Autism academy downtown
Kirk Penton - Jul 15, 2019 - Biz Releases

Vista Academy has a perfect record when it comes to ensuring autistic children learn the skills needed to stay enrolled in their full-time schools.

The non-profit academy has been in operation for more than three years, and all 21 students who have gone through Vista are now thriving in their schools.

“What makes Vista different than the other service providers in the community is our goal is to integrate the children back into their regular learning environments,” Vista executive director Ashley Sali said. “So we would like to have them here for a year or two to build the skills they require to integrate successfully and stay meaningfully enrolled in their full-time education.

“We are here to help bridge the gap between early intervention and typical schooling, so we run a program here that goes from kindergarten to Grade 5.”

Vista was able to accomplish its stellar mark of success while operating out of its founder’s basement, too. Henrietta Penney is the woman behind Vista, and she couldn’t be more excited now that the academy has a space of its own in downtown Kelowna.

“It’s going to be marvellous, and I’m pretty excited about it all,” she said. “It’s a legacy for me to fill.”

Vista opened its new doors at 204-1456 St. Paul St. on April 1, and the academy’s new home has even more space to ensure its students get the skills they need. One of the highlights is the 300 square-foot sensory room.

“Here at Vista we believe that kids learn best through movement and then the ability to be able to practise proprioception … you get to have movement breaks, get body awareness, climb on the rock-climbing wall, use the monkey bars and hang on the sensory swings as well as being able to do group activities like yoga and drumming,” Sali said. “It’s a really great opportunity to have that facility for them to get the energy out so that they’re able to learn better.”

The prime location downtown will also allow the teachers and students to go on field trips to places like the library, museum, City Park and Kasugai Gardens.

Majda Stojanovic’s son, Dominic Deck, attends Vista Academy, and she said the improvement in her son has been more than noticeable.

“As a mom whose child attended Vista for over a year, I definitely see—other than the actual growth he would’ve done anyway—he has been taken care of in a way that when he does have a behaviour issue, perhaps in public school or other places he would’ve been sent home,” Stojanovic said. “Individuals wouldn’t have the one-on-one time to tend to Dominic when he’s having a moment, as we all do.

“At Vista they actually work with him specifically during that time, so when he does have a challenge they’ll actually also teach the parent what to do and how to talk to him when he’s having a challenging time. So I see a great change in my son, how he behaves and how we deal with it as well when he has a tough time.”

The academy is accepting students for the upcoming school year, and summer options are available as well. Visit the Vista website for more information.


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