School for students with autism prepares to expand to second Worcester location

WORCESTER — While most people are busy preparing to travel for the holidays in the coming weeks, Brian Doyle is hard at work, trying to get as much done beforehand so that the Center for Applied Behavioral Instruction’s new building will be ready to open in February.

Located at 80 William St., the former Clark University building will be the second location of the nonprofit school that serves students with autism and related neurological disorders.

“We've been looking to expand,” Doyle, the executive director and co-founder of the nonprofit school, said. “We’ll move four classrooms to this building, all high school transitional age students, and the focus will really be on transitional services.”

That means things like vocational prep and job training, high school diploma completion or continuing education, or helping students prepare for independent living, Doyle said.

The nonprofit secured over $2 million in financing from Rockland Trust to purchase the second building.

The school provides specialized programs for students, keeping classrooms limited to eight students per classroom. Doyle said the school is based on the principles of applied behavior analysis.

But because of growing demand in the form of a waitlist, and the highly specialized nature of the school, the nonprofit needed to expand, Doyle said.

“It gives us an opportunity on both ends. This side of things, to expand, provides opportunity for these kids that are ready for this new transitional opportunity,” he said. “Then it provides openings for kids on the other side that are coming to our school, because they're having a lot of difficulties where they’re currently in a less restrictive environment, like the public school.”

The school, which currently operates at 345 Greenwood St., has “continuously grown” since opening nearly a decade ago, Doyle said, and now serves 106 students. When the new building opens, 32 of those students will make the move to William Street.

“We’ll expand William Street by two classrooms over the next year and a half, so we’ll add another 16 kids. That’ll probably max out the building,” he said. “We expect to have 48 to 50 students in that building.”

The school will look to add the four classrooms back to the Greenwood Street location as well over the next two years.

Students from high school age and up will move to William Street, Doyle said. Students are able to stay in the program until they turn 22, and then they are required to move on, Doyle said.

Doyle said the location will allow students to learn in a former college building in the “heart of Worcester,” with ample opportunities for volunteer work or internships.

The William Street location also allows for a more “free flowing” experience than the Greenwood Street building, where students are in more traditional classroom settings, he said.

And the new building will be more accommodating of students’ individualized needs, Doyle said, which has been difficult at the Greenwood Street building due to space limitations.

“It's not like a typical school where we could put every kid in the second grade, working on the same second-grade curriculum,” he said. “Our kids are so individualized. While some may be in the same math, they may not be on the same level in English language arts or history.”

Being able to travel to each classroom on their own and meet with their peers “fits into the philosophy” of the transitional program, and the independence the school strives to instill in its students.

The new building is nearly ready for use, Doyle said. It is filled with furniture that had been left behind, and classrooms and bathrooms were upgraded in a past revamp, he said. Some retrofits and safety testing must still be done before move-in.

There will be a month of transition for the students, which will include taking them to the new building to see the classrooms and get them comfortable with their new environment.

Doyle hopes classes can begin at William Street by mid-February.

“You never know with construction, if we have to do anything more major,” Doyle said. “If the city says, ‘We'd like more room in the hallway for this bathroom for handicap accessibility’ or something, we may have to do some work. It depends on what the city says.”

Doyle said he is excited about the expansion.

“It will provide more opportunity for all kids that have this diagnosis,” Doyle said. “And who are having trouble in less restrictive schools.”

This article originally appeared on Telegram & Gazette: Center for Applied Behavioral Instruction expanding in Worcester