Students with autism now have a new place to learn.

This fall, the Ava White Academy on Washington Street will start a program to help six autistic students in the second through fifth grades.

The academy is hosting an open house tonight to talk about the new program and existing services for all students with learning disabilities.

"I've had a lot of requests from parents looking for educational institutions for their students diagnosed with autism, but I've probably turned down as many kids as I've accepted because I didn't have the right teacher," White said Wednesday.

Several months ago, Rasheeda Swain, a teacher with 13 years of experience and an applied behavior analysis background, applied for a position with the academy and expressed her interest in starting a class for autistic students.

"She was trained at the Marcus Institute, which is the gold standard for experience with autism," White said. "With her expertise in data collection, program development and behavioral analysis, we can now serve students who have a diagnosis of autism."

Swain will be the lead teacher, and a paraprofessional teacher and occupational therapist will provide guidance in the classroom.

"Autism has been a mystery in the past because we haven't had a handle on what causes it," White said.

"In the last few years, there has been a lot of research and interest in this group because so many kids are diagnosed."

Swain will begin individual tutoring with autistic students of any age this summer. She and White are also developing an extended-year program for young autistic students.

"The more we can do for these kids and families, the better," White said. "Sometimes the autism is so severe, it's difficult to work with the students. It's good to have professional strategies and techniques in place to get these kids on board and learning."

At tonight's open house, officials will also discuss funding options, including state voucher programs and scholarship opportunities for students diagnosed with learning disabilities, dyslexia and attention deficit disorders.

"We have had extraordinary experiences with students and their parents," White said. "I can't begin to describe how gratifying it has been to see non-reading kids become excited about reading and writing."