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News › Bay School settling into new location in Live Oak
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Education: Bay School settling into new location in Live Oak
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Posted by sylvia on Monday, January 26, 2004 (15:39:32)
Santa Cruz Sentinel 25/01/2004
By Amy Ettinger
Children with autism take tiny steps to learn about the world around them. Now students at The Bay School have more room to stretch their legs and grow.
The school, which uses science-based methods to help teach children with autism, moved to a new 6,000 square-foot campus at the Live Oak Business Park this fall.
More than $150,000 was raised for the new site, which officials showed during an open house on Thursday. Shiny new classrooms with computers and play areas, and laundry facilities are a few of the perks of the larger campus.
"We have room to breathe now," said Executive Director Barry Morgenstern. Fourteen students currently attend the school, but there is now room for up to 24.
Autism is a neurological disorder that causes impairment in communication and the ability to learn and relate socially. There’s no known cause and no known cure.
And the number of children diagnosed with the disorder is rising. According to research from the Cure Autism Now foundation, autism is believed to affect 1 in 250 people.
More therapies for autism are being offered all the time, but many are not backed up by research or science, Morgenstern said.
The Bay School’s teaching technique is called "applied behavior analysis." Children learn tasks by breaking activities down into basic skills. A student learning to make a peanut butter sandwich will follow pictures of each step along the way.
Data on progress is accumulated all the time, Morgenstern said.
"If there hasn’t been progress by the third day we’ll make a change by the fourth day," he said.
Cheryle Matteo’s 12-year-old daughter, Jesse, began attending the Bay School in November. Matteo, who lives in San Carlos, said her daughter was just not getting her needs met in the public schools and was not making any noticeable improvements.
But after just a few months at the new school, she’s stopped many of her harmful behaviors — including banging her head against her knee repeatedly.
"It’s the first time where we feel it’s a good fit," Matteo said. "We’re not even worried anymore."
The Bay School is a nonprofit that was founded five years ago by three Santa Cruz families. It has grown to include more children, and moved twice from its original site in Aptos.
The cost of teaching each child at The Bay School is about $180 a day. Most of that money is reimbursed through school districts. The remainder comes through fund raising.
Sally Larwood’s daughter, Claire, would not stop crying when she first started coming to The Bay School three years ago. Morgenstern would spend days just sitting with Claire as she cried. Claire now speaks when she didn’t before, using two to three words at a time.
"She’s 100 percent happier because she’s not frustrated," Larwood said. "She can use words for the things she needs."
The change has made a difference for her three siblings, who now are more comfortable interacting with her.
"As a family we can take her to eat at a restaurant or to parities," Larwood said. "She’s not loud or crying anymore. It’s enhanced the quality of our family."
For more information visit The Bay School
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Posted by sylvia on Monday, January 26, 2004 (15:39:32) (1652 reads)
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