Hi All,
This is a question for those who have children ‘diagnosed’ as both gifted and learning disabled. Where did your students end up going to college and why? Starting to help DS2 ('19) with a list of possible colleges/ visit listand I am curious how much the diagnosis was a consideration in choices. Did your children apply to ‘reach’ schools? Did they reveal their diagnosis o LD’s? Thanks in advance!
No responses here yet? I’m also curious as to others’ experiences. My daughter ('18) is starting the application process and will be submitting apps soon. Her guidance counselor suggested we consider schools with block plan (Colorado College, Cornell College), where they only take one class at a time for a 3 week term. I love the idea, but my daughter hates it. Another possibility that we’re looking at are schools with trimesters (Carleton, Lawrence) or quarters (Kalamazoo), since those would also be fewer classes at a time compared to semesters. She is very bright, with high test scores and very good GPA, but struggles with organization. I think fewer classes at a time, even if more rigorous, would be a good fit for her. Whichever school she ends up with, we’ve already come to an agreement that she cannot go out of state unless she gets involved with the disabilities office.
My friend’s daughter went to a top school but it was 2000 miles away and I think trying to balance a social life, the dorm, and school was just too much for her. She’s happier and a better student living at home and commuting to a university in town, even though it is many rungs down the ladder. She keeps her social circle pretty small, likes to cook and bake, and reads a lot for pleasure. At home. It’s not really a lot different than what she did in high school, just on a more mature level.
Another friend’s son also went away, although much closer @ about 300 miles. He did not last a semester. In both cases, the kids were homebodies, and going away was too much change, the college routine too different. Both kids had spent a lot of time away from home, at camps or through school adventures, but those were also structured. College was very unstructured.
So my advice would be to consider how much change your child can handle. A very social kid might do fine in a dorm. A kid who has a very set routine and bedtime might have a huge adjustment, and not be able to also handle changes to academics, social life, food, .culture, temperature all at once.
@ChristiGabi , if your D hates the idea of block programming, I say drop it. Don’t force or exert pressure for anything if there’s a vehement dislike, even if it seems stupid or shortsighted. If you can influence with subtlety, go for it.
One big drawback of block scheduling is, if you end up with a class or professor you really dislike, you are stuck, many hours a day, many days a week, no escape. My D (who does not have block scheduling) usually ends up with one class she hates, one she loves, and a couple in the middle. Makes for a nice balance.
Oh, I’ve given up on the block schedule for her, but I do think it could work well for some twice exceptional kids.
If she needs extra help with organization, then perhaps a program with extra help in that area might be useful.
For example, the Spectrum Support program (not saying she is on the autistic spectrum, but may have similar Executive Function challenges)
Don’t put too much faith in a disabilities office. She should certainly register. They will give her letters for all her professors stating that she has registered. Some will list accommodations but many leave it up to the student to negotiate.
Accommodations that the disabilities office would consider would include single room, extensions on papers, exam taking in a room by herself, excused absences for appointments, possibly reduced course load (say, one less class, and financial aid should cover the extra time to graduation).
Some schools might offer extra advising or tutoring, but you can also look into a coach. They often work by phone or online It can be expensive though.
No need to mention any issues at all, on the application But as soon as she accepts an offer time to get to work. You can write a letter with diagnosis and list of desired accommodations for the doctor or professional to sign.
The standard for accommodation at the college level is lower than that for high school so it is a change.
Landmark has some great programs in the summer and before starting college. They also might provide names of coaches.
But many kids do very well, so don’t feel discouraged by posts that describe kids lasting only a short time. And notice that those kids ended up doing well regardless 
I would think it would depend on the LD and the ability of the student to cope.
I have a ds who is severely dyslexic but is gifted. He avoided schools on the quarter system bc he didn’t think he could keep up with the reading pace. That was the most he thought about it. But another student might not be able to function and adapt as well as he can and might need support. I have a niece who is part of a special dyslexic program at ECU bc she needs that intervention type of support.
ETA: I agree with @compmom about ignoring the posts describing kids as only lasting for a short time. It is going to be completely individually based outcomes. My ds will most likely be graduating with a 4.0 with a double major. He hasn’t struggled at all.
My youngest is in HS and is twice exceptional (autism spectrum, adhd, anxiety etc). Our plan is to have her take classes at a local community college that has a “Navigators” program for students with similar challenges. Then our state flagship which we live a few miles from. Likely she’d commute from home but that could change. She is only a sophomore in HS but I’ve been thinking about this for years.
@2mrmagoo I don’t have direct advice but I know I’ve seen similar issues discussed in threads on the Parents of ___ forums. I think often in threads for kids with 3.0-3.4 GPA (it tends to be a loose guideline GPA, some are a bit higher or a bit lower) is where I’ve seen discussions about colleges that may be good choices for kids who aren’t easy to find a fit for because of learning disabilities.
http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/parents-forum/2018547-parents-of-the-hs-class-of-2019-3-0-to-3-4-gpa-p1.html?new=1
Just in case it helps you.
