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Unlocking the Genius of Autism –New School to Open in Riverhead
Non-verbal autistic students find their voice – dispelling doubts about their high intelligence and potential.
Acton Academy Eastern Long Island (Acton ELI) is launching the first phase of the Autism Studio Fall 2021 in Riverhead, NY. It is a revolutionary new program that seeks to unlock this highly intelligent, grossly misunderstood population. By offering an educational environment that will tap into the deep and complex thoughts, ideas and inner lives of non-verbal autists, the trajectory of their lives (and ours) will be forever changed.
WE NEED YOUR HELP TO RENOVATE THE SPACE FOR A SUITABLE CLASSROOM.
Our vision is to integrate the Autism Studio into Acton ELI, an innovative 21st century school that helps children find their calling. The Autism Studio will provide an educational environment where non-speaking or minimally-speaking autistic students have the same opportunities as their peers, where gifts and talents are at the forefront of our curriculum.
Utilizing an emerging, innovative communication modality called Spelling to Communicate (S2C), autistic students will learn to express their thoughts, ideas and feelings, thereby “tapping into” their inner world.
S2C is a program designed to support communication for nonspeaking, minimally-speaking, and unreliably-speaking individuals with sensory-motor differences. While the motor skill of speech may be a challenge for this population, we know that their language is intact.
Through S2C, we teach those with motor difficulties to coordinate their brain and body to communicate by spelling. This practice builds new neural pathways in order to create an alternative outlet for communication. As students practice these motor skills, they grow from pointing to letters on letterboards to typing on keyboards — many spellers have even gone on to write books and create blogs expressing a common thread in their experiences.
They are all trapped inside a body that is disconnected from their brain. In other words, their mind understands everything, but they cannot get their body to do what they want. They are locked in with no way for anyone to understand that their cognition/intelligence is completely intact.
“The unrealized potential in this population is enormous. The Autism Studio at Acton ELI is the first program of its kind to presume intelligence and offer curriculum that will enable autistic individuals to bring their gifts to the world,” says Andrea Libutti, MD the founder and head of school. “My 17-year-old minimally-verbal autistic son has been doing 11th grade honors classes since implementing S2C last year. I have witnessed the profound insights and abilities of non-verbal autists using S2C and it is almost incomprehensible how they know what they know. They have so much to offer and we will give them a place in society that will enable them to reach their full potential.”
The tuition for all children is $12,000 per year. We can keep the tuition low by integrating the two models, even though the costs to run the Autism Studio are much higher.
We have the space at our location in Riverhead to run the school for at least the next three years (until a permanent campus is built). But the space needs significant renovations to make it habitable and safe. We will open our doors this summer 2021 to begin the process of teaching students to communicate using S2C while the renovations are underway for their own classroom space.
No amount is too small (or too big ;-). Thank you for helping us reach our goal and for changing the lives of these amazing students that deserve to have their voices and their gifts shared with the world.
Non-verbal autistic students find their voice – dispelling doubts about their high intelligence and potential.
Acton Academy Eastern Long Island (Acton ELI) is launching the first phase of the Autism Studio Fall 2021 in Riverhead, NY. It is a revolutionary new program that seeks to unlock this highly intelligent, grossly misunderstood population. By offering an educational environment that will tap into the deep and complex thoughts, ideas and inner lives of non-verbal autists, the trajectory of their lives (and ours) will be forever changed.
WE NEED YOUR HELP TO RENOVATE THE SPACE FOR A SUITABLE CLASSROOM.
Our vision is to integrate the Autism Studio into Acton ELI, an innovative 21st century school that helps children find their calling. The Autism Studio will provide an educational environment where non-speaking or minimally-speaking autistic students have the same opportunities as their peers, where gifts and talents are at the forefront of our curriculum.
Utilizing an emerging, innovative communication modality called Spelling to Communicate (S2C), autistic students will learn to express their thoughts, ideas and feelings, thereby “tapping into” their inner world.
S2C is a program designed to support communication for nonspeaking, minimally-speaking, and unreliably-speaking individuals with sensory-motor differences. While the motor skill of speech may be a challenge for this population, we know that their language is intact.
Through S2C, we teach those with motor difficulties to coordinate their brain and body to communicate by spelling. This practice builds new neural pathways in order to create an alternative outlet for communication. As students practice these motor skills, they grow from pointing to letters on letterboards to typing on keyboards — many spellers have even gone on to write books and create blogs expressing a common thread in their experiences.
They are all trapped inside a body that is disconnected from their brain. In other words, their mind understands everything, but they cannot get their body to do what they want. They are locked in with no way for anyone to understand that their cognition/intelligence is completely intact.
“The unrealized potential in this population is enormous. The Autism Studio at Acton ELI is the first program of its kind to presume intelligence and offer curriculum that will enable autistic individuals to bring their gifts to the world,” says Andrea Libutti, MD the founder and head of school. “My 17-year-old minimally-verbal autistic son has been doing 11th grade honors classes since implementing S2C last year. I have witnessed the profound insights and abilities of non-verbal autists using S2C and it is almost incomprehensible how they know what they know. They have so much to offer and we will give them a place in society that will enable them to reach their full potential.”
The tuition for all children is $12,000 per year. We can keep the tuition low by integrating the two models, even though the costs to run the Autism Studio are much higher.
We have the space at our location in Riverhead to run the school for at least the next three years (until a permanent campus is built). But the space needs significant renovations to make it habitable and safe. We will open our doors this summer 2021 to begin the process of teaching students to communicate using S2C while the renovations are underway for their own classroom space.
No amount is too small (or too big ;-). Thank you for helping us reach our goal and for changing the lives of these amazing students that deserve to have their voices and their gifts shared with the world.
Organizer
Andrea Libutti
Organizer
Remsenburg-Speonk, NY