Grant to Develop Center of Excellence to Educate Students with Autism

Autism Center of Excellence, Inc., a non-profit corporation dedicated to the education of children and young adults with autism, announced it has been awarded a $700,000 grant from the Florida Department of Education to plan and develop an autism education center of excellence near Tampa. Florida Autism Center of Excellence (FACE) will apply for a charter and request authorization to serve students in Hillsborough, Pasco, Pinellas, Sarasota, Manatee and Polk counties. The center is scheduled to open in August 2007 and will serve students ages three to 24.

"The Florida Center of Autism Excellence will provide a comprehensive program to address the unmet needs of students with Autism Spectrum Disorders," Mark Claypool, president and chief executive officer of ESA, said. "We believe that children and young adults with autism can advance in their academic and interpersonal skills if they are given the right type of instruction, encouragement and tools to learn in a safe and healthy academic environment.

"Unfortunately, current public education and social programming for students with autism is severely limited by a lack of resources and expertise, and many students simply do not receive the individualized programming that will help them progress from elementary school through high school and transition to post-secondary education," Claypool said. "That's exactly what FACE will provide students in these six counties." child-autism-parent-cafe.com

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