About Us
Alessia Odell
FOUNDER OF
SPECTRUM CONNECTION
Alessia Odell, the founder of Spectrum Connection, has a Master’s degree in Special Education from the University of Washington. She is a licensed special education teacher with 20 years of experience working with neurodiverse children of ages ranging from 1 to 13 years old. She is also a PLAY Project® Consultant and Teaching PLAY Project® Consultant* for schools. Throughout her career, she developed a particular interest in teaching young children with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD), as well as a love for teaching Social Emotional Learning (SEL). She discovered a special talent for understanding her students and connecting with each one individually. She learned quickly that when she invested in them personally, they invested in learning. Working one-on-one with neurodiverse children fills her passion for developing those deeper connections with her students and she finds it so rewarding to watch them grow socially and emotionally. She is also a mother of three- a preschooler and two teenagers, keeping her attuned to the unique challenges faced today by children at each stage of development.
At Spectrum Connection, we know that human connection is vital for healthy child development and all children desire meaningful relationships. Research from the Harvard University Center on the Developing Child has demonstrated that relationships formed with children early in life impact all areas of growth, particularly self-image, confidence, and impulse control. Therefore, our aim is to build trusting bonds with students where they feel safe to take on challenges and are celebrated for their strengths and successes. Within this relationship-based context, we use individualized, play-based interventions to increase social engagement and communication. Learning these skills early in childhood will serve them for a lifetime.
*To learn more about the Play Project®, go to
We know parents struggle when their child hurts because they feel different and not accepted by others. While many children intuitively learn social rules, neurodiverse children struggle to read these nuanced social cues. Add to that the fact that many have sensory challenges as well, and the world can be a very scary place. Some people mistake these difficulties to mean that neurodiverse children prefer to be alone, however this couldn’t be further from the truth. We work with children who often seem to be safe in their own world, tuning out everything around them. We see how they light up when they begin to trust us enough to allow us into their world. As the children play and have fun with us, they learn that engaging in social relationships is rewarding. They start to take on new challenges, engaging with others, further facilitating their social-emotional development. The relationship that we build with that one child can truly change their whole world. This is why the work we do is so exciting and meaningful!