Every day at 9 a.m. during “recess,” Darren and Jacob run, play games and laugh together. At age 7 and 8, the children would typically be in first grade, moving up every school year with their peers of the same age.
Mollinedo, a former public educator with 15 years of experience, said the academy integrates applied behavior analysis elements into its curriculum to help support children on the autism spectrum, a feat public schools or other mental health institutes in the area do not practice.
ASD affects 1 in 68 children in the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. More than 3.5 million Americans live with ASD, the fastest-growing developmental disability.
In Montgomery County, where more than 500,000 people live, roughly 2,000 children have ASD, Mollinedo said, adding that while numbers for people living with ASD are growing, research isn’t clear as to whether that’s because more children are getting the disorder or because it’s being diagnosed more.
While Darren climbs through a play tube, Jacob peeks in curiously not saying a word. He then runs into board-certified assistant behavior analyst Liz Fajardeo, who together with instructor Shelinta Perez are monitoring and playing with the children during the children’s recess, known as “Motor Lab.”
“We spend time working on the areas we know we need to develop further and the systems that will work here,” Fajardeo said. “One of our kiddos here can work for a much more extended period of time, whereas the schedule for our other kiddo is much shorter.”
One of the goals is getting the two children, on opposite ends of the autism spectrum, to interact with one another. While one child speaks freely and often, the other child is relatively quiet and speaks “when he wants,” Walls said.
Through encouragement and games with instructors, the children are learning how to behave in a social setting, she said.
“Having no downtime allows us to, first off, get a lot of work in,” Walls said. “It teaches children to stick to a schedule. A lot of them respond really well to routine. So the same thing every day.”
The Texas Autism Academy has a student-to-teacher ratio of 7:2. Each year, the plan is to grow by age until it reaches individuals up to age 22. With individualized goals set by parents, students who progress at TAA will have the option to transfer back into a public school setting, Walls said.

Visual schedules are seen hanging outside a classroom at the Texas Autism Academy, Tuesday, Sept. 26, 2017, in Spring. The academy is non-profit, private school for children with autism.

Cary Leakey Mollinedo, vice president of Texas Autism Academy, reads to a student during class on Tuesday in Spring. Mollinedo helped create TAA after 15 years as a special education teacher in public schools. The academy is non-profit, private school for children with autism

A class schedule for the day hangs outside a classroom at the Texas Autism Academy, Tuesday, Sept. 26, 2017, in Spring. The academy is non-profit, private school for children with autism.

Director of Curriculum Shelinta Perez, right, works with a student alongside Liz Fajaredo, a board certified assistant behavior analyst, during class at the Texas Autism Academy, Tuesday, Sept. 26, 2017, in Spring. The academy is non-profit, private school for children with autism

Director of Curriculum Shelinta Perez helps a student climb through a tube during a play period at the Texas Autism Academy, Tuesday, Sept. 26, 2017, in Spring. The academy is non-profit, private school for children with autism
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