Music inspired special needs Columbia teen who once didn’t speak. Now, he’s thriving
A little boy who wouldn’t speak has grown into a chattering, beaming young man who walked across a Columbia high school graduation stage this May — something his grandmother didn’t expect she’d ever see.
The State introduced readers to Cameron Jones in May, one of four students with special needs in Dreher High School’s new United Sound music program. Music had become a way of expression for 18-year-old Cameron, and performing helped him build confidence.
Cameron’s confidence has continued to grow since graduating from Dreher this spring.
For the past few months, he’s been learning work and life skills through a Project SEARCH internship at the Embassy Suites hotel in Columbia. The hotel offered him a job soon after he began his internship, but Cameron has chosen to spend several more months finishing out the Project SEARCH program so he can continue to build skills that will help him be work-ready and better prepared for independent living, said his grandmother, Cynthia Jones.
Cameron’s special education teacher at Dreher, Rebecca Smith-Hill, said she hopes he’ll choose a career path that lets him socialize with people on a regular basis, because that’s where he shines.
Meanwhile, Cameron inspired his younger brother Tori to follow in his musical footsteps — a surprise to everyone who’s close to the 17-year-old, who is autistic and very sensitive to sound.
Motivated by what he saw Cameron do, Tori asked to join the United Sound program this semester. He’s been learning to play the drums, and just after Thanksgiving, he joined the United Sound musicians and the Dreher concert band to play “It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year” on stage.
“Cameron gave him the courage to step out of his element,” the boys’ grandmother said.
United Sound is growing at Dreher, now with three new students with special needs — for a total of six — being mentored by band students, Smith-Hill said.
