Illustrative photoACCESS Academy at Optimal ACCESS
Grades and ages
Grades K-12 & up to 22
Student-teacher ratio
1:1
Tuition
Met through district funding, private pay, or sponsor scholarships. Optimal ACCESS is an approved Indiana Education Scholarship Account provider.
About ACCESS Academy at Optimal ACCESS
Optimal ACCESS is a Newburgh, Indiana organization built for autistic people who cannot rely on speech to communicate, and ACCESS Academy is its virtual private school. The aim is creating optimal access to life, learning, communication, and autonomy for those who cannot rely on speech. Students are nonspeaking, minimally speaking, or unreliably speaking, and range in age from 5 to 24.
The starting assumption is competence. Rather than reading limited speech as limited understanding, the program treats it as a movement problem, addressing the apraxia and sensory-motor brain connections associated with autism and teaching the motor skills a student needs to communicate by spelling and typing. Neurologic Music Therapy sits alongside yoga, vision supports, and body work. Academically, students follow a fully accredited curriculum from the Keystone School or Ed Options Academy, taught by licensed teachers at a 1:1 ratio, with both K-12 and adult tracks leading to accredited diplomas.
Student fit
Who this school serves
Grades and ages
- Private
- Elementary (K-5)
- Middle School (6-8)
- High School (9-12)
- Young Adult (18-22)
Learning needs supported
- Autism
- Apraxia
- Nonspeaking, minimally speaking, and unreliably speaking communication
Specialties
- Nonspeaking autism
- Apraxia
- Spelling and typing communication
- Neurologic Music Therapy
- Twice-exceptional learners
- Virtual 1:1 instruction
Learning and support
Curriculum and therapeutic services
Services and supports
- Neurologic Music Therapy
- Communication support (spelling and typing)
- Yoga
- Vision supports
- Body work
Programs
Programs at ACCESS Academy at Optimal ACCESS
Other programs and supports
- Neurologic Music Therapy
- Communication support (spelling and typing)
- Yoga
- Vision supports
- Body work
School facts
Practical details for families
Tuition and funding
Tuition: Met through district funding, private pay, or sponsor scholarships. Optimal ACCESS is an approved Indiana Education Scholarship Account provider.
- Indiana Education Scholarship Account (ESA)
- District funding
- Private pay
- Sponsor scholarships
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about ACCESS Academy at Optimal ACCESS
Who do you serve?
Autistic students ages 5 to 24 who are nonspeaking, minimally speaking, or unreliably speaking, including those with apraxia who communicate by spelling or typing.
Is the school in person or virtual?
ACCESS Academy is a virtual private school, so your child participates from home with 1:1 support. We are based in Newburgh, Indiana, and we run in-person family intensives each summer.
What curriculum do students follow?
A fully accredited curriculum from the Keystone School or Ed Options Academy, taught by licensed teachers. We offer both K-12 and adult education tracks leading to accredited diplomas.
How do you approach communication?
We presume competence. We treat limited speech as a movement issue rather than a thinking issue, addressing the apraxia and sensory-motor brain connections associated with autism and teaching the motor skills needed to communicate through spelling and typing.
What therapies are part of the program?
Neurologic Music Therapy, a research-based approach grounded in applied neuroscience, along with yoga, vision supports, and body work.
How is tuition paid?
Through district funding, private pay, or sponsor scholarships. We are an approved Indiana Education Scholarship Account provider, and an approved ESA provider in Arizona and other states.
Reviews
No reviews yet
Have experience with this provider? Help another family by sharing it.
Are you a representative of ACCESS Academy at Optimal ACCESS?
Manage your school's information and respond to reviews