IF he isn’t very comfortable with group work and has low processing speed, you might want to cross WPI off the list. They have a trimester system, so classes move very quickly and most classes have a heavy group work component.
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When did you tour Champlain? It sounds like you saw so much more than we did.
We did get to see one of the freshman houses. My son tends to need a personal invitation to do anything not absolutely required, but enjoy himself once he gets there. The houses seem like they are small enough that they would lend themselves to the RA or even other students checking in with each other to get a group headed out together.
I also really liked all of the practical life skill seminars that all students are expected to participate in.
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Just stumbled upon this thread. St. Joseph’s in Philadelphia is opening up a small dorm for ASD students for the fall of 2022. It will be pricey but it will be a great option for students.
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You’re getting a lot of good suggestions on this list, however I would agree with the above that most colleges, especially ones in the K&W guide, are much better for kids with learning difference than when I was applying (early-80s).
“When we looked at Marist years ago with my S the college had lots of tie-ins with IBM so it may be worth looking into particularly for computer science.”
BTW I grew not too far from Marist and Vassar in Poughkeepsie, so good to see they have a good program, however check on the IBM tie-ins today as IBM has scaled back a lot of employment in that area.
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If you look at the Computer Science major at Marist the IBM connection seems to be intact.
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How are searches going? I also wanted to add that in Worcester there is a new supported off-campus dorm called Summit. It is within walking distance to WPI but they provide transportation to other schools like Clark, Assumption, Holy Cross…It is really nice - a beautifully renovated house. They provide breakfast and dinner (chef on property) and transportation to schools. Part of their mission is also to work on executive function skills.
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We are considering having our DS take a reduced load to accommodate for his processing speed issue. His issue is well documented, so we expect he will continue to get extra time for tests and in class assignments. Boston College, for example, offers summer courses at no charge for their students who have documented disabilities and who take a reduced load. He likely will not go to BC, but we think this approach gives him lots of options.
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I love this strategy! Maybe 3-4 classes during school year and 2 in the summer! This could work for us. Boston College would be a dream come true for me. Wonderful place.
What does “reduced load” mean? We just recently got an ASD diagnosis and the report recommended taking 1-2 courses his first semester, which seems absurdly light to me. Especially since the way this year is going, I think he’s going to need to take the classes that AP scores could potentially have gotten him credit for, so a significant portion of the material will be review. What’s a more realistic course load?
That’s a big reason that we kept WPI on our list despite the pace maybe being too much for my son. Do they have students there this year? When I looked them up, everything seemed like it was written in the future tense and sounded like they were still getting up and running.
They have 5 students this year. Originally they were going to have more students via Becker College but then it closed down causing a shake up in numbers. When the website was first up the cost was 23K for a double, 29K for a single. Then I noticed the costs were taken down from the website. I asked about 22-23 costs and was told it will be more, likely 39-42K.
My son got into WPI also, my biggest concern is the pace. 7-week courses do not leave much time for figuring out how a class works.
The Summit place is really top-notch. I went on a tour and I thought it was great but my son was lukewarm about it.
CMD2228,
You know your high schooler best. If they are taking AP classes and have activities too, my guess they could handle 4 -5 classes in college. Is this is the first neuropsychological evaluation ( junior-senior year)? My guess is they have survived without many accommodations.
Our case is substantially different. We have done private ($3-5,000)! neuropsychologicals and educational evaluations every 3 years since his dx at around age 4. (next week we are doing his last ones). The school district has done them as well. There have been years of Occupational Therapy for sensory issues and hand writing, years of Speech Therapy for pragmatically and social skills. Counselors 6 at least) Psychiatrist got medication. Therapeutic camps every summer ($6,000). My son has been out of the regular public class room since kindergarten. Since 4th grade has needed a $60-70,000 therapeutic placement special Ed classroom to support his anxiety, depression all co-morbidities of autism. There have been all out legal and emotional fights with the director of special Ed at our school district all along the way.
Despite all this, he is a successful student and is used to getting B-As in science, math and English. These are not AP classes. But all teachers involved and professionals that work with him agree he is college material. He loves to work out and boxes 3x a week. He also loves to hike the Appalachian trail and skis everywhere from Stowe to Vail. He wants to drive. He wants his own place. He wants to be financially secure. He wants to go to college. We support him in every way. He is voraciously independent and can’t wait to join a fraternity. He has come a long way. We want to set him up for success. Ideally, we see him taking 3 classes a semester, if a college will permit that and still allow him to feel that he is part of the college community (like live in a dorm , join clubs, use all facilities). That is what I mean by reduced course load. Setting him up for success is our goal. He has come a long way and has worked harder than any kid I know.
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I work in peds rehab and I just wanted to say to all of the parents and caregivers here that I applaud you. You are appreciated and you are recognized for everything you do for your children. This stranger on the internet respects your love and sacrifice for the children in your lives.
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I do have a few comments regarding taking a reduced load:
– First, be sure the student is enrolled in enough courses to be considered a full time student (or financial aid/housing etc. can be lost). Typically a minimum of three courses is required to be full time but it can vary so check with each college. I don’t know if any colleges allow fewer classes for full time students with disabilities so you can check on that as well.
