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South Florida Autism Charter School, first of its kind in Miami-Dade & Broward that serves students on autism spectrum

Posted at 4:18 PM, Apr 14, 2021
and last updated 2021-04-14 16:19:30-04

Founded in 2008, The South Florida Autism Charter School has a new campus in Hialeah. It’s the first charter school in Miami-Dade and Broward Counties that exclusively serves students on the autism spectrum.

The South Florida Autism Charter School just opened last Saturday. The school HAS 66,000 square feet of space for students on the autism spectrum to learn, exercise and socialize.

“For every three students, we have one teacher. We’ll never have more than nine students per class” said principal of SFACS, Dr. Tamara Moodie.

It took nearly 10 years to get this school completed. Made possible through donations and lots of fundraising. The school provides education and therapeutic services, targeting those with communication deficits and behavioral challenges.

“We take data, analyze it, and work closely with behavioral analysts to make sure we’re giving our kids the best therapy that they need,” said Dr. Tamara.

300 students, from K-12, can attend on campus. Students like Christina De Leon, a student with high-functioning autism, grateful to be here.

“I love this school because it changed my life. It changed how I twas and it really helped me to become more mature and to be a really good student,” said senior Christina De Leon.

Christina says she’s met a lot of friends on campus. About to graduate, Christina wants to be an activist raising awareness about autism.

“I want to be like a speaker for autism and I want to be a professional drummer and singer because I’m not going to let my autism get in the way,” she said.

The goal here is to give every student an opportunity to explore.

“We have a key club, we have a basketball team, a dance team, a media club and a newspaper club. I want my students to experience every single thing their siblings experience,” said Dr. Tamara.

For parents, SFACS offers trainings and mental health therapy online. The new campus is located at 3751 W 108th Street. For more information about programs, click here.