Located In the Macomb Intermediate School District, the Keith Bovenschen School provides services to students ages three to 26 who suffer from moderate to severe cognitive disabilities. The school's mission mandates a positive learning environment for both teachers and students, working on the specific behaviors of "Ready, Willing and Able." The students are seen as ready to learn, willing to share and participate in activities, and able to attain their goals. The school also features a physical education department, including a therapy swimming pool, guided hikes, and a special Olympics program.
The WoodsEdge Learning Center opened in Portage in August 2010, replacing Kalamazoo's Croyden Avenue School. The new school still accommodates students aged three to 26 who are suffering from autism or cognitive or physical impairments. WoodsEdge is designed like a small city where the main hallway, Main Street, is wide enough for students to practice walking or riding bikes during therapy. The west side of Main Street is divided into three villages--one for preschool classrooms, one for elementary and middle school students, and one for older teens and adults. Therapists teach physical therapy, occupational therapy, music therapy, and vocational skills to the students in classrooms that appear as storefronts.
The Ann Arbor Academy specializes in helping students who struggle with learning disabilities, including attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and Asperger Syndrome, a mild form of autism. Class sizes are small so that each student can receive individual attention and as much clarification and help as he needs. Since many of the students struggle with language and memory issues, the academy allows students to keep all their textbooks so they can highlight text or write notes in them. The Academy also engages students in multisensory activities such as creating storyboards about a novel, playing trivia to prepare for a test or reviewing vocabulary facts during a game of catch to help sharpen memory skills.
Lake Michigan Academy in Grand Rapids assists students struggling with learning disabilities. The academy enforces a personalized goal plan for each student, evaluating goals both quarterly and yearly; this includes social skills as well as academic goals. Educators help students with language problems by implementing a phonetics program that teaches them how to decode the words and spell and read them correctly. The academy focuses on positive reinforcement when modeling proper social interaction among peers.