There are a variety of programs that utilize wilderness settings and experiential education to help teach traditional teaching topics with a personal and hands-on approach. One such program, called SOAR, specializes in ADHD and learning disabled populations and offers a semesterlong expedition-based program in the wilderness, where teachable moments are combined with adventure-based education and skill building. Examples of teaching topics include biology, natural history, visiting museums, historical sites, ecology and geology.
Other programs, such as the Stone Mountain School, specialize in combining group education settings with occasional outdoor adventures. These programs use a model of intentional community to help teach conflict resolution in order to resolve behavioral problems for their student populations. These types of boarding schools can help to develop a treatment plan for each student and are available for more than one semester, depending on the needs of the student and the family.
Specialized boarding schools may offer programs for young adults who have yet to obtain a high school diploma or GED. Some schools may specialize in one or more type of disability, such as autism and Aspergers, learning disability or ADHD. Other boarding schools, such as the Stone Mountain School, are single-sex schools, which can help students focus better than in a mixed group setting.
There are several pros and cons for LD/ADHD boarding schools. Some schools offer workshops and resources for parents, helping to educate them about how to work with their special needs children. If a public school district's special education resources are lacking, they may even pay for part of the private boarding school for a student.
Downsides to these types of boarding schools is that they may mix students who have learning disabilities with those who also have behavioral or psychiatric problems, making a more difficult learning environment.