Therapeutic Day School - New Autism Center Opens in Illinois

According to the Autism Society of America, one child in every 150 births will have some degree of Autism. This is an often quoted figure and one which no longer gives me pause. Autism is a rising epidemic in America. And knowing that there are schools out there that can assist kids like my son, Matthew, is the only reason that I haven't truly given up the fight against this condition.

Anyone who is a parent of a child with Autism in the State Of Illinois, knows that there are very few schools out there in our state that actually deal exclusively with children on the Autism Spectrum. It is with great happiness that I can say, there is another one! As I live in an area, outside of Chicago, that appears to have very few of these schools, I was still quite stunned to read about another school opening in the Northwest Suburbs. And I was thrilled.

While I like the school Matt attends right now, there are things that some of the schools seem to lack, and I am hoping that eventually, all schools, including Public ones will have more than just therapy and IEP's. It's not really that simple, but to me it might as well be. Academics are very important along with therapy. And as I read the programs that are included at this new school, I was impressed more than I would normally admit. The school, which is called the Alexander Leigh Center for Autism is located in Lake in the Hills, Illinois. And the list of Developmental Programs is nothing short of a mother's dream:

One to One Support

Creative Arts Programs

Music Therapy

Family Support Services

Daily Living Skills

These are the ones that caught my eye specifically. The others are often typical of most programs, although probably not as intensive as the programs to be had at this new center. It is my contention through 13 years of experience that the Arts and Music can offer A LOT of help to children with Autism. And this center actually utilizes that theory. Public schools often offer similar programs but the problem is having kids with Autism in with the "mainstreamers" as I tend to call the other kids, doesn't always work.