend time together, keep each other company, and discover that some of life's most important social learning happens naturally through authentic interaction.
Be Part of the Story
Company Keepers™ is enrolling now for September 2026 in Brunswick County and New Hanover County, NC.