<p>I have read through previous threads on this topic, and the majority opinion seems to be that disclosure should be avoided. I believe that my son's records will have already disclosed a disability, however. He attended a special education school for students with Aspergers and HFA during 9th grade and a few years prior. Also, he repeated a class because when he transitioned back to public HS, the pace of the class had been much slower at the special ed school, and guidance felt he needed to repeat it since he didnt learn all the necessary skills to move to the next level class. He has a high GPA and scored in the top 3% nationally on the SAT. He has been in general ed classes since 10th grade. In some ways I think he should not reference his disability in the essay, but i think admissions counselors will know from his transcript, anyway. He is not applying to top tier schools. Do you think it is okay to disclose in the essay under these circumstances?</p>
<p>Disclosing your disability is a matter of personal choice. Honestly, write about it. It will benefit your son in the long run, because it shows how he overcame it and achieved great things in spite of it. He got a high SAT score despite being a special ed kid? Wow, that would make a compelling story. Plus, his story might set him apart from other applicants.Besides, most colleges will recognize special circumstances and will want to know how your son dealt with it in his life. I have a disability and I chose to write about it. I emphasized how it shaped my goals and I showed how I’ve become successful in spite of it.
I hope this thread helps as well:
<a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/college-essays/1457700-there-consensus-about-writing-about-disability-specifically-diabetes.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/college-essays/1457700-there-consensus-about-writing-about-disability-specifically-diabetes.html</a></p>
<p>If you think they will know anyway, why dwell on it? Is that the most important thing for them to know about him? I always figure the application is a chance for him to give them a snapshot of himself, and it is his chance to tell them what is unique and individual about him. My kid chose not to disclose in her essays, and it worked out very well for her in the admissions process.</p>
<p>Personally, if your child has overcome their disability by achieving good grades and scores, I also think it makes for a compelling story as long as they can demonstrate it well in the essay. Colleges are looking for a diverse student body that can enrich their campuses. My daughter wrote about hers in her essays and she has been accepted by the first 6 schools she has heard from so far. From a parent perspective, I wouldn’t want her to go to a school where her disability would be a “big deal” for the administration or where it would be difficult for her to get the support services she may need. We made it a point to meet with the disability resource centers at each school we visited. Let us know how things go and good luck!</p>
<p>I’m unclear if this is sent in already or not.</p>
<p>One of the better essays a student has PM’d me here was from a kid with Asperger’s and he wrote something very simple and honest that gave a little insight to how he sees himself and how he deals with other people, and showed what he would bring to the college community quite nicely.</p>
<p>Thank you all for your replies. My son did end up submitting his essay about how he has learned to manage and even overcome some of the challenges of having Aspergers. He felt strongly that if a school would reject him because of it, then he didn’t want to go there anyway. So far he has been accepted to 4 schools and two of them gave him large merit awards. (Drew University 21,000, Arcadia University 20,000) So, I was worrying unneccesarily. He was not at all concerned about it. 
Since we are unlikely to qualify for much need based aid, my husband and I were really hoping for some merit awards for DS. He will be a computer science major by the way. His SAT is 1410/2150 with a 3.7 GPA. </p>