<p>i would strongly caution against relying on advise on a forum such as this regarding one’s legal rights.
sax – the authors of the article you cite clearly state that they are not lawyers.<br>
the ada was in fact amended in 2008 to address how courts were interpreting the law.</p>
<p>
You are absolutely right about this! Those with no experience with ADHD are very quick to cite a litany of other causes: immaturity, poor parenting, lack of motivation, etc. You and I (and many other posters on this forum) know that they are misinformed.</p>
<p>My advice to you: ignore the comments of the perhaps well-intentioned, but misinformed posters.</p>
<p>unbelieveable: Can you help us get a better understanding of the current law?</p>
<p>okay after a google here is a recent interesting article
<a href=“http://cerulliandassociates.com/adhd-and-ada-–-the-americans-with-disabilities-act/[/url]”>ADHD and ADA – The Americans with Disabilities Act | CERULLI & ASSOCIATES;
<p>“…Although the original ADA was signed into law in 1990, an Amendments Act was added in 9/2008. Later the Department of Justice (DOJ) proposed additional rules for law, including testing guidelines for accommodations. The final DOJ rules of the Amendments Act were not enacted until very recently in July 2010. The good news is that the Amendments Act is designed to apply less stringent criteria to establishing disability, but extensive documentation will still be required, generally including testing from a qualified professional with details of why each specific accommodation is being requested. NOTE: Diagnosis does not equal disability. In other words having a diagnosis of ADHD does not automatically qualify you for services…”</p>
<p>sax – no – i would not presume to so.</p>
<p>fyi – i am a former lawyer and no longer practice law and am not familiar with all of the details of the law, its applications and interpretations as amended. but, even if i were more familiar with the current state of the law, i would not attempt to offer advise on a forum such as this nor presume to try to simplify the provisions of a law in a few sentences.</p>
<p>OP, I’m really sorry about your DD’s situation. My DS was diagnosed with ADD in second grade and has struggled academically and with the medication ever since. He’ll be applying to colleges this summer and I’ts scary to think he’ll be in charge of his success or failure in a year and a half. He has a high IQ and no learning disabilities, just the Attention Deficit Disorder. </p>
<p>Now, I’m going to get flamed for saying this but so be it. ADD is an attention deficit disorder, not Alzheimer’s (which my father has). ADD makes it harder for people to focus on things for long periods of time, especially when the topic doesn’t interest them. It makes it difficult to study because the mind will drift and want to think of other things, and people who have ADD may not be as organized as those who don’t have ADD. However, those who have ADD are not incapable of forcing themselves to remember to take a pill, study, go to class, etc… </p>
<p>My DS would surf YouTube and Facebook for days if I let him. He can focus quite well on things that amuse him. But, he knows that if he does that then his school work will suffer and he won’t be going to college. At sixteen he can remember to grab his backpack every morning on the way out the door, he remembers his car keys and wallet, and, he remembers to take his medication. He might have a short attention span but he has a memory. He’s disorganized but he remembers the important things. </p>
<p>Please don’t allow your children to use ADD as a crutch every time they fail at something. Having a short attention span is not the same as having no memory. There are definite strategies that ADD kids and adults need to adapt to make up for their lack of organization and focus. The strategies work and make life much easier. </p>
<p>ADD stinks, it makes studying and work a little more challenging but it is not an excuse for failing a class or forgetting to take medication. If anything, I think that if parents coddle and make excuses for their ADD kids every time they don’t do well at something then the kids begin to believe that they can’t function like normal people because they have ADD (which is not true) and they stop trying as soon as things get tough. </p>
<p>I’m sorry for the OP’s DD and for all of you, who like me, live with the challenges of a kid who has ADD. However, if your kids are failing out of college, can’t remember to take a pill in the morning, and can’t pass a class even with tutoring then you must look at the possibility that there is something else going on besides ADD. Maybe the classes are too difficult for them, maybe they really don’t belong in their current major, maybe he/she is depressed, or, maybe they just need a break.</p>
<p>Unbelieveable . Thank you for your very helpful response.</p>
<p>No one here is trying “to simplify the provisions of the law in a few sentences”.No one here is giving legal advise. We are trying to get a better understanding of the law, even if that understanding is basic.</p>
