My daughter has learning disabilities (ADD being the most significant) and I have had her with a private tutor for over 6 months now which is costing a fortune. Her first try at the SATs got her a 1050 but she needs a minimum 1200 to get into the program she wants. Can anyone recommend what worked for them or their child who has learning disabilities? Private tutoring? Some place like Huntington Leaning Center? Studying on her own won’t work. She needs someone to help keep her motivated and focused.
Perhaps the ACT would be better for her?
My oldest son has ADHD. When he was studying, I would sit with him and read the questions aloud to him. Then, I would ask him to guess the answer BEFORE giving him the multiple choices. He sometimes got the answer correctly and the game was fun for him so he would keep working with me. However, when he went in to take the test, he only got about an 1100, even though I gave him his ADHD meds before the test. He just couldn’t concentrate that long. I wish I had asked for accommodations such as having him take the test over multiple days for shorter periods of time. I know that he didn’t score to his ability because his IQ is 135 and because every testing he ever had said that he had one of the largest funds of general knowledge the tester had ever seen. The problem is not so much with getting them to study or even absorb, it’s going to be with concentrating on the actual test. I really wish I had resorted to bribery…Maybe if I’d offered him money for each incremental increase, he might have been more motivated.
With S17, who is dyslexic, I did use a private tutor and got him extra time on the same day (which would not have worked with my ADHD son). However, he didn’t study enough and wound up with a 27 on the ACT. Based on his PSAT score, we didn’t bother with SAT. I wish I had bribed him with money, too, but in reality, the school he is at is suited for him academically and had he scored much higher, we might have looked at more academically rigorous schools where he would be struggling.
Is there any way to speak with the people at the program she is interested in to see if there is any alternative type of assessment that they can do to determine if she could be admitted? Is it possible to transfer into the program if she achieves a certain GPA at the college? What type of program is it?
If you can get an extra time accommodation on the ACT, do that test, as it has a reputation for being more straightforward. If you cannot get accommodations from ACT, the SAT will have more time per question.
You can also get an extra time accommodation for ACT that allows you to break up the test into 4 sessions - one for each section. My daughter has a disability and also trouble focusing for long periods. Splitting up the test made a difference for her - much better than being locked in a room for 6 hours with extra time.
I agree. I wish I had known about split testing with my oldest (HS grad 2008). For my dyslexic (S17), extended time was fine but for ADD/ADHD, a split testing schedule probably works best, especially if they take meds.
Yo maybe y’all should just let your kids go to a ‘lesser’ school instead of forcing them to take amphetamines to get good grades?
Yo, maybe you should study up on the benefits of medication on a disability that you know nothing about @bali4president . ADHD medication does not have an amphetamine affect on kids with ADD and ADHD. But you seem to now best. Better that we let our kids struggle and fail and lose their self confidence. I am guessing you would not have chemo either if you had cancer?..yup. too many chemicals.
Amphetamines absolutely have the same effect on people with AD(H)D compared to non-ADHD people. The biggest difference is that people with ADHD are generally prescribed amphetamines on a daily basis which, according to https://www.nature.com/articles/1395233, results in a long-term (or even permanent!) increase in the brain’s sensitivity to dopamine. This hypersensitivity is also what helps kids out the most in school, but it can have some pretty nasty side effects (with could persist for a very long time). Another reason to be careful with meds might also be (lis)dexamphetamine’s proven neurotoxicity, but this mostly occurs on higher dosages (think >40 mg a day).
I’m not trying to attack anyone who takes Adderall for his/her ADHD. Taking Adderall (for me at least) was like putting on glasses for the first time. I’m just saying that stimulants in general (and especially amphetamines) can be pretty dangerous to a developing brain.
FWIW I have been diagnosed with ADHD at age 9 and am prescribed medication for it, but decided to stop taking it.