Local school for autistic children set to open

Though Alachua County boasts some of the best public schools in the state, the system has limited options for students with special needs.

Seeing a need for a local alternative – a need they have themselves – two LaCrosse parents are opening a private, non-profit school in High Springs for children with autism.

Imagine what it might be like to not be able to communicate with one’s son or daughter, to deal with constant outbursts of rage or to have a child who will not look you in the eye or speak.

Autism refers to a group of developmental brain disorders called Pervasive Developmental Disorders. There are varying degrees of severity, and the disorder often manifests in nuances unique to each patient. But generally, the symptoms reflect a difficulty or inability to socialize and communicate.

Patients of all ages often seem socially awkward and quirky, and sometimes they appear to be in their own world.

For parents of autistic children, the disorder can be daunting. There is still little known about what causes it, and there is no cure. Treatment options are often expensive and or inaccessible.

Unwilling to settle for the options the public school system offered for their son, Marie Trempe and Rob Cecil began to pursue parent-implemented autism treatment programs.

Based on their family’s experience and success with intensive home-based therapy, they set out to share the opportunity by founding the Autism Oasis for Kids.

After battling cancer as a 21-month-old, closely followed by an extremely rare auto-immune disorder called Opsoclonus-myoclonus syndrome, or OMS, their son was eventually diagnosed as autistic at age 7.

Trempe explained that public schools were not able to give her son what he needed, and after researching and taking classes and developing a home program that was working for him, he eventually began to express a desire for interaction with children his own age. He wanted friends.

It was also becoming increasingly difficult to find ways of paying for the various therapies and classes Trempe was relying on to help care for her son.

This is what led her and Cecil to the idea of starting a school, which would allow them to continue to provide for their son while opening up an opportunity for other families in need. Now they will be able to access grant funding options, too.

Set to open Aug. 23, the school is a registered non-profit corporation and is located at 205 S. Main Street on the edge of downtown High Springs.

Trempe said they chose the city based first on its central location. “We’re serving six counties,” she said. “We’re getting people from Trenton, Bell, Keystone and Fort White, in addition to the Gainesville area.”

The second reason for choosing High Springs was that she found it to be the most hospitable. When she first called for information, she said her call was returned within an hour with a list of seven different possible properties to house the school. They went above and beyond, she said, to help her through the process.

The school is open to students ages six to 16, and classes will be grouped based on the severity and characteristics of each student’s disorder rather than structured by standard grade level according to age.

Trempe echoed what all of the school’s literature says, stressing the importance of parent participation in the programs the school offers.

In partnership with Relate to Autism, Inc., the school will be running a parent workshop Sept. 11 and 12 in High Springs at Camp Kulaqua.

The grand opening for the school is scheduled for Aug. 16 at 6:30 p.m. and is open to the public. For more information about costs, payment options and enrollment, visit http://autismoasisforkids.org.