OP, what is your student’s area of interest? My student with dyslexia picked a school where they can avoid certain types of classes (reading/writing), confirmed that they could be accepted into the learning center at several schools before applications, and we called the learning center to confirm before accepting admission offer (some schools will meet with you- bring up to date testing). My student picked her own school and found a social situation that appealed. No reach schools but that was student’s choice. Applied to no schools that did not feel very comfortable. It was a long road getting there but so far so good!
@ChristiGabi, take a look at women’s colleges.
@2mrmagoo , take a look at RIT.
Thanks all. DS is a 3.8 uw student who is taking honors classes at a rigorous grading private high school. The school doesn’t offer AP. His gpa is hard earned. He has many issues, but auditory processing is his most significant. The others are considered mild (dysgraphia, possible ‘stealth dyslexia’). He has made it to third year foreign language but it may be a struggle this year due to the auditory issue. He does well if he can read the material at night and re-teach himself the material that was lectured during the day. I’m thinking small, seminar style classes but he is a kid that loves sports and wants a school where he can enjoy sports as a spectator and play a robust intramural game. Thoughts with those details in mind?
@Christigabi Colorado College has been on our radar too. DS loves skiing and I think the block program would be great. Interesting that my DS has had the same response as your daughter. His HS is on a block schedule and he says it is tedious to sit for extended classes. I do think we will visit Colorado College as I think this might be exactly what he needs, however. He definitely needs a challenge. He is not (so far) a leader, but will work hard to keep ahead of the pack. I would worry about him losing motivation if his cohort is not challenging him.
I can only relay my experience with D’15 we had similar high school experience and have accomodations at current school. Do not rule out large university because of size or only gravity towards small university because of their size.
We started with a list of schools that had intended major which for our family was a hidden blessing because it eliminated many schools. She then applied and was accepted to all of the school on her list we then visited the office of student disability. I think this was key SHE made those visits with testing and accomodations in hand and spoke to the representative of that office.
She currently attends a university of 50,000 (large) which I never could have thought be possible coming from small private high school, but when meeting with the different schools she felt that she could advocate for self with the help of this particular student disability office. She has done well and has a good relationship with her representative.
So, my recommendation is like above getting in to college maybe easy but staying could be a challenge; check out the resources available not by yourself but with the student who will be using them. Good luck.
@2mrmagoo We visited Colorado College last summer, since it’s only a couple hours drive or us. I loved it. Daughter did at the time too, before she decided against block plan. I wish I had gone to a small liberal arts college like that, but that’s probably just me being wooed by the travel opportunities that such a schedule provides. For example, one of their classes is a a yacht tour of the Greek isles while reading Odysseus. swoon Anyway, we were impressed with our campus tour, and Colorado Springs is a wonderful location!
I’m not sure if my D is qualified as “twice exceptional” but here’s the story:
She was admitted to several universities but we (herself is included in the “we”) decided that she would matriculate at a flagship state univ, about 1 hr drive from home. She didn’t want to stay in a dorm (did I say that she was socially clumsy?) and requested an apartment. Fortunately, we could financially afford that thanks to the money saved but not used for private univ.
She completed undergrad in 3 years. During that time, she came home almost every week and during the week, Mom or myself or both came to visit her at least once to provide support; many times we stayed overnight. Knowing her limitations, she had no problem with this. She even requested our visits at times.
We didn’t think assistance from school was needed.
She is now a third year PhD student at the same univ (it happens to be the world #1 in the field that she wants to be in). She is now more socially adept and has better time management skills. She still stays in the same apartment. We don’t have to come up, but she comes home almost every weekend.
Summer this year, she had an internship on the other coast. She was away from home for 3 months and managed herself very well. The company must have loved her because they asked her to come back next summer.
It takes time and effort. But I think the most important thing is that she is aware of her limitations and is willing to ask for and to receive help.
I will put in another plug for RIT and the spectrum support program. It was important for my autistic D that she go to a school where she felt fully accepted and supported. She loves that they also have the NTID and support students with various differences. I really could not be any happier with the school and this is the kid I was most worried about really needing the “right fit” college.
DS fits the diagnosis, and he went to a school that had “the” program in “the” area that he was interested in. Fortunately, he hit it off with a couple of terrific professors and managed to make it through the weedout courses. There were a few bumps in the road (let’s not talk about finding out that his “History of Rock and Roll” did NOT count for a history class AFTER he walked at graduation…) but he managed to escape with a degree, a job in his field, and an abiding interest in books and learning despite dyslexia and other LDs that hindered him at earlier points in his life.
The school he went to is not one of the prestigious places often mentioned here (although it does appear occasionally on the forums) but it was the right fit for him at that point in his life.