PLEASANT GROVE Public school wasn't working and a 6- month stretch of homeschooling was exhausting, but Jessica Schmutz was determined to find a way to educate her autistic son.
"I was looking into starting my own school," Schmutz said Wednesday, as she and her family toured the nearly finished Spectrum Academy in Pleasant Grove.
Opening its doors this fall, the accredited charter is responding to a need that the Schmutzes and other Utah County parents brought to their attention years ago a need for free-tuition, consistent specialized education for children on the autism spectrum.
The local charter already operates a special autism education school in North Salt Lake and has since 2006, but its elementary and secondary schools are filled to capacity and have hundreds of hopeful families on a waiting list.
Even if 9-year-old Dallin Schmutz got in on the lottery selection system, it would have been over an hour drive each direction for the Springville-based family, which is less than convenient for an already stressful situation.
"I had an idea of how to help my son learn, but I was expected to wear the hats of teacher, counselor, therapist and mother and so many more," Schmutz said. "I was so overwhelmed. I have my mommy instincts, but I knew I didn't have the skill set to help him progress."
Her son, who is moderate-functioning and softly sang his way through the first part of the school tour on Wednesday, learns best with music, a calm environment and many breaks throughout the day.
And in its specialized design, Spectrum has thought of those aspects, and more, to accommodate the unique needs of many students on the autism spectrum.
From the soothing colors of the walls, to the natural light in every room and plenty of small break rooms adjacent to the classrooms, Spectrum Academy Director of Development Brad Nelson said students are set for various portions of their training.
"It will look like a typical classroom until you look more closely and see a kid sitting on a bouncy ball chair, or another child wearing earphones to help him focus on the teacher talking, or see another one with a small screen on his desk. There will be some kids fidgeting with toys under their desks, which are allowed, for their specialized sensory needs," he said.
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Autism-specialized school prepares to open doors in Utah County