FOCUS Center For Autism Eliminates Anxiety In The Classroom

The FOCUS Center for Autism, in Canton, is all about removing anxiety and creating a welcoming learning environment for students with autism.

That’s the whole reason founders Donna Swanson and her husband, Fred Evans, of North Granby, wanted to start the nonprofit in 2000, which has now grown to become a fully accredited special education program.

“I had a private practice and I kept getting referred these innocent kids that were being called ADD and oppositional defiant,” Swanson said. “But it was all out of anxiety. They weren’t oppositional defiant. A kid with anxiety is not going to do anything. If they don’t feel safe, they’re not doing it.”

Students with autism between the ages of 11 and 18 are referred to the center. They spend full school days, five days a week, and forgo the traditional middle school and high school setting for a more intimate educational experience that Swanson said makes learning more approachable.

“This is all about relationships,” Swanson said. “This kind of defies what people generally think about autism and kids with autism. They feel so safe and understood here, not only by us, but by each other.”

The center’s new accreditation, which it received in November, means it’s easier for students to find their way to the FOCUS Center’s Fresh Start School and makes it easier for the nonprofit to get reimbursed.

“It validates everything we’ve been doing here,” Swanson said about the accreditation they received from the Connecticut Department of Education.

There is no bullying and teasing at the FOCUS school. That’s a problem most of their students have dealt with at other schools.

“A lot of these kids have been home schooled because they were not understood in school or they felt bullied,” Swanson said. “It’s easy not to understand these kids. One famous person with autism once said, ‘If you’ve met one person with autism, you’ve met one person with autism,’ because they are all very different and it is a spectrum.”

Hope Wilmot, a 16-year-old from Torrington, has been with the FOCUS school for seven years and will be moving on to a larger school soon.

“This school is a very calming and relaxing environment,” Wilmot said. “The kids are not judgmental. At other schools, teachers weren’t giving me help or doing one-on-one work. I was also bullied. It’s easier to learn here.”

Swanson said when Wilmot first came to the FOCUS school, she wasn’t the same person as she is now leaving the school.

“Before, I had a lot more struggles dealing with how other kids were treating me and how they were joking around,” Wilmot said. “One small thing would get me mad.”

Ethan Tirado, a 12-year-old from New Britain, said he also experienced struggles at his previous school before finding the FOCUS school to be a perfect fit.

“I was a bit worried when I first came here, because I thought it would be like my old school,” Tirado said. “My old school was not fun. I had many bullies. This school has no bullies at all. I have no bullies to frustrate me.”

Tirado said the FOCUS school and its staff have created an environment that allows him to focus on learning.

“This school is really good,” Tirado said. “This is my dream school.”

Alana Leventhal, a 14-year-old from Trumbull, has only been attending the FOCUS school for a few weeks now. She’s already sensing how calm the school makes her feel.

“I really like this place because it feels like a safe environment,” Leventhal said. “It’s calming. I really like being here. This is one of my favorite places to come.”

Windsor twins Jacob White and Keith White, who are 15, both attend the FOCUS school, which they said lets them learn at a pace that suits them.

“One of the major ways it’s different than my old school is that there’s a lot more one-on-one,” Jacob White said. “Teachers really help out. You aren’t the one person in 30 kids.”

“It’s a very calm and slower environment,” Keith White said. “You don’t have to rush. You can take your time around here. It’s a much calmer environment and it’s a lot less noisy.”

Swanson said these students, and seeing them learn, keeps her going every day.

“I love their honesty. I get them, I understand them,” Swanson said. “The love between us is what makes my heart beat. Somebody needs to understand them.”