I know someone whose son had similar issues and they chose Lynn University in Florida because of the supports and accommodation. Lynn has also moved to a block schedule system where students take only 1-2 courses a term and each course meets at the same time four days a week — they found it keeps attendance up and students on track.
There may be other schools with a similar structured system.
Me three! I wouldn’t say colleges don’t want “gifted underachievers”. Mine’s at a T20 university now.
I just want to emphasize the difference between a small LAC and a large school. I echo what was said upthread about LACs being more supportive/having less red tape/less likely to fall through the cracks.
His High School is not giving him accommodations because he is not failing? That is not OK. We learned the hard way that this type of thing can get worse in college. Bright kids that have ADHD (especially inattentive type) fall under the radar because they aren’t problems to the school. Find an advocate that will help look at the law and see what he is entitled to for support, because helping him now will give him tools to succeed in college. Plus meds can really help, too. Good luck! I read that RIT has a good support program.
May I ask…Does he have trouble starting HW, Projects, essays, etc. even when he knows he has to do it? Meaning, even if he remembers something is due, does he still have difficulty “starting”? Because this is an issue my son has and he is in college now. This is where meds helped, and we are still figuring how to optimize them. And if this is part of your son’s issue, that is definitely a “substantial limitation”. My kid may know exactly how to answer a problem, but it may take him 3 days to put pencil to paper with very high anxiety. In 3 days you can get a “0”. It frustrates him to the core, but having accommodations, gives him a better chance to succeed.
One of my kids was also denied accommodations in public school despite documented ADHD, slow processing, and what then defined a learning disability (gap between verbal and performance of 20 points0 because grades were okay.
However, this kid has had more than adequate accommodations at the college level.
I don’t know - but could part of the issue be covid - and staffing? Schools are so understaffed -and that’s without all the sick calls every day which in some cases are closing schools.
Perhaps they offer accommodation but lack the resource to provide?
I’m not in this situation - just wondering.
My nephew had an accommodation at UNLV - which was simply longer test time. He went to a center and got 1.5 time or 2x what students in the class got. But nothing else but that may be because he didn’t use other resources.
Yes to everything you asked. He has trouble with all of those things. We are considering meds but not there yet…
My apologies. I did not read the whole thread.
My kid was in public school years before COVID. Public schools offer accommodations when there is evidence of struggle as shown in grades, from our experience. Nevermind the incredible struggle involved in achieving those grades. In our school a large percentage of students was “on special ed” so perhaps it is understandable that help goes to those who aren’t achieving.
My point was that, although on paper the standard for accommodations at college is more stringent, often kids get more help at college than in high school.
For ADHD, a 504 plan should be used in high school, not an IEP, so actually accommodations do not come through special ed.
Don’t delay trying meds. Kids don’t get back the missed time/education. Frequently, the child’s reaction is, “Why did I ever wait so long to try this? It helps me so much. How much better off would I have been if I had tried this before high school?”
I don’t know - but could part of the issue be covid - and staffing? Schools are so understaffed -and that’s without all the sick calls every day which in some cases are closing schools.
Perhaps they offer accommodation but lack the resource to provide?
This is absolutely part of the problem. Even if schools are well-intended and a student like this has a 504 plan, there are often so many things going on and so many students who need help and so few resources that kids who need accommodations don’t always get them. It’s still very frustrating for the parents and the kids, it’s still a violation of federal law, and the kids still suffer and don’t achieve the same outcomes as their non-disabled peers. It’s understandable, but it’s not ok.
One of my kids had a 504 for a medical condition. I paid $150 for one appointment with a lawyer and cheerfully mentioned the helpful advice I got from an attorney, at my next meeting with the school. Things got a lot easier after that and I never had to pay for the lawyer to come to a meeting.
RE: Meds - A family member was DX at a very young age (pre Kindergarten) for ADD. Took meds through lower grade school and stopped a bit during puberty. Parents were hoping that learned skills and dedicated study time and space would be enough for the student to do well through HS w/o medication. HE requested to go back on meds since he simply could not concentrate when trying to do work. Was (and is) very successful through college and career.
Good luck in figuring out with your son what will work best for him!
My daughter struggled for years with anxiety. Took a long time finding the right medicine but finally found one. She had others but they made her sleepy or upset her stomach.
Started college this year sans meds - she wanted to do it onher own and didn’t like the stigma.
First 6 weeks were an emotional disaster - also the fact that her bf is 2000 miles away. Had to fly her home.
She realized the meds did help - and she’s had a wonderful experience ever since.
It’s anxiety/depression, etc. and not your issues - but hell, maybe i wouldn’t have been so screwed up as a kid with a 2.8 HS GPA if i had tools that were able to help me reach my potential.
No shame at all…these kids, if they can find the right medicine and i know medicating is a personal choice, but it can absolutely be a game changer.
Wow…it sounds like our kids are similar. My son does not like to take meds, because it is a chore to remember just like everything else. He takes anxiety and ADHD meds, and it seems like the ADHD helps with his anxiety as well. We recently did genetic testing with a company called Genesight, and it can give a better idea of what meds may work best. Interestingly, the results indicated that my son processes meds very quickly, meaning that his optimum dose of any drug may be stronger that the norm. So when we thought that a specific med didn’t work, it may have been that his dose had to be higher. The test was for anxiety meds but it is now good for ADHD meds as well. All this to say, figuring out the meds, can take some time of trial and error. If you are considering trying them, it would be good to start way before college. My heart is with you…this is really difficult to navigate and there is no quick fix. It’s helpful to hear other people’s stories.
Same! My son tried to start college without meds, too. He lasted a few months before he realized the disaster that was unfolding. And, unfortunately, when he doesn’t take them (forgets), and he feels bad about himself, he doesn’t always put 2 and 2 together. He is learning, though!!
This personalized genetic testing is becoming increasingly common for ADHD, the one we used guaranteed that you’d only have to pay $300 out of pocket if your insurance refused coverage (which they did). Also very helpful to see specific things that might help with memory and mood (eg certain vitamins) in addition to the prescription meds themselves.
And agree you need plenty of time before college to figure out and adjust treatments. Junior year of HS is quite late, most kids we know crashed and burned either in middle school or freshman year of high school and had longer to fix things.
Yes, if it is a consideration try this now while at home. Transitioning to a new medicine in college is hard. There will be so many other factors it will be hard to know what changes are happening. You will be able to observe and make sure he is taking it. His current teachers know him and will be able to give you feedback as well.
It really can be life changing for some. Being able to complete tasks and make order out of things may be something he does not know he is struggling with.
Which one provides that guarantee?
I agree - I think gifted underachievers can be appealing to colleges, particularly those colleges that have an open curriculum. If the child tests well AND can show hard work in an area of interest for the child, schools that don’t have lots of requirements will be able to see that the kid can be successful at their college.