When Denise Brooks' son, Avery, was 18 months old, she noticed some changes.

All of the sudden, his vocabulary started disappearing and he began to show different behavior than normal.

It was almost as if he was regressing.

Brooks, of Jordan, took Avery to a doctor, who diagnosed him with a severe form of autism.

“When I heard that, the first thing that came to my mind was, oh my god, what is his future going to look like?”

Because of his symptoms, which include the absence of verbal communication, he needs special schooling.

But when Brooks started looking for special programs for children with autism, most of them were as far as New York City.

“I didn't want to move down there, so I decided to start a school here,” Brooks said. “There is a need for something like that here.”

Brooks is the founder of the Central New York Center for Autism, a private learning center that is scheduled to open in 2009. The center will be located in Syracuse, but will serve the entire central New York region, Brooks said.

Though it is not open yet, and Brooks is still in the process of securing funding, the programming is already set. There will be pre-school, after-school and full-day programs for children. There will also be adult programs meant to improve communication and independence, Brooks said.

The main point of the school will be to work with students on their communications skills before working on socialization.

Most state-run programs, Brooks said, work to socialize students first.

At the center, a team of staff therapists and teachers would design individual curriculum around each student. Children will receive both individual and group interaction, Brooks said.

“How are they going to be able to socialize if they don't know how to communicate?” Brooks said.

“If you take a child who is severely autistic and throw them in a room full of loud kids, it can be very traumatic.”

Autism is a disability that impacts the normal development of the brain in areas of social interaction, communication and cognitive functions, according to the National Autism Association.

Autism usually appears before the age of 3, and can lead to difficulties in verbal and non-verbal communication, social interaction and leisure or play-time activities, according to the association.

In 2007, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released data that one in 150 8-year-old children in multiple areas of the United States had an autism disorder.

As Brooks started to research autism and the local resources that are available, she realized there was a demand for a school in the area. In Onondaga County alone, there are more than 500 diagnosed cases, she said.

For the first two years, the center will enroll 30 pre-schoolers, 40 people in the after-school program and 40 more in the full-day school.

The students will be initially chosen by a lottery drawing, and then by a wait list, she said.

The center is currently advertising for qualified teachers, therapists and other staff members to work with the students.

Brooks said part of her research was talking with local parents and family members of autistic children.

“They are all very excited about this center. There is a need for a service like this in this part of New York,” Brooks said.

But before the doors open, Brooks said she has to complete the biggest challenge of the startup process - funding.

She has applied for the center to be designated as a non-profit organization and is still awaiting the status of the application.

The Bill & Melinda Gates foundation has expressed interest in giving funds to the program, Brooks said. There are also a number of fundraisers scheduled through the summer.

The ultimate goal of the center will be to integrate children and adults with autism disorders into society, Brooks said.

“When these kids do get older, they can possibly go to college and stay involved with our community,” Brooks said. “Hope is a good thing for these kids.”