09/18/2026
A message from our Executive Director, Deanna Tyrpak.
16 years ago, we opened our doors with just 5 students and 12 staff and a dream to make a difference in the lives of students and families, facing the challenges of autism. We could have never imagined, that we would become this one-of-a-kind therapeutic school, the only in the world, to look at students with autism through this developmental language lens. This unique thinking drives how we interact with students, how we think about emotional regulation, and how we think about adapting curriculum for student-centered, meaningful learning in school and in the community- creating a school culture for understanding the importance of language comprehension, honoring the intentions of students as beautiful communication and supporting joyful interaction and learning.
We have grown by leaps and bounds, since our humble beginnings. Today, we proudly serve 82 students ages 5 to 22 years old, within 9 classrooms, Kindergarten through Transition, placed by 55 Illinois public school districts and supported by a truly stellar program and administrative staff of 180 dedicated, passionate and highly skilled professionals made up of: Special Education Teachers, Vocational Teacher, Classroom Assistants, 1:1 Teacher Assistants, Substitute Teachers, Speech Language Therapists, Occupational Therapists, Mental Health Therapists, DIR® Specialists, Regulatory Crisis Responders and Crisis Team, Regulation to Learning Team, AAC Specialist, Curriculum Team, Music and Movement Program Assistants, Registered Nurses, Principal, DIR® Expert Clinicians/Trainers and DIR® Trainers, Business/Finance, HR, Development/Fundraising, Clerical, and Custodial. Our SEA family works together to make magic happen every day, each in their own way, behind the scenes or on the floor, to support joyful and engaged learning throughout the school. Whether our staff are joining our students in their angst to support regulation, or joining them to play out their ideas together, assisting in the mock apartment to prepare a snack/lunch or do laundry, supporting peers in friends’ group and social emotional learning groups, bringing the hands-on learning to life in individual and group academics, coaching student work in the school store and vocational experiences in the community, supporting recreation and leisure activities in school and in the community, leading activities in occupational therapy groups, music groups, movement exploration groups and literacy language concept groups, working on goals in the classroom or in therapy sessions, or bringing the learning outdoors for students- this team and their commitment to our students, their families and learning excellence, truly sets SEA apart.
We have accomplished so much, but always looking to the future for our school and students. After 10 years in our Lombard building, we have launched our Playground & Sustainability campaign. Our dream is to develop our first playgrounds with two specially designed, therapeutic spaces where play becomes learning- bringing the learning outdoors, because not all classrooms have four walls - while keeping SEA’s mission and daily operations strong now and for many years to come.
To our SEA staff, families and students, and all of our generous supporters: thank YOU for 16 incredible years of commitment, trust, partnership, and growth. Here’s to the future we are building together!
Deanna Tyrpak
Co-Founder, Executive Director