<p>Very sorry for what the OP and her daughter are going through.</p>
<p>Just wanted to add that it’s not just ADD drugs kids forget to take. I have a friend whose daughter has a serious illness and requires daily medication. In her freshman year she forgot more often than she remembered. She had serious physical ramifications from this lapse in medication. She was lucky. She recovered and learned a very powerful lesson. It’s several years later and she has NEVER forgotten to take her meds.</p>
<p>My son is a type-1 diabetic and we were concerned when he went off to school. But he’s been very responsible and has had no problems.</p>
<p>Parents need to be aware and help prepare their children LONG before they leave for college to take care of their medical needs.</p>
<p>I’m truly sorry for OP and her daughter. Daughter has responsibility for her medication and for her school performance, not college. This “self-reliance” obligation is part of college-life “independence”. It’s a caution for all of us who have children who might not be fully ready for “away-from-home” college, and that daily phone-call prompts to “semi-independent” children and closer monitoring may be needed for many students. It’s probably good that OP’s daughter leaves that college, registers for Spring classes at CC, and decides whether to apply to a different college at a closer location for Fall Term. Certainly her daughter can overcome this setback.</p>
<p>“Helicopter parenting” may be warranted in such situations.</p>
<p>Colleges do not offer full “IEP accommodations” to their students, even if those students had explicitly defined and documented accommodations in HS. Disabilities are addressed in varying degrees by colleges. It’s important to truly understand what’s available, and the quality and quantity of those services and accommodations. Each individual college has specific requirements regarding initial establishment and documentation of said disability(s), and how/when/where/why accommodations are provided. Unlike public HS, colleges (particularly private institutions) have a fair amount of discretion regarding provision of accommodations for non-physical disabilities (ie: not wheelchair-bound or missing a limb, not deaf or blind, etc) such as ADD, ADHD, and other mental health issues. Most colleges won’t simply accept a doctor’s letter requesting accommodations; most require a substantial report based on educational psychological testing protocol, even if student is already receiving psychotropic medication. It’s the student’s and parents’ obligation to determine qualification requirements, assignable services available, procurement of testing documentation, etc — not college’s obligation to determine which students might be eligible.</p>
<p>I’ve heard many stories of students with HS IEP histories arriving at college campus, and discovering that they aren’t eligible for accommodations. Reasons range from inadequate documentation of disability, to overtaxed SSDO services limiting number of students who can be served. There are several programs specifically targeting LD students, discussed in great detail in the book “Power to Spring Up’ Postsecondary Education Opportunities for Students with Significant Disabilities” by Donna Katovitch MS. Also worth checking out [Autism</a>, Asperger’s & ADHD Support for College Students - AHEADD](<a href=“http://www.aheadd.org%5DAutism”>http://www.aheadd.org) site.</p>
<p>Here’s how we handled ADD meds when S first went away to college. Perhaps it can help. </p>
<p>S used a weekly pill dispenser that he kept with his toiletries (put in contacts, brush teeth, take meds), and then stored the remaining pills in a lock box which stayed in his locked footlocker. Some schools have a drawer in the dresser that locks. The system worked very well and it was nice and easy for him to just throw the dispenser in his backpack if he was going away overnight. This was suggested to us by a health center nurse as a way to make it easier for S to remember to take meds daily (no out of sight, out of mind 
), without keeping large quantities of meds exposed. The student should not tell anyone they have ADD meds at college. We also had S keep a list of meds, including dosage, in his wallet for doctor visits and emergencies. </p>
<p>I don’t think a daily early morning text saying “take your meds” is unreasonable until good habits are formed. I checked on Sundays to make sure the dispenser was refilled and kept track of when S should be calling for refills until we were all confident with his med management ability. </p>
<p>Our doctor recommends patients take ADD meds 365 days a year and listed driving as a main concern.</p>
<p>Good luck.</p>
