Son considering transfering to Landmark in VT

Post Reply New Topic

My 21 year old son is considering transferring to Landmark. His special interest is animals, wildlife rescue and big cats in particular and legged reptiles (he likes Dreamworks Dragon Riders and the Warrior books about feral cats). He took the SAT untimed and did really well but has been having trouble with Organic Chemistry, Biochemistry and similar classes where he is but did well in the one class that dealt with whole animals. Landmark has an EnviSci major he might be interested in and they look like they would have better support for his ADHD and Autism (HF). He would really like to be one of those guys you see on BBC World. Time management is a special challenge and study skills. (In High School he got by just on being smart - but the college biology classes require a more structured approach which is a real up hill battle).

Does anyone know anything about Landmark College? Any other colleges like it with really good support for ADHD or HFA - not just "we do the bare minimum the Federal Government makes us do"?

There are advertisements for it. It is, specifically, for people with autism and other developmental and learning disorders.

The COVID rate in Vermont is much lower than in many other states. In fact, it has the both the lowest case amount, and the lowest amount of deaths, in the whole United States. Most of the COVID is in the Burlington area.

I've only heard landmark referenced in passing but the attitude is positive. I know someone who was accepted there but I haven't kept in touch since she started.

Another option for your son might be to look into programs that support college students or young adults on the spectrum. Some are connected with specific colleges while others work with colleges in their area. So he wouldn't get support directly from the college like he would at Landmark but he could still get the support he needs. Off the top of my head some options in the New England area are College Internship Program (CIP), Chapel Haven ASAT program, and UCONN Beyond Access. I'm sure there are others. More and more programs are being started and there are ones that are in different areas too. I know of one at McGill in Montreal. It's been a couple years since I looked into them, but I know there are many others that I'm just not remembering the names of off the top of my head.

Thanks! I hadn't head of some of those.
I will look into them!

You might find this interesting

Academic Support at Landmark College
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x3At7WzBxvY

Student Life at Landmark College [previously recorded] webcast (1-14-2021)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cny45mKgfT4

For about 30% of people with autism/adhd going to college never works out in the end. Sure, they get a degree, but then they are stuck applying for jobs for the next 10-20 years, getting some interviews, but never getting hired. They just end up staying home miserable because they lack the other skills that you need to work that are not taught in college, but rather are taught through working absolutely anyway, but just working at a paid job. Teaching someone a secondary degree while they lack basic job skills, they will still be unwanted in the job market because those skills are needed to get any type of job, and a degree won't make that not be so. So in other words, having experience of being employed as a dishwasher is a doable skill. Having a degree but no job because you are not adjusted to working in general - is less preferable. So I really recommend having ANY job first, as opposed to going to college, because it often ends up being a useless endeavor even if the diploma is achieved. Some autists/adhd do become programmers or maybe childcare workers after college, but that's the only case that I have seen.