A school for autistic children in Elgin is growing so fast, it’s ready to expand. The school is unique in that the teacher student ratio is one on one or one on two.

This is not your traditional school. The Big Sky Education and Research School in Elgin is geared toward autistic children, but it also has a whole family model. Parents learn about the neurological issues with this spectrum and how to educate their children. The school also has a section geared towards educating their siblings.

“The core of this program is that it's called a relational model. We really dig into who these kids are and what they need. We incorporate their -- say -- their ability to help create their curriculum,” said the school’s founder, Katherine Ann Roe Sainz.

Sainz has nearly 20 years experience including working in public schools. She says some autistic kids are so over-stimulated by loud noises and artificial lights they don't learn.

“They're working so hard to control their ticks, their turrets, their OCDs, their depression, that very academia is getting through there. So here, there's a lot of freedom. The teachers follow the students,” said Sainz.

Tom Ibis has a 4-year-old son, who has made great progress here.

“He was so fascinated with Spanish, and Katherine knows Spanish, so he started doing his alphabet in Spanish and number in Spanish -- and he's really taken off,” said Sainz.

The Big Sky school is about to add a campus a few miles away. The new piece of property will be 15-acre plot of land with a newly restored farmhouse. It will have room for therapy pigs and full size therapy horses.

Sainz is still raising funds for this new school, which will be home to nine autistic kids ranging in age from 3 to 23. It was also have a special class for siblings of autistic kids. That class will teach traditional education, but also have lessons about living and caring for autistic kids. Sainz says many of the siblings at her school will eventually end up caring for their autistic brother or sister. And while she’s excited, there is still more to do.

“So we'll have the space for it - now we just have to find the staff... It won't pay well - but you'll go home with a smile on your face,” said Sainz.

The new campus is set to open in June.