Adventure Discovery Academy is dedicated to transforming education for students with executive function challenges. We focus on emotional, social, and academic growth. 

 

Our curriculum is designed specifically for students with ADHD and other executive-function differences. It goes far beyond reading, writing, and arithmetic to intentionally develop confidence, independence, self-awareness, and real-world competence.

We believe students learn best when movement, meaning, and experience are integrated into academic instruction—so learning happens not only in classrooms, but also in the world.

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Integrated Academic Foundations

Students engage in traditional, standards-aligned academics—including literacy, mathematics, science, and humanities—delivered through teaching methods optimized for ADHD learners:

• Small class sizes and high teacher-student ratios

• Multi-sensory instruction and project-based learning

• Explicit executive-function scaffolding (planning, chunking, reflection)

• Frequent feedback and flexible pacing

Academics are rigorous, but taught in ways that emphasize curiosity, relevance, and mastery over rote compliance.

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Experiential & Adventure-Based Learning Model

A defining feature of the program is a rotational learning model:

• Students alternate in small groups between:

  • On-campus classroom learning

  • Off-campus experiential learning expeditions

These adventures are not extracurricular—they are core curriculum.

Learning Through Real-World Experiences

Trips may include:

• Nature-based expeditions (parks, mountains, coastlines)

• Urban immersions (cities, museums, civic spaces)

• Domestic and international travel experiences

Each trip is intentionally designed to teach:

• Planning and preparation

• Navigation, orienteering, and spatial reasoning

• Budgeting, time awareness, and logistics

• Adaptability, resilience, and problem-solving

• Managing uncertainty and recovering from setbacks

• Collaboration, leadership, and followership

Reflection before, during, and after each experience connects learning back to academic and personal growth goals.

Social-Emotional Learning (SEL)

Social-emotional development is treated as essential, not supplemental.

Dedicated curriculum time focuses on:

• Emotional regulation and stress management

• Interpreting social cues and building healthy relationships

• Conflict resolution and communication skills

• Growth mindset and perseverance

• Identity development and self-confidence

Students practice these skills daily—both on campus and in the field—where social learning is authentic and immediate.

Life Skills & Independent Living

We explicitly teach the skills many students with ADHD are expected to “just know,” but often are never taught directly.

Life-skills instruction includes:

• Laundry and clothing care

• Making the bed and maintaining personal space

• Personal hygiene and self-care routines

• Time management and task initiation

• Organization systems that work for individual brains

These skills are practiced consistently, reinforced with structure, and tied to personal responsibility—not shame.

Executive Function Awareness & Self-Advocacy

A core goal of the program is helping students understand how their brains work.

Students learn:

• What executive function is—and how ADHD affects it

• Their personal strengths, challenges, and learning styles

• Strategies to support attention, memory, and organization

• How to ask for help effectively

• How to advocate for themselves in academic, social, and real-world settings

By normalizing neurodiversity and teaching metacognition, students gain language, confidence, and ownership over their learning.

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