<p>My d has severe ADHD along with several other issues. She went on trips without us and has always remembered to take her medicine. Why? Because if it is 9am and she is still acting wild, she will check whether she took her medicine. (LIke a previous poster, she uses a weekly pill dispenser system). We are in the process of getting her neuro-psych evaluation to use for college. She really needs minimal services- no night exams, spellchecker available, is about all I can think of concerning the ADHD. SHe doesn’t need extra time. We have to arrange other accommodations for her other conditions= namely single room. It is a big reason she applied to as many colleges as she did. We will soon be discussing these issues with each college and seeing how open they are or not.</p>
<p>Thanks to everyone for their advice. My D is at home now and plans to get a job and volunteer at my youngest D’s school; my youngest is in Kindergarten. She is making plans to volunteer with Parks and Recs’ Therapy Program to see if that is truly what she wants to do and major in. CC has already started so it is too late to take any classes now. She will talk to an admissions counselor next week about transferring to a CC in the summer. She seems to be happier knowing that she does not have to go back to the 4 hour away 4 year college. She is taking her meds daily with reminding and she is responsible for them. She is taking them daily (holidays, weekends and summer) so that it becomes a habit. The same strategies that we planned for this semester will be used in the summer and I am very optimistic. I still do not think that the college handled this situation well but plan to move optimistically forward. I have enjoyed reading all of the posts and have even enjoyed the debates. I was so upset when I first posted and the pain and disappointment so fresh that I think I was overly sensitive. I apologize for that. I think too that I was a little embarrassed that my D was placed on Academic Suspension. It is hard to admit that your child was not ready and did not succeed that 1st time out. But that too eases more each day. I want my D to be happy and to succeed and we are on the right path. Again thanks to all.</p>
<p>Sounds like a good outcome.</p>
<p>R33breora – I’m glad your daughter has a path and a plan – in the long run you’ll find that she was far, far from the only kid who had issues like this in college. Best of luck to her and the whole family.</p>
<p>OP, I’m so happy that you and your daughter are feeling more positive and that she has already worked out a plan for the near future. It’s so hard for parents to see their children struggle because we all want what’s best for them. Don’t be embarrassed about her dropping out of the four year college to attend cc for a while, it’s not uncommon or something to feel bad about. She’s only eighteen years old and kids mature at different times. She is lucky to have such a supportive and understanding mom, she’ll be just fine.</p>
<p>
I can definitely relate to this sentiment. My son and I have spoken about the importance of keeping the long term objective in mind (a degree in his chosen field, so he can get the kind of job he wants), and not worrying so much about the exact path to that objective (4 years, 6 years, whatever).</p>
<p>While he is on his unplanned gap year, he is gaining the skills and maturity to help him succeed in the future. At times (when I am in a particularly philosophical frame of mind :)), I am even able to view this gap year as a gift. I get to spend more (relaxed) time with him, and he has the time to learn all sorts of life skills that we never had time for before (cooking, grocery shopping, changing tires, making doctor’s appts, etc.)</p>
<p>I wish you and your D all the best.</p>
<p>I am an international student. I have been put on a second academic suspension at VT. I was wondering what chances do I have to appeal it? Also if I can not appeal the entire thing (a year). Then can I at least appeal a semester. I have planned to do online courses so if I really improve my grades in those would that be a good argument for the university to reduce my suspension to a semester? </p>
<p>What can I do in this time?</p>
<p>I suggest that you ask this question in the VT forum where people might be more familiar with their specific rules and procedures.</p>
<p>R33, I’m glad that you and your daughter have come up with a way to proceed. Believe me, you are not alone in this situation. </p>
<p>A friend of mine has a brilliant daughter with a terrible eating disorder. She has been treated for it many times. At the time she was going through her college decisions, she was doing fairly well. A compromise was made, allowing her to board at college as she wanted to do, but she had to choose a nearby school. She had wanted to go further away. Well, she relapsed and it turned out that commuting locally was really all she could handle for her undergraduate years. She is 28 now and working on her PHD at a top university and is now dealing with her health issue herself, but this was after many relapses and her mother will always be on the watch for another. She is by no means out of the woods. Sometimes those are the cards that we are dealt in terms of our children.</p>