Advertisement Md. mom starts school for autistic children Shafer Center caters to specific needs of each child Share Shares Copy Link Copy

An autism diagnosis can raise all sorts of concerns for families, including how to best educate their child.A local mother told 11 News she wasn't satisfied with her options, so she started her own school that, so far, has spawned a number of success stories.Link: Learn more about The Shafer Center | Tap here for videoKirby Gleason, 9, now confidently takes the ice to hone his hockey skills. Aside from passing and shooting, he's also scoring points with his parents for participating."He's progressing. It's been a long, slow progress, but we're glad it's something he's had the opportunity to do," said Mark Gleason, Kirby's father.Kirby was diagnosed with autism at the age of 3. His mother called it a very dark period for the family."He would scream, bang his head, and we couldn't control him. He couldn't talk with many words at that point," mom Adrienne Gleason said.She said she could barely communicate with her son, so preschool seemed out of the question until she heard about a school started by another mother, Helen Shafer."The seed was my love for my child," Shafer said.Shafer's son, Hayden, was diagnosed with autism in 2006. At the time, she felt like the label limited his educational opportunities, so she sought out experts to design a program to better serve Hayden and other kids on the spectrum."Not because I needed him to go to Harvard but because I wanted him to have a shot at a fulfilling life and to be able to make the choice to go to college," Shafer said.The Shafer Center in Owings Mills got off the ground with an enrollment of six. Shafer said classroom instruction is tailored to meet the specific needs of each child, which is why she said multiple instructors and aides often work in tandem. She said the goal is to prepare students to function in the world on their own terms."What we're really trying to create here are supports and programs that are 24/7, almost so that there isn't an aspect of life that is forgotten so we can support not only the child but also the parents," Shafer said."In a week of having Kirby attend the Shafer Center, we saw a difference," Adrienne Gleason said. "It's because they paid attention to what his triggers were and what was going on."The classrooms are currently set up to serve children up to second grade. Despite requests from a number of parents, Shafer said she does not plan to expand the programs."I've done that very deliberately in stopping it at second grade. Our goal has always been to get kids ready for that next level -- to be included in their community school programs," Shafer said.The Shafer Center continues to offer support services for the older kids."We're releasing the butterfly from the cocoon, but we're running underneath it, making sure that it's still flying and that we're still helping it fly," Shafer said.As for Kirby, he transitioned to a public elementary school in the fall and is thriving in the classroom."That child who couldn't speak except to beat on you or bang his head or scream at you is a funny, cute, vibrant kid who has a sense of humor, loves to draw and has friends," Adrienne Gleason said of her son.The Shafer Center offers full year-round instruction, as well as sessions for specific services. Fifty children are currently enrolled.