Students with autism-spectrum disorders—from those with profound nonverbal autism to high-functioning students with Asperger’s syndrome—often have specific needs, and St. Louis Public Schools’ Gateway STEM High School is expanding to meet them. Its autism program includes state-of-the-art technology, a life-skills curriculum, and after-school activities that range from math to cooking.
The program currently has seven teachers and 17 instructional care assistants for two self-contained classrooms and four classrooms where students rotate, giving all students ample individual time with teachers. Students can use iPads to help learn life skills through visual presentations and video modeling. And the program also includes after-school activities and community volunteering opportunities at the Saint Louis Science Center, Northview Village nursing home, the Demetrius Johnson Charitable Foundation, and other locations.
In the past three years, Gateway’s program has grown from 17 to 46 students, says department head Christine Lato, and it now has a waiting list.
