Michelle Lee understands preparing your child to start school for the first time can be daunting — especially when your child is diagnosed with autism.
With the neurodevelopmental condition affecting social communication, interactions and sensory processing, Lee feared teachers wouldn’t be able to understand her autistic son.
“My biggest fear was just leaving him at school and nobody understanding him because he had a speech problem,” she said. “I understood him, but nobody else really understood him. Even his dad had a hard time. He wound up doing voluntary pre-k two years in a row because it took him a while to understand colors, numbers, things like that.”
Education centers like Kaleidoscope Learning Center and Therapy Solutions, where Lee works as director of families and community partnership, provide the resources families with autistic children need to help their students succeed when they start their k-12 journey.
In Florida, 4.9% of children from 3 to 17 years old were diagnosed with autism in 2023, compared to 4.3% nationwide, according to the Florida Department of Health.
As a clinical healthcare service, applied behavior analysis (ABA) therapy is covered by most health insurance, including Medicaid. Shena Grantham, Florida’s deputy secretary for Medicaid policy and quality, recently said Florida spends more on the therapy than any other state, having spent $6.57 billion during fiscal years 2023-24 and 2024-25 combined. Indiana spent the next highest at $1.65 billion over two years.
Families can use medicaid to enroll their autistic child at ABA therapy centers like Kaleidoscope. The Bushnell-based center opened its doors to the public on Aug. 20 for a ribbon-cutting ceremony and a tour of its 45,000-square-foot facility. It is a hub for physical, speech, occupational and early intervention applied behavior analysis therapies designed to help autistic children from 3 to 6 year old learn and respond to social cues.
Lee, whose son is now 14 and a freshman in high school, attests to the need for ABA therapy.
“If there was an early intervention facility here when (my son) was at that age, I would have gladly put him into it, because it helped ease him into the process of getting ready to go to school,” Lee said.
The early intervention program uses positive reinforcement and play-based education to help autistic children ages 2 to 6 years old recognize, interpret and respond to social cues before starting kindergarten.
Lee was glad to see a center open up in Sumter County. She and her son had to travel to Tampa and Gainseville for his ABA therapy. Today, she works to educate tri-county families going through what she did about the resources now available to them.
Kaleidoscope’s founder Jennifer Haines has seen how applying ABA therapy to education can create an environment where students diagnosed with autism can thrive.
“I truly believe in applied behavior analysis services. I’ve seen it firsthand,” said Haines, director and chief operating officer. “Most of our kids are reading at 2 years old. They are able to count and they know their numbers. It’s the social cues they’re not getting. Once students get that piece of communication, it’s like their whole world opens up.”
Haines, who has 15 years of experience as an educator with the Sumter County Public Schools, was motivated to provide a space to help families in Sumter County.
“If you are able to teach them these social cues when they are younger, as they get into kindergarten, first grade, second grade, they don’t have so many social issues and behavior barriers,” she said. “They need someone to believe in them to get them to that point and that’s us.”
During the ribbon-cutting ceremony, students and their families met with teachers and explored the facility for from its gym to the classrooms.
“We are laying the foundation of the center,” Haines said. “We are building a community. We want parents to know we are a safe space for their children.”
Founded in January, the center welcomed its first class of students on Aug. 25. The center also is a private k-12 school for children with autism, attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder and attention-deficit disorder. As of Aug. 31, 76 students signed up for private school and 15 students signed up for the early intervention ABA program.
Students enrolled in the early intervention program engage in interactive and sensory-focused play in four dedicated toy-filled spaces. Each space has its own theme, including a doctor’s office, which is sponsored by Langley Health Services; a police station, sponsored by the Sumter County Sheriff’s Office; a grocery store; and a house. Each space includes a Little Tikes car.
Haines said students at the center can benefit from personalized one-on-one attention, with four out of the eight certified teachers at Kaleidoscope also being registered behavior technicians.
Lee said she feels it’s important to make sure local families are aware.
“In terms of access to the ABA services in the area, it’s getting better. But it will only continue to improve if more people, like myself, continue to push,” she said. “This project was needed and not just in Sumter County. It’s upsetting because I know parents are struggling — I struggled when there was nothing. I want all the parents to know that we see them and I’m willing to do whatever it takes to make this process easier.”
For more information about Kaleidoscope Learning Center and Therapy Solutions, visit kaleidoscopefl.com.
Staff writer Brea Jones can be reached at 352-753-1119, ext. 5414, or brea.jones@thevillagesmedia.com.
