<p>A question from my Father(I'm just posting his question for his benefit):</p>
<p>The application states:
"Is there any disabilities/difficulties or special circumstances involved in teaching your child that we should be aware of? If the answer is yes please elaborate on a sheet of paper and include it in the application."</p>
<p>Would his two learning disabilities be a special circumstance if it no longer affects his academic life and his social life? He takes medication, but can function without it. The medication simply helps with focus on detail and not rushing through things.
(An example: His SAT Score without medication was a 1950. His SAT with the medicine was a 2100.) </p>
<p>He doesn't take any medicine for his second disability, because it is such a minor thing. It isn't really a disability, because he tests near average(IQ sub section score in that area: 96) in that area without any medicine. His IQ total was around 6 points short of genius without medication(IQ composite=144).</p>
<p>When I am trying to convey this information to the school, I'm trying to avoid the schools thinking that my son is somehow hindered. He was not placed in any honors classes until he learned to work with it(His end of year performace was when he was unaware of the disability). He was immediatly moved into all honors after we got him diagnosed and we didn't even need to hire a tutor like the school suggested.</p>
<p>What approach should I take when writing about this? Should I even alert the school of his learning disabilities even though they do not play a role in his life anymore? I'm afraid that they will mark him as "sub-par" like they did at his current school and overreact thinking that it is an active problem that will plague him in the classroom.</p>
<p>Well, I think the answer is in the question.</p>
<p>Do you think they should be aware of it? </p>
<p>I, personally, think you should at least notify them. You can mention that it's under control, and reassure them that he is on medication and it won't affect his abilities, but still... it's good to be honest and not have any surprises pop up that may, in turn make you seem a little misleading or something.</p>
<p>hmm frankly if the medication is making him okay and he plans to continue to take the medication, the no, i wouldnt tell them. they dont play a role in his life anymore so it doesnt matter</p>
<p>I would take the question on face value and tell the truth. It is so common today for kids to be on ADHD meds for example and they want to know that so they can help your child succeed. If they denied everyone who ever had meds or an special help of any kind they would eliminate 1/2 their applicant pool. My daughter (age 10) has special needs so I know what you are struggling with, however I have found that this year has been her best year in school to date. The reason? We were up front with her teachers about her disability and they were able to see things that might have slipped past them before, therefore catching little issues before they became big problems. If a school doesn't want your son because of a history of learning difference don't you want to know that before he moves in? Otherwise he may be accepted, then struggle, they won't respond well and he may have a horrible experience. As difficult as it is since you don't want to hurt his chances I would recommend being honest. In addition if he is on adhd meds they are controlled substances that they would need to know about otherwise kids who don't need them could abuse them in the dorms.</p>
<p>Feel free to PM me if you like since I do have a child with a mild disability and have been in your shoes before! Take care!</p>
<p>If I understand correctly, your son has no special accommodation other than taking a pill and it has helped him do his best. I don't think this is such a big deal. It sounds like a classic example of the well researched phenomena of gifted children actually doing worse in slower classes, especially math. </p>
<p>I don't even think it falls under the category of "mental health/ ability"</p>
<p>Whatever you decide, just keep in mind that before enrollment you will be required to submit medical information to the school and if this is a current prescription your doctor will most likely have to include it on the medical form. So, they will eventually find out that he is at least taking medication and what the medication is. It may be better to be up front about it and take the opportunity to explain the situation rather than letting the health center draw its own conclusions later on.</p>
<p>tell them after he gets accepted? if they ask why you didn't tell them, say i didn't know about it then, it was recently that we found out about it, or say you forgot to answer the question.</p>
<p>Senay: that won't work. When you enroll in a boarding school, your physician is required to submit certain forms. It likely will come out that the medicine had previously been prescribed. And "I forgot to answer an important medical question about my child" really doesn't cut it in the adult world.</p>
<p>Just to be sure, I would recommend not notifying the school. Your son can function without it, and the learning disability does not seem to be minor. As long as it does not indicate any hazard to learning of fellow classmates, I think it is a trivial matter. Lots of students suddenly discover they have mental disability issue throughout the highs school career. For instance, my second child has similar disability to your son's, and he must always receive "extended time" for any type of tests he takes at school including the final exams and the SAT's. It has never been an issue, and teachers have always been nothing but generous about it.</p>
<p>lying is the best for this situation. don't worry italianboarder, with your scores, your issue shouldn't affect you in any way at boarding school :)</p>
<p>I have no idea which school it was, but I think it's worth considering. I assume that the students involved did not have prescriptions for the drugs, with the exception of the supplier. If your son has been prescribed medication, at some point, the school will need to know. If my child needed medication, I would not be able, at this point, to say that I would put him in a position to not use the medication for four years. </p>
<p>I think your (the OP's) explanation is very persuasive. If the applicant's grades and SSAT scores fit the picture, I don't think there's a reason to hide the diagnosis. It may come up in recommendations, or in the school's report. If it does come up, the school may ask further questions. At this point, in the US, I don't think you're the only applicant to have some sort of a diagnosis. I think that schools are now very sensitive to the fact that some applicants might want to conceal learning disabilities. By answering the question, you could disarm suspicions. I would be wary of inadvertently making the schools you're applying to think that it's a bigger deal than it is, by hiding it.</p>
<p>Wow! Are we really advocating lying on a bs application? That really concerns me... Boarding school - or anything else- is just not that important to me to sacrifice my integrity. Plus then you would have to make your son lie at the school too if it ever came up in the health center or anything. Also, some meds can interact with other meds and it could be dangerous if he needs to see a doctor there and they don't know he is on meds. </p>
<p>I really think the truth is the best bet and I really don't think it will hurt his chances. If it does at least you know you did the right thing and set the best example for your son.</p>
<p>I would rather have an honest son in public school than a dishonest one in bs. I guess I'm just old fashioned that way. In my book the end does not justify the means.</p>
<p>I would agree, whole-heartedly, with PA-C. Lying may be justified in some narrow circumstances, but getting into a prep school is certainly not one of them.
From a pragmatic viewpoint - do you really want a child taking medication at a boarding school without the school being aware of it? Do you really want your child to go to a school that is not willing to deal with a minor disability?</p>