NORTH FORT MYERS, Fla. - Raising a special needs child takes a lot of patience and love. Many parents will tell you how difficult it can be to try and find the right educational programs that will help their kids thrive. Now there's a new option opening this Fall in Lee County.

Peace By Piece Learning Center, a new-non-profit specialized school will open it's doors in North Fort Myers.

"Peace By Piece is a longtime dream of mine to open up a place for kids with autism and related disorders." Explains Dr. Renée Terrasi, founder and director of the school.

Kids 12 and under, many who are low functioning autistic, get specialized care. They work one-on-one or in very small groups with teachers, who address their individual needs through personalized programs.

"Our intervention is as broad as the spectrum, {we teach} appropriate language, language that can be generalized into society." Explains Terrasi. "We want our kids to be able to function in society as well as they can."

Dr. Terassi knows first hand the struggles faced by families with special needs kids. She served as a foster parent to a severely autistic child, an experience giving her unique perspective.

"As a parent it was amazing to me how many services we were lacking in the community, how it's not just a given that you can have a daycare or get a babysitter."

Peace By Piece is the only school of it's kind from Lee County to Sarasota. It joins specialty schools like Eden Florida and Able Academy, both in Collier County, in their quest to open the world to autistic children .

Classes start August 12th.

The individualized care provided at Peace By Piece isn't cheap, costing upwards of $15,000. The school does accept McKay scholarships, which are given to Florida families with disabled children.

For more information, click on the links below:

Peace By Piece Learning Center:
www.peacebypieceinc.com
239-482-5006

Mckay Scholarship:
www.mckayscholarship.com