Giant Steps educates students during Autism Awareness Month, year round

LISLE – Joan Kobs’ son, Dan, has made tremendous gains in learning and communicating since he was enrolled at Giant Steps, a therapeutic day school in Lisle focused exclusively on students with autism.

Kobs, a Naperville resident, said her 12-year-old son is nonverbal and uses a device to communicate with others. Currently in the school’s junior high program, Dan was enrolled more than 4 years ago. Since that time, Kobs said he’s become skilled at using his device and has even begun to speak a little.

“He’s really come a lot farther than he was ever able to in a traditional classroom setting,” Kobs said.

Dan’s success can be attributed at least in part to the amount of one-on-one attention he receives at Giant Steps, she said.

With 157 students enrolled at the day school, ranging from elementary school-aged children to 22-year-olds, Giant Steps CEO and President Bridget O’Connor said the school essentially runs 157 different individualized education programs. To give every student the level of service they need, Giant Steps employs 238 staff members within a 72,000-square-foot building at 2500 Cabot Drive.

Giant Steps serves students from 63 different Illinois school districts with a vast range of abilities. Funding for students’ education is provided by each family’s school district until age 22.

An individualized approach is necessary, because autism varies from person to person, she said.

Some students function at a very basic level, while others may test six to 10 grade levels above a typical student of their age, O’Connor said.

And while reading, writing and math are components of students’ educational programs, “we don’t want to just limit them to academic learning if they can’t apply or carry it over to their daily life,” she said.

In addition to adapting to students’ sensory and learning needs, O’Connor said Giant Steps often takes them into the community.

“We feel that is a critical component,” she said. “We try to take kids into places where they are typically uncomfortable to try to help them develop coping skills.”

Businesses in both Lisle and Naperville, including the Hilton Lisle-Naperville Hotel and the Hyatt Lisle, have allowed students to use their facilities for recreation, giving them an opportunity to adjust to a new environment, O’Connor said.

The organization also has developed a program targeted at adults on the autism spectrum. Twelve students ranging from about 22 to 35 years old currently are enrolled, she said.

Like the day school, skill levels within the adult program vary greatly, ranging from those able to work a job to those who may never be able to work, O’Connor said.

But funding and finding
adequate space for the adult program has proved challenging. Giant Steps tries to offset the amount families pay through fundraising and grant writing, she said.

Though April is recognized nationally as Autism Awareness Month, O’Connor said she and her staff have been overwhelmed by the response from various organizations throughout the year who want to better serve the autism community.

Giant Steps offers a training program for those who work with individuals on the autism spectrum designed to provide consultation in communication, education, recreation and leisure skills, sensory integration and more.

“People are very receptive, because it’s so prevalent,” O’Connor said. “It’s everywhere and people are looking for information.”

The U.S. Center for Disease Control recently reported that the number of children with autism has surged to one in 68 – a 30 percent increase from two years ago.

“We are amazed at the need and the lack of programming out there,” O’Connor said.

Kobs said she’d love to keep her son enrolled in Giant Steps for as long as possible. She realizes as he gets older, the challenges he faces will become greater.

“Getting him out in the community every week, learning how to do that and navigating the outside world is going to become more and more important for Dan,” she said.