– We did pay for my S to take a few summer classes (which he got pre-approved by his college) to lessen his load a bit during the school year. He took classes which would be most time intensive for him (two heavy reading/writing classes and one required lab class).
–IMO it is important to not only pay attention to the number of classes by also the type of classes. My S attended a college with a large core curriculum but we encouraged him to schedule no more than 2 reading/writing intensive classes per semester. Once he got more into the coursework in the business school (which was in his “academic wheelhouse”) he could handle five classes much more easily.
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I’d say it also varies based on the difficulty of the classes and amount of work; freshman year DD (ASD before age 2, ADHD, APD) took 18 each semester; they were “easy” classes for her Chem, Calc 3, Physics, intro engineering and programming classes, etc. A lot of it was review from classes she had in HS. Last semester she took 12 because one class was a 5 credit weedout engineering class with a high fail rate. She has another notorious weedout this semester and is taking 15. Even with her AP/DE classes, we budgeted 4 1/2 years in case she needed to reduce her course load. She may or may not need it, but I’d rather plan and not need it than be surprised. Another thing to keep in mind is not underestimating the impact of change and new social situations on studying and class work. A reduction could be necessary from an overall mental health standpoint instead of from the processing speed standpoint. We’re happy she chose a school with a supportive ADA office; they’ve been great about offering advice and guidance. Not saying this will happen, just that it’s good to be prepared. We let her steer the situation, since she knows her limits the best. That may mean dropping a class a week in if the load is too much. It’s not that she can’t do all the work and fit it in, but we want her to have a good work/fun balance. I don’t want her to be studying 24/7 just to keep up.
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Reduced load depends on the school. We have looked at a number of schools ranging from NESCAC Schools, other LACS, to research universities. For a student who wants to be considered a full-time student, it usually means one class less than the normal load, but one that meets the full-time student requirement.
Some colleges also have a school of general studies, or something similar, which allows the student to enter on a part time schedule, at a reduced tuition rate. Out son has a huge gap between his cognitive ability and processing speed, and tends to pick everything on the challenging courseload menu. He also has a fine motor issue that puts his handwriting and keyboard speed in the 5th percentile (95% of students are faster than he is at those tasks). So, he will need extra time for tests in college. For his college transition, we are encouraging a reduced load in a challenging environment, because we think that is best for him. This may mean that he will take some summer school courses or end up on a five year plan.
This may not be the best for every student, but it is looking like the best option for our son.
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One course less than normal like others are saying seems reasonable. 1-2 on the other hand… While the idea of easing him in to the expectations of college is appealing, I really think that would just calibrate him to that amount of work and anything more than that in future semesters would seem like a huge imposition.
He’s taking a full course load right now without any supports through school - but doing the bare minimum, and with the pandemic rules, the bare minimum has been very, very little. For example, he’s never once written anything longer than 2 pages. And that 250 word essay they were supposed to have written in class is a 2 week project full of screaming and tears.
He does test well, but has no clue how to study or even figure out what his homework is. Which reminds me that the new semester just started and he doesn’t know where to find his physics textbook or what it’s called.
He’s theoretically on the robotics team, but that’s the only activity he’s involved in and he’s barely involved in that.
The kid NEEDS supports, but because he manages to test well, and because his off-the-charts mastery of spelling and grammar are lumped into the same grade as his abysmal composition ability, his report card doesn’t raise any red flags.
I have concerns about the academic piece, but his even bigger struggles are social ones. Things like how he’s never once purchased lunch at school, and only under extreme duress has purchased a snack at a gas station - and even then, that transaction consisted of silently placing the food and cash on the counter and hoping the cashier would figure it out from there. And an unwillingness to ask someone for help unless that is explicitly their job (and sometimes not even then.) I suppose he can take a semester’s worth of ramen with him so he doesn’t starve, but that’s not really a balanced diet…
Honestly, I feel like I’ve really failed him. The last 10 years have been an endless stream of things like insurance refusing to pre-approve anything until we had an appointment and the provider refusing to make one until insurance said it was okay, and me failing to push one or the other of those to bend. So, here we are… Middle of senior year, and just getting to the point where supports and accommodations are finally on the table.
@CMD2228 Hugs for you, i’ve heard of similar challenges. Be kind to yourself.
Could there be a weekly meeting for time management or study skills, with teacher or tutor. Some schools offer.
Try to focus on three positive things each day he or you all do or experience each day. Find humor each day, too.
Could you get together with a couple of kids / families to hang out or do a volunteer activity. Make sandwiches for homeless, cards for first responders, etc.
It’s a journey. With pandemic restrictions, there are gaps in all kids’s education or life skills, delays in maturity.
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Here is the address of BC with information about the 4-4-2 plan at BC: https://www.bc.edu/bc-web/offices/student-affairs/sites/student-outreach-and-support-services/disability-services/services.html
We are finding that other schools will gladly accommodate this kind of plan, but it will be at our expense. Our son has been accepted at a school that he prefers to BC), but this looked like a great option.
Sorry, the address did not load. Second try: https://www.bc.edu/bc-web/offices/student-affairs/sites/student-outreach-and-support-services/disability-services/services.html