Smart Kids With LD

By Marcia B. Rubinstien, M.A., C.E.P.

Many colleges support students with learning disabilities by providing services that make it easier to learn in a mainstream environment. But at Landmark College in southern Vermont there is no need to make special accommodations for students with dyslexia, ADHD or specific learning disabilities. At this beautiful wooded campus, the entire educational program is designed to meet the needs of special learners.

	Preparing for the Future In learning how to learn, students develop the confidence and independence to master the demands of mainstream college and deal with real-life situations. Those who graduate with an Associate’s Degree—or those that move on after a shorter stay—are well prepared to enter a four-year college, a technical or professional program, or the workforce.

A Supportive Environment

At Landmark students learn skills and strategies that enable them to succeed at school and in the workplace. While there each student has a support team consisting of academic advisors, professors, faculty tutors, and resident deans. Further support is always available from faculty and trained tutors at the Center for Teaching and Learning, the Match Support Lab, the Science Support Lab, and the Evening Study Lab.

The curriculum at Landmark begins with skills development in the key areas of writing, reading, communication, and studying. Personal management, self-awareness, and self-advocacy are also stressed.

Many incoming students start by taking non-credit courses and then move into credit-bearing courses after one or two semesters. Once students complete their first semester of credit courses, they follow a typical freshman and sophomore curriculum, taking classes in Psychology, Anthropology, American History, English Lit, Biology, Mathematics, etc. As students move toward independence, they may elect to pursue a three-credit guided study, researching an area of personal interest and producing a culminating paper.

Athletics, adventure education, and other activities, plus a Women’s Resource Center, an Office of Multicultural Affairs, and highly trained counseling professionals round out the experience. The college also offers opportunities to study abroad, with courses taught by Landmark faculty in several European countries.

Not for Everyone

Landmark College is not a fallback for students with LD who can’t decide what to do after high school. Nor is it the right school for students with learning difficulties who struggle with the challenges of post-secondary education. Rather it is an exciting option for highly motivated students with average to superior intellectual potential who have a documented diagnosis of dyslexia, ADHD, or specific learning disability.

Studying at Landmark before attending a traditional college offers students with LD the opportunity to develop the capability and confidence to succeed in a mainstream environment.

Learn more about Landmark College at www.landmark.edu.