The Emerald Coast Autism Center (ECAC) is a 501(c) 3 non-profit organization dedicated to educating and improving the lives of young children with Autism Spectrum Disorders in Okaloosa and Walton counties and surrounding areas. Autism affects a child's ability to communicate, understand language, and socialize with others.
ECAC was founded in 2009 to fill a tremendous void that currently exists in our community with respect to the education and treatment of young children with autism. Current statistics estimate that autism affects 1 in 91 children (Pediatrics, 10/5/09), an increase from 1 in 10,000 children just ten years ago. This rise in autism of epidemic proportions has left schools, both public and private alike, ill-equipped to teach these amazing children with autism. And likewise, it has left parents of children with autism unable to find effective education options for their children during the critical early years. ECAC was created as a therapy-based, year-round private school that serves the needs of these children and their families.
The motto of the ECAC is "Reaching Kids, Supporting Families". Our approach is two-fold: provide the highest caliber Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) based school for children with autism in our community and provide support for the families of these children. Along these lines, one of the fundamental goals of ECAC is to provide services to children with autism regardless of their families' economic situation. In order to accomplish this goal we are striving to establish a scholarship fund for economically disadvantaged families of children with autism.