By the time he graduated from Spectrum Academy's kindergarten class recently, not only had he mastered basic vocabulary, but he would also offer a hug to someone who was sad, said teacher Melinda Nevarez.

Daniel's is one of the many success stories coming out of Spectrum, the state's only public charter school for kindergarten thorough 8th-grade students, most of whom have high-functioning autism or Asperger's syndrome. The school recently celebrated its first year of operation and its teachers and administration hope to continue to combine social skills with academic skills.

"So many of [the students] have had teachers who didn't think they were capable, but they just have a different learning style," Nevarez said.

The North Salt Lake City school was created because a group of parents wanted to send their children to a school that could accommodate their special needs. Lala Miles, one of the founding parents and an aide in the school's learning center, said she was unable to get help when her son Joshua had nervous breakdowns.

"If a kid has a behavior problem, he can't learn," she said.

Miles, who has three other children enrolled in Spectrum, contacted a social worker who connected her with other parents of autistic children. They filled out an application, the state approved it and 150 students enrolled for the first year at the school.

Although Miles lives in West Valley City, she commutes to Davis County. So do many other parents or staff, including Nevarez, who lives in Salt Lake City. That is because this is the only free school for her children. The school serves students from as far away as Tooele, Ogden and Utah County. Because property is cheaper in the Davis County, the school was built there rather than Salt Lake City.

Spectrum Academy principal Merry Fusselman said it was challenging to be the first school of its kind in Utah because school officials did not have a clear education model to follow. Seeing the kids progress and achieve successes make the challenges worth it, Fusselman said.

Using positive reinforcement and a safe learning environment, Spectrum staff teach students to substitute their atypical behaviors - vocal outbursts or lack of eye contact - with replacement behaviors.

In Daniel's case, Nevarez would repeat his click and add the correct vocabulary word so that he could learn basic language skills. The staff's goal is to not only teach the proper behavior in the classroom, but how to apply it outside the class as well.

Fusselman said that school successfully provided an academic and social education by giving personal attention and individualized sensory help to students. By doing so, she said, the school was able to give its students a sense of belonging they hadn't felt before.

Miles agreed, saying her children "now have friends - they are being invited to birthday parties."

After students enter the school at kindergarten, staff's goal is to have them adapted and socialized enough to function in public schools by the time they graduate from eighth grade. Although the students will still need specialized education after leaving Spectrum, most will enter state public schools.

"Some of the turnarounds have been amazing," said eighth-grade classroom aide Linda Lyman.