Fla. Schools Focusing on Special Needs Expand

Bay Life Academy behavior aide
Darian Rohn claps as Julian Stibich
participates in a science experiment

SEFFNER, Fla.  -- A peek inside the classroom for students with autism spectrum disorder reveals nearly as many adults as youngsters.
Most of these children have aides who work with them throughout the school day. Occupational and speech therapists also work side-by-side with some of the students as they forge ahead, despite their disabilities.
In the upper levels at Bay Life Academy in Seffner, a fifth-grader may break away and attend a math course set up for third-graders, so she can work her way up to grade level. A fourth-grader at Livingstone Academy in Riverview may attend a reading class for second-graders, even though he is on-level in other areas.
Both schools are growing as demand for their specialized services grows.