I am planning to open a private school that emphasizes the education
of children on the autism spectrum. As a brief background, not all
children with autism are like "Rainman." Autism is a neurological
disorder. To be considered autistic, a child must have characteristics
in three areas - a delay in speech and communication; problems with
socialization (e.g. poor eye contact, or an inability to recognize
social cues like frowns); and problems with creative play.
There are many children (studies say 1 in 250) that have some autistic
tendencies, but are not fully autistic. These children are referred to
as being "on the autism spectrum." (meaning that there is a range, a
spectrum, of characteristics and a variety of behaviors that fall
within the spectrum). This is the type of student we are targeting.
This type of student is usually one that is a "visual learner." This
type of student may also have certain
occupational therapy or speech therapy needs that a typical student
would not have.
Our goal is to provide a world class education to typical students and
to admit a small number of children on the autism spectrum, let the
children work side by side, and be attentive to the special needs and
education methods required by the spectrum children. I think with the
appropriate reputation it will be easy to recruit autistic students.
I want to focus more on attracting the typical students.
I am looking for a name that connotates quality; cutting edge,
atypical education. The school will be located in Ohio, but I shy
away from geographic names, as I truly believe this type of program
could be used nation wide.
Thanks. |
