Jan 21, 2025, WESH TV, Orlando, FL: New Sumter County school promises to cater exclusively to children with autism
THE VILLAGES, Fla. —
The founder of a new school designed to exclusively cater to students with autism said the project has been years in the making and will only grow to serve a needed role in the community.
The Villages Charter School Autism Center, which opened this month to serve grades K-5 and will expand to K-6 come August, is specifically designed for a student body that the staff said is underrepresented in the modern education system.
“I think that autism is still something we don’t know a lot about," said Lindsey Blaise, the mom behind the school. “It’s a difficult journey for a lot of parents and families."
Blaise and her husband were told their son Boaz had autism when he was still very young, and they began seeking out educational options to further his development.
But Blaise said there weren't many dedicated options outside of an individualized education plan (or IEP) or a behavior clinic.
“All moms, all parents, have that struggle of sending your child off to school, especially when they’re little," Blaise said. "But it’s even more difficult for children like my son, really, he started off non-verbal.”
“It’s difficult to incorporate that into the education system, especially because every child is so unique.”
It's the uniqueness of every child with autism that inspired Blaise to work alongside leaders at The Villages Charter School to establish the dedicated autism school.
What makes it stand out is the small classroom sizes and low student-to-staff ratios, along with the design of the building tailored to autistic children and specialized curriculum.
“Each of these counties has traditional public schools, they have students that attend them, and some of these schools do have specialized units, autistic units to serve children with autism. But our school is an entire focus on autism," said Dr. Brian Greene, principal of the school.
“Traditional public schools wouldn’t necessarily have sensory rooms like we have, specialized PE like we have, specialized music and arts for students that have autism and the curriculum that goes along with that.”
A three-to-one staff to student ratio, sensory colors and objects spread throughout the building and individualized data reporting to families are just some of the features of the school.
Blaise said it's her hope to continue expanding a grade level each year, up to 12th grade.
The school, she said, is capable of handling around 300 students and many of the classrooms have yet to be filled. . . .
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