I'm a College Learning Specialist

Parents Forum Learning Differences and Challenges - LD, ADHD
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<p>TransitionSucces, thanks for your posts. My son partially home-schooled and completed the public high school component with enough credits to graduate. But, he has done the homeschooled part with tutors for math and English. He also took a Harvard summer school course.</p>

<p>My son doesn't seem to have any concerns self-identifying and will not have a problem going to a disability services office. He does have an issue with fatigue, though we are going to work on that both on the skills side and on the medical side. He has not needed tutoring for any subject -- except where he had to catch up for missing 6 straight weeks of AP Physics and Calculus due to illness. And even so, he only had four or five visits from the tutor. What he may need is people to read for him and, if professors aren't cooperative, someone to run interference for him when he is trying to space out exams.</p>

<p>With respect to the summer courses, my son is challenged in reading speed/stamina and was having problems with writing as well as with writing stamina. Last summer, he took Harvard's Expository Writing 20, which is the required writing course for Harvard students. While other students took more than one course, he took only that course and lived at home rather than on-campus. Because it was his only course, he was able to really work on it. His teacher at the end of the course said he was the best writer in the class and gave him a grade consistent with that judgment. So, if he took one course in the summer, it could be one on which he needs to concentrate and learn new things without distraction. This is different from your advice, but may fit him better.</p>

<p>This upcoming year is going to be a gap year. He's going to work on reading stamina and have an operation to address medical issues. He's going to complete a novel he's co-authoring and work on a study of adolescent dyslexics. He'll also do a language immersion course in Latin America. He'll finish his standardized tests, identify colleges, and apply to the ones that make sense. My fear is that we will not really know what a good fit is and that because of the intense competition, the schools that are a good fit may not want him. My working hypothesis is that he should go to a school whose students are as bright as he is; and to a school that is flexible in terms of requirements so that he can focus on intellectually challenging courses in areas in which his brain works well.</p>

<p>Hopefully, he'll be ready.</p>

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<p>Any college success stories? He is very high functioning but the world is getting small for him in middle school ... no friends.</p>

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<p>TransitionSuccess- Disclose on application, or don't disclose?</p>

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<p>CardinalFang -- that is a good question. We have two such questions: 1) disclose the LDs? (I think my son's answer has to be yes); and 2) disclose significant illness last year and lesser but still significant illnesses in prior years?</p>

<p>He missed a significant part of last year and basically had to work independently in the spring. Fortunately the consequences weren't bad (A-'s rather than A's in 3 courses and much less work than planned in the homeschool course focused on his novel). Since his record is pretty good, we're thinking we would not disclose the illness, especially since we think we are on the road to solving the problems.</p>

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<p>the leading neuroscientist in this field. It came out about 4 years ago.</p>

<p>She gives lots of suggestions for technology to help dyslexic students.</p>

<p>Not sure if college suggestions are included, you would have to look and see.</p>

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<p>Thank you transition success. He told me this week that he usually lets people know when he realizes he will be working with them over a period of time. He is 13 and I think on a good path.</p>

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<p>Transition success - </p>

<p>I'm late to this party but your comment about finding an LD office that fits rang true. In high school the LD services coordinator was, well, not exactly the kindest person in the world. Some of us were told that our LD's weren't real (ok, let me check the testing I've had since 2nd grade), or to just get over it.
Needless to say I learned to avoid this woman like the pleague and just deal with problems on my own. She thankfully was "not asked to return" my senior year. </p>

<p>At college the LD coordinator and I talk about once a week and mostly its not about LD. She's there when I need her but otherwise lets me deal with my own problems, which she learned quickly is how I deal with things. She has been known as "the hammer" if I need to call her in if there are problems. She fixes them and then lets things get back to normal. </p>

<p>College is completely about finding the right fit, if you don't things can and will be a disaster.</p>