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The entryway is splashed with colorful dots, pastel fabric swoops along the ceiling and large exercise balls scatter the room. An inflatable turtle hides in the corner, a multi-sensory board leans against the wall and a swing with a padded seat waits to be used.
Griffin Dutson, 11, is thrown into a foam pit where he quickly rebounds and returns the favor to Caitlin Simpson, a child-development graduate student.
It appears to be a typical daycare, but it's not.
The Autism and Sensory Motor Clinic in Yolo Hall is a student-run facility that teaches sensory, motor, communication and cognitive skills to mostly autistic children.
The clinic teaches children through multiple disciplines, including adapted physical education, speech and language pathology and child development.
Autism is a disorder impacting normal brain development, usually in the areas of social interaction, communication skills and cognitive function, according to the National Autism Association.
But there's more to autism than the standard definition, said Dr. Rebecca Lytle, the clinic's coordinator. For example, people often assume that autistic kids don't make eye contact, but kids at the center do.
"In my opinion, it has to do with being comfortable and being relaxed," she said.
Sometimes, autistic kids are unable to relax because they are more or less receptive to senses, she said.
Each of the 14 kids at the clinic is affected differently by autism, said Josie Cline, a kinesiology graduate student.
The clinic has at least a 1-1 student-to-child ratio, with an additional student recording information, Cline said. Children generally receive an hour of care, and how often they come varies. There are 30 children waiting to enroll.
Griffin has the least severe form of autism called Asperger's. He has a shaved head and wears a striped collared shirt and baggy jeans.
He's smart, recently testing close to college-level in spelling, but he has difficulties with motor and social skills, said his father, Gary Dutson.
"When he first came in, he couldn't run without tripping after 20 feet," Dutson said.
Three years later, Griffin is running and roller-skating.
Now, students are teaching Griffin social skills and working on his temper, Simpson said. They help him by playing games he makes up.
"Smash 'em, bash 'em" is one of Griffin's games. Someone tries to balance on a half-circle, foam balance pad. Others throw exercise balls to knock him or her off the pad. It's like dodgeball, but instead of avoiding being hit, the person on the pad has to suck it up and stand his or her ground.
Griffin and the students take turns being the target. Laughter vibrates off the walls, and the game gets intense.
Griffin's competitiveness overwhelms him at one point when he's knocked off. He kicks a large ball that knocks over a trashcan.
The students remain silent, letting him sort out his frustration.
"I'm sorry," Griffin said, picking up the trashcan.
Griffin becomes the target again.
"Pshew, pshew," Griffin sounds with each deflected ball.
This time he' s lasted longer than any of the students.
"This is a world record," Simpson said. "It's like you have superhero powers."
Griffin's smile spreads across his face, and it's easy to see why the staff calls him the clinic "poster child."
Asperger's may not be easy to detect at first, Lytle said.
"It can be a hidden disability," Lytle said. "You might just think they are a little quirky."
Some people don't understand why a seemingly ordinary person will be having a behavior outburst, but using physical expression is how some communicate, she said.
"When we think of behavior, we have to think that behavior has a communication function," she said.
Movements have meaning, and the students learn how the kids communicate, Simpson said.
Autism is often misunderstood, despite that it's increased more than 600 percent in the last decade, Lytle said.
One out of 150 individuals has autism, Lytle said.
"While awareness in the community has increased a lot about the existence and prevalence of autism, I think we need more awareness of challenges and unique needs of people with autism," she said.
Shannon Lane can be reached at slane@theorion.com
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