Autism charter school gets approval

Some families in Davis County are breathing a sigh of relief now that their high-functioning autistic children may soon have a place to go where they feel that they belong.

That is the vision of Natalie Longson, board president and founder of the Spectrum Academy, a charter school that the state charter board has signed off on and recommended to the state school board for final approval.

"It is like a burden being lifted off our shoulders knowing that our kids will have a place where they can fit in and thrive," Longson said. "We are finally at a point where these kids will get what they need. It's such a relief."

If approved by the state board, Spectrum Academy will open its doors in fall 2006. It will be the first of its kind in Utah, joining only a handful of charter schools nationwide that offer specialized teaching for students with autism spectrum disorders (ASD).

Charter schools are free public schools that follow the state core curriculum but often have certain emphasis.

Karen Kowalski, compliance officer for the State Office of Education, said autism is called a spectrum disorder because it has a full range of disorders that fall from one end of the spectrum to the other.

The federal Government Accountability Office reported in January a 500 percent increase in children diagnosed with ASD in the past decade. Kowalski said that has been attributed to combinations of better diagnosis, a wider range of diagnoses on the autism spectrum and a higher occurrence of autism.

She said though there are many different symptoms of autism, there are four main hallmarks: deficits in social interaction, problems with verbal and nonverbal communication, repetitive behaviors, and unusual responses to sensory stimulation. It's a high-impact and complex disorder.

"My son is 9 years old and he can program a computer, but he can't tie his shoes," Longson said. "They can be so high-functioning in one aspect and so low in another."

Kowalski said many high-functioning autistic children have verbal communication but have problems with pragmatics — personal space and reading body language — and they may have unusual interests.

Jocelyn Taylor, autism specialist for the state, said some 1,200 students served by Utah's public system are autistic.

Longson said those who are high-functioning are hard to pick out.