<p>Start by looking online, at the college website, search under learning disability. Read about what documentation is required to establish the need for accomodation. This can vary a lot; some colleges are very strict and require expensive testing. Then, contact the Director of the service group. Ask lots of questions–find out how/whether your son can establish need and get counseling from an educational psychologist on a regular basis every couple of weeks or so (and talk to them if you can reach them, because they really know what the kids with ADD experience at the college). Ask how easily accomodations are made (how visible or invisible are the accomodations; how cooperative is the faculty?); whether counseling is free or you pay, how many sessions a year are allowed, whether they have sufficient staff to handle the demand, and what % of the students have identified themselves as learning disabled–if services are robust usually this is 3% or so at selective colleges. If lower, then maybe the college is not geared to provide adequate support or outreach. Find out if your son can get medication management via Student Health from a staff psychiatrist–you don’t want them to get refills without some kind of face-to-face appointment with a specialist experienced with ADD meds and issues. Ask how conveniently scripts can be refilled. The less complicated, the better for these kids. </p>
<p>Generally, look into what kind of academic safety net the college has for students who may be struggling–who is alerted if a student is in danger of failing? And is any outreach done by the faculty or Dean of Students? Is tutoring easy to access if needed? Some colleges as a matter of course are more dedicated to student learning than others–what would be considered accomodations at some places are done routinely for all students at others (for example, outlines posted online before lectures) You won’t be in the loop anymore, and will only know what your son tells you, so you will want to find out whether other adults will be involved in his support should he start missing classes or failing to get work done. </p>
<p>Finally, do YOU like the people you speak with? Are they responsive, do they listen well, are they concerned and caring? Are they rushed because they are understaffed? Do you think they’d treat you son well? Trust your instincts…You also should check out the LD Forum on CC.</p>
<p>I have Princeton Review’s K&W Guide to Colleges for Students with Learning Disabilities. I’d be happy to relay info on a few colleges, if you have some specific schools in mind. Send me a private message.</p>
<p>One last thought–find out how easy or common it is to carry an underload. This is a sort of time accomodation that might work for some kids with ADD, especially at the very rigorous colleges, if they allow it–and consider whether you would be able to afford an extra semester or year to graduate (or summer classes), if that is what it takes.</p>
<p>“This is a sort of time accomodation that might work for some kids with ADD, especially at the very rigorous colleges”</p>
<p>Actually, the ADD and ADHD people I know often work best with overloads. Having lots of essential things to juggle can make them focus better. During my best college semester I was working up to 20 hours a week and taking 2 extra courses. When I defended what my advisor said was the best dissertation defense of the 50 dissertations he’d chaired, I was working fulltime, a wife, and the mom of an ADHD 2-year-old.</p>
<p>For an ADD kid with another LD, or mood issues, or physical health issues, or a low energy level for any reason, or who needs lots of sleep, or who has to earn money, especially at rigorous college, the underload approach could be what helps them manage the academics with the least stress. Though yes, my kid has overloaded, because the resultant anxiety seemed to help push past the procrastination. I didn’t understand this strategy, though, because it led to stress and sleep deprivation, and much less time for fun ECs and a full social life–your post helps me understand a little better why my kid does this. Still, I prefer the goal of a balanced life with time for self-care. But you say the overload approach worked for you and others; it must require high energy levels. I think there has to be well-developed ability to plan and manage time to handle an overload. These are typically weak areas (and even diagnostic) for those with ADD or executive function disorder.</p>
<p>S1 realized in his first year of college that he does better when he has LOTS to do. There is incentive to organize. He found that he was more organized in college because every assignment was important. No busy work art projects for English class (a real grade killer for him).</p>
<p>I have helped with administrivia with both guys. I want them to focus on academics, ECs and those college essays. S2 doesn’t get home from football practice til at least 6:30 and then has 4-5 hours of HW – seven AP/IB courses this year. The coaches are unfamiliar with the workload and difficulty, and the IB teachers see a football player in class once every blue moon. S2 gets overwhelmed with unstringing all the different pieces that have to be done and can get paralyzed – so I keep modeling ways to organize and keep it down to a dull roar. I have extricated myself from the HW nagging/checking over the past four years, and he now negotiates that and goes to see teachers, etc. I know he can manage a college load – it’s just the apps are the final straw.</p>
<p>I find <em>I</em> have to make spreadsheets and lists to keep up with this stuff. With my last S, I was home FT and it was a LOT easier than this go-round, with working almost FT between my regular job and a small side business.</p>