Latham School is a special needs residential school on four acres on Cape Cod. Students range from 8 to 22 years old, and fall into two main groups. Some are girls who have coped with troubled histories, survived traumas and endured multiple placements. Others are both boys and girls living with Prader-Willi Syndrome (PWS), a genetic disorder that includes insatiable appetites, mild to moderate mental retardation, emotional and behavioral problems and obsessive compulsive behaviors.

Anne McManus is Executive Director of the Latham School and Michael Marchese is Associate Executive Director. In addition, physicians, special education teachers, physical therapists, clinical psychologists and residential and vocational counselors make up the team working with the students at the school.

The school is accredited by the Department of Mental Retardation and the Department of Early Education and Care, is approved as a private special needs school by the Massachusetts Department of Education and has 501(c)(3) non-profit status. Classroom sizes are small, with one-on-one tutoring and counseling and an individualized program designed for each student. Students learn job skills and find employment with the assistance of vocational specialists acting as job coaches.

The school facilities include computer labs, a library and a fine arts studio. Students participate in biking and hiking near the beaches, ocean and woodlands for which Cape Cod is so famous.

[The information for this New Perspective came from the Latham School website.]