Miami Courant

Acellus Academy has helped a student on the spectrum to excel and continue to do what he loves most, which is play the piano.

Jacob Velazquez has played the piano since he was 3 and can play with orchestras and for fundraisers, but his education isn't compromised because of the virtual school option.

"One day I heard a song playing from the piano, that my husband had played the night before... but my husband was at work," Tina Velazquez said in a review on the Acellus Facebook page. "When I went to see what was going on, I found my 3-year-old son, Jacob, hitting the keys."

Tina Velazquez said she and her husband found a piano teacher for their son and he began taking lessons. Before long he was playing on CNN, "The Steve Harvey Show," "The View" and "Good Morning America."

"Around this time, he was also diagnosed with PDDNOS (pervasive developmental disorder not otherwise specified), a form of autism similar to Asperger's syndrome," Tina Velazquez said. "Jacob went to a preschool specifically for children on the autism spectrum. He also began working with a doctor that specializes in treating children with autism."

Tina Velazquez said that a combination of doctor's treatments, therapy and the school allowed for her son to attend kindergarten in public school in a general education classroom. He had an IEP to help and a teacher's aid. In fourth and fifth grade, Jacob Velazquez was even placed in the gifted program.

"I had been told by two different doctors that children on the autism spectrum typically did well in elementary school but that middle school often became much more challenging for them," Tina Velazquez said. "When the time came to begin looking at options for sixth grade, my husband and I toured many schools [public and private] hoping to find the best fit for Jacob."

Velazquez said that while she had a good feeling when she had toured the preschool and elementary school for her son, she never got that feeling from a middle school, and her son then began to express interest in home schooling or virtual school.

"He was performing a lot with orchestras and for fundraisers but we didn't want this to affect his education or his ability to just be a kid. So at first, I told him I didn't think it was the best idea and continued scheduling tours at different schools," Tina Velazquez said. "Day by day, he started talking about it more and more and even started looking into our county's virtual school himself. He showed me their website and that they were a free 'public virtual school' option."

Velazquez said that because the program was part of the school district, it was easy to enroll him in the virtual school option. She decided to do so. 

"Unfortunately, we noticed pretty quickly that this was just not a great fit for Jacob," Tina Velazquez said. "The courses were set up where the students were expected to learn everything by reading the assignments that the teachers posted online for them. The students did not ever actually see their teachers but were told to just send an email or schedule a phone call if they needed assistance."

Velazquez said her son is a visual and audible learner and reading was not his strong suit. She said he would work every day from 8 a.m. until 8 p.m. just to keep up.

"I started looking into other virtual schools, but they all seemed to have the same setup," she said. "Then out of desperation, I posted a question on a Facebook homeschool group, asking if there were any virtual schools where the kids could actually see and hear their teachers. More than one parent mentioned Acellus."

When her son had a long weekend off from his current school program, Tina Velazquez said they decided to do a free trial of Acellus. She said they knew right away it was the right choice for her son.

"It was actually perfect timing because in March, Jacob's dream came true when he was asked to be a contestant on his all-time favorite show, 'America's Got Talent,'" Tina Velazquez said. "He was flown to California and had to spend a lot of time rehearsing and writing music for the show. It worked out perfectly because Acellus gave Jacob the flexibility to work on school anytime and anywhere."

Tina Velazquez said that Acellus has worked beautifully for their family.

"As a family we are all very grateful for Acellus and their wonderful curriculum that is unlike any other out there," she said. "Not to mention the scholarship offered to all students, making this great school accessible and affordable to almost anyone. My son loves his school."