A long ago vacated elementary school is on track to house Missouri’s first autism clinic north of I-70.

Greenwood School, located at the northwest corner of Normal and Halliburton, will be repurposed for use as an inter-professional autism clinic. President Troy D. Paino originally proposed the idea for the clinic in fall 2015, and the measure was met with bipartisan support from state legislators and the governor during the 2016 Missouri legislative session.

In April, Gov. Jay Nixon signed a higher education general budget that earmarked $1 million for the planning and design work project.

In addition to serving a public need, the autism clinic will also provide opportunities for collaboration with A.T. Still University’s occupational therapy program. Licensed professionals will work with and supervise graduate and undergraduate students enrolled in related fields such as mental health counseling, psychology and education.

The University is awaiting word on additional funding from the state that will allow the actual renovation phase to begin in the summer of 2017 with the clinic projected to be open by the fall of 2018.