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outh Walton Academy was born out of a sheer 
need discovered by a mother who was also a 
professional therapist dealing with children.  
Callie Middlebrooks founded South Walton 

Academy after her son, Reid, was diagnosed with Autism 
at the age of four.  Callie was challenged with finding the 
right services for Reid’s situation and education so she 
created a solution that not many could accomplish...  she 
started a school.  Calley is an early intervention therapist 
for the State of Florida’s Early Steps Program and she 
works with children with developmental delays.  She had 
previously seen the challenges that many parents of the 
children she worked with faced when seeking services in 
our local community, specifically for those with Autism 
and other related learning disabilities.  Callie knew an 
important need for these families was support.  Callie’s 
driving force was that she knew children with Autism 
and those on the Autism Spectrum need therapy and an 
education system with a curriculum specifically designed 
to meet the needs of their individual abilities just as much 
as neuro-typical and advanced students.

 Callie watched her neuro-typical daughter struggle with 

the common core curriculum and get “stuck” with busy 
work because she had completed the entire day’s work 
“too soon.” She knew her daughter struggled because 
she needed more of a challenge and was ready to advance 
sooner than her peers. Her son struggled to keep up with 
his peers. Callie noted, “I wanted both of my children to 

be successful for different reasons, and 
felt that with guidance and inclusion, 
experiencing an individualized 
curriculum would do just that. Since no 
such school existed here on the Emerald 
Coast, with the help of colleagues, 
therapists, and close friends and family, 
we created South Walton Academy.”

South Walton Academy is a non-

profit, private school for all children 
and has special accommodations in 
place such as therapies and educational 
tools that allows the opportunity to help 
every child be successful.  South Walton 
Academy is at the forefront to bridging 
the gap between communication and 
children with Autism or other related 
disabilities such as dyslexia, ADHD, 
and more.

story by

 

Greg Alexander 

 

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photos provided by

 

South Walton Academy

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1/28/19   5:02 PM