This is new to me, not being able to find decent info online. But I can’t, and my brilliant (really) husband can’t either.
Our son is applying to college right now. There seem to be no great resources to find out WHICH LD programs are really the best. Huffpost has a list from 2010, and it contains at least one school that doesn’t even have a program.
Our son craves normal. He wants to go to a “regular” school, but one with great services that won’t make him stick out or feel “less than” the other students. He is really brilliant, with a couple of LD’s.
As a 16 year old senior in HS, we are hoping to find a school that will allow him to also grow, emotionally, and HAVE FUN in college. So, we ruled out Northeastern and UCONN. We visited Univ of AZ, and were really turned off by the place (no offense.)
That is the guide by Kravets I mentioned. We used it to get a sense of the types of programs out there, and what factors to examine at the schools on our DD’s list. There are some very intensive support programs, some of which require substantial extra fees. Others integrate LD support inside the general academic supports at the school, such as a writing center or in supplemental instruction. Some schools might have resistance to LD support. Just learn what to look for. I also recommend (book) Self-Advocacy Skills by Reiff. Best wishes.
One thing to keep in mind–no matter how good the school’s support services, your kid has to be proactive in using them. No one is going to come to him to see if he needs help every day or check on whether assignments are getting done on time. Getting the student into the proper mindset to determine when help is needed and not be too embarrassed, lazy, etc., to fully utilize available resources can be half the battle. (I’m speaking as the mom of a child with ADHD and a learning disability who never once took advantage of the services offered by the college, even though the school’s reputation in this area was one of the reasons it was chosen–you can lead a horse to water…)
What are his academic interests? I second the recommendation for RIT. My son did not end up attending there (was admitted) but the disabilities director was extremely helpful, and they have some very well defined supports in place. I would look at the “Colleges that change lives” website and list of institutions as well. Many kids will not be proactive in accessing services themselves, as MommaJ notes, but as a parent, you can help provide the documentation to obtain some supports in housing selection, for example, that can be extremely helpful.