Challenges
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No Comments [ Add Comment ]By Lynze Wardle
Standard-Examiner Davis Bureau
lwardle@standard.net
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ORTH SALT LAKE -- On Friday afternoon, students at Spectrum Academy crowded around a table filled with small games, stuffed animals and toys.
The school store is more than just a fun activity, said Allyson Hale, the North Salt Lake charter school's parent representative.
It is a chance to reward the students, most of whom have autism or similar disorders, for good behavior and improving their social skills.
"This is a great way to help with behavioral issues," Hale said.
After more than four months in operation, founders say, Utah's only public school designed for children with autism is running smoothly and offering a range of unique programs for its students.
Some parents, however, have expressed concerns.
Tony Connell moved his family from Tucson, Ariz., to Utah so his son Grayson, 7, could attend Spectrum Academy.
Grayson has been diagnosed with high-functioning Asperger's syndrome.
Like many children with Asperger's, Grayson has above-average intelligence but has difficulty communicating and interacting with classmates.
Connell said he had been unable to find an affordable school near Tucson that specialized in treating children with the disorder.
"Basically, as a parent of a kid with Asperger's, you're looking for affordable help with their socialization and education," he said. "You Google until your computer just about explodes."
After five weeks at Spectrum Academy, however, Connell withdrew Grayson and enrolled him at a mainstream elementary school.
Connell said so many children with severe autism and other disorders were enrolled at Spectrum Academy that teachers couldn't focus on the high-functioning children the school was designed to accommodate.
Like all Utah charter schools, Spectrum Academy is funded by the state and cannot have a selective enrollment.
Grayson was in a class with students with severe mental and behavioral problems, Connell said, and spent much of his time learning basic life skills.
"Instead of the social skills training -- (learning) how to feel and how to react to teasing -- it turned out he was learning how to form sentences and how to wipe his behind," Connell said.
Marianne Schmidt, a former teacher's aide at Spectrum Academy, withdrew her son Jedd, 10, from the school in mid-October.
She said she felt Spectrum Academy was overwhelmed with low-functioning students.
"They have got all ranges of students with autism and other disabilities," she said. "Low-functioning kids are taking all the attention."
Like Connell, Schmidt said the school's teachers and staff had good intentions, but were unable to keep up with the demands of low-functioning and behaviorally challenged students while providing for the needs of the rest of the class.
Fifty of the 180 students originally enrolled at Spectrum Academy have left the school, said board president Shelly Carter.
Most of parents withdrew their children because they felt the school was not the right fit for them, Carter said, adding that no school is perfect for every child. Two teachers and Spectrum Academy's original principal have also left, she said.
The school has a "healthy waiting list" for next year, Carter said, and expects to enroll 160 students.
Carter said Spectrum Academy focuses on giving individual attention to every child and tailoring curriculum to meet their needs.
Some parents who took their children out of the charter school may have been unprepared for the learning curve associated with teachers getting to know each child and the challenges of opening a new school, Carter said.
She said Spectrum Academy does have a mix of students with autism, Asperger's syndrome and other disorders. Also attending are children without any diagnosed medical or learning problems.
Special accommodations have been made for children with more severe needs, she said.
Teacher April Flitton said it would be impossible for a school to accept only students with high-functioning autism because of the complex nature of the disorder.
Autism can affect students' verbal, social, mental and physical abilities, Flitton said. Many children are "high functioning" in some areas, but struggle in others.
"Autism is a spectrum," Flitton said. "It is not cut-and-dried across the board."
Flitton is a fifth-grade teacher at Spectrum Academy and has three children who attend the school.
She said every teacher has smaller-than-usual class sizes and a full-time aide to help balance their classroom responsibilities.
Every class has 12 to 15 students.
Teachers have received training, Flitton said, to learn how to better manage their classrooms and work with the children.
Before coming to Spectrum Academy, she had enrolled her children in a series of public schools and even home-schooled them in an attempt to meet their special learning needs.
"I have been so happy since we came here," she said.
State Charter School Board education specialist Marliss Burns said she has not received any complaints regarding Spectrum Academy's ability to follow goals set out in its charter.
Spectrum Academy provides to autistic children resources not normally found at public schools, Hale said.
In addition to small class sizes, the school has a full-time occupational therapist to help children deal with sensory input, learn to relax and focus and control body movements.
Inside the school, walls are painted a soothing light yellow to prevent overstimulation from bright colors.
The playground is equipped with climbing activities to help students improve coordination.
The school also features a "quiet room" with the lights on a dimmer switch, so students have a place to calm down.
South Ogden resident Liz Gooch makes a 35-minute drive to take her kindergartner to the school every day.
She said she wanted a place where her child could interact with others who have autism, but found private schools too expensive.
"It has been awesome," she said. "We love this school."
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