"He isn't trying; he's just lazy."

“She’s just a ‘late-bloomer.’”

"He lacks motivation."

Unfortunately, the above comments are often made by individuals who do not know how to help this misunderstood population. Most of these students have average to extremely high intellectual abilities but have one or more deficiencies that keep them from being successful in the classroom. They often withdraw and do not answer questions for fear of being wrong. They sometimes become the “class clown” to cover for their feelings of inadequacy. While many of these students either do no meet the criteria for specialized help or do not benefit from the services provided, they also do not find success in the regular classroom setting. Their intelligence allows them to recognize their lack of success, so they often become frustrated and their self-esteem begins to suffer. Even with the best of family environments, many of these students begin to look for acceptance in undesirable ways and sometimes find themselves in difficult situations such as drug addiction, gangs, or teen pregnancy.

While every individual is unique in his/her strengths and abilities, the heartache for the student with learning disabilities and his/her parents is the same. Often frustration from lack of knowledge of how to deal with the learning disabled child creates tension in the home and in relationships. By the time most parents bring their child to The Bedford School, they have often pursued many avenues of help for their child in the both public and private sector. One of the benefits of placing a child in The Bedford School, aside from the specific help for the child, is that the program helps families as parents begin to see their children succeed, and the stress gradually diminishes.

What happens to students after they leave Bedford?

When students leave Bedford, they are equipped with better academic and organizational skills, special techniques to help them become independent learners, and self-advocacy skills. Some find continued success in public high school, while others do well in a private school setting. Many of these students pursue a post high school education, while others find success in various work settings. An investment of time or resources in the life of the child with learning disabilities comes back with great interest.