Franklin Academy is a college preparatory school, accredited by the New England Association of Schools and Colleges, that specializes in serving students with an auditory learning style preference.  Our students have a nonverbal learning disorder which is a neurological impairment characterized by some of the following features: poor time management skills, organizational difficulties, dyspraxia, visual-spatial weaknesses, slow processing speed, lack of coordination, dysgraphia, dyscalculia, and problems with abstract conceptual reasoning, social situations, and transitions.  

Typical strengths include advanced reading and decoding skills, a sophisticated vocabulary, enhanced verbal ability, and expertise with computers.   Auditory perception and alternative thinking skills are usually quite strong, and these students often prefer interacting with adults and younger children.

Students with NLD are sometimes diagnosed with Depression, Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD), Anxiety, Asperger's Syndrome, High Functioning Autism, Autistic Spectrum Disorder, Pervasive Developmental Disorder (PDD), Tourette's, and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD – Inattentive Type).  Many enjoy success in early elementary grades, but may encounter a subsequent decline in academic performance that coincides with the start of middle school or high school and experience increasing social isolation as well.

Franklin Academy is designed to help students with NLD manage their unique strengths and weaknesses as they pursue collegiate goals and career aspirations.  The school does not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, gender, orientation, or national origin in its educational programs, admission and hiring policies, or any of its school activities.