Updated testing for accommodations in college

Parents Forum Learning Differences and Challenges - LD, ADHD
1

<p>Did any of you update testing to qualify for accommodations in college....most schools want more recent data, and adult type testing, than what is used by high schools and collegeboard. Were there any surprising results?</p>

<p>D, who had been diagnosed with ADHD and LD in elementary and middle school respectively, and who had some accommodations in High School, had updated testing to qualify for accommodations in college. The psychologist who did the testing said he did not think she is ADHD (or ADD) because her "executive functioning" is pretty average. He recommends accommodations (use of computer, extended time) based on disgraphia and nonverbal learning disability.</p>

<p>We still believe D is ADHD based on many other factors, so were surprised at the result he got and conclusions he made.</p>

2

<p>My d is a senior, and I have recently been researching on her target colleges' websites their requirements for updated testing.</p>

<p>At least one school says it should be no more than 3 years old, but I was surprised to see that another school had a 5 year limit.</p>

<p>Since her testing was done in April of 9th grade, it will only be a few months past the 3 year deadline when she enters college. Before we go to all the effort and expense of re-testing her next summer, I plan to contact the school's LD office and ask whether the 3 year thing is hard and fast or is merely a guideline.</p>

<p>I would be curious to hear if anyone has experience with doing this.</p>

3

<p>I think that anyone who can afford to do so should have the most current testing possible prior to University. </p>

<p>I have heard that in some parts of the country there are social programs which can help one pay for new testing. </p>

<p>Please try and make sure you have the most current l.d. testing you can get. I hate to say this, but some (not all, obviously) Universities enjoy looking for any possible loophole in order to get out of having to provide a student with certain accommodations. </p>

<p>Please, do not rule out looking up whoever runs the Student Disability Services or whoever is in charge of the (disabled) student accommodations. Make sure you learn where these folks are "coming from" and make sure they are alright. There is not a die hard rule which dictates that someone has to have a background in, like, Special Education, in order to run a Student Disability Services or to be in charge of (disabled) student accommodations. </p>

<p>Recently, I heard an absolute horror story. The young adult (girl) child of one of my superiors at work went through heck with the head of the Student Disability Services at the public University of my city. She had really current testing, but the head of this student disability services did not know of her l.d. and decided to tell her that she did not have one at all, even though her l.d. testing stated otherwise and even though she mailed off her whole l.d. history along with this really current testing. This gal and her mommy pleaded, begged, and complained to no avail. The gal wound up flunking like the dickens for a while, because she could not obtain extra time for tests nor a note-taker. However, the head of this student disability services said she could use the in house math tutor. In case you guys are wondering, this gal had a downright classic case of Dyslexia. She worked along with her professors like a right son of a gun and wound up only taking two classes for this past Spring semester, because her other four professors were told by the head of this student disability services that she was just faking this classic case of dyslexia she has had for the bulk of her blessed life. </p>

<p>Now, my superior at work is swell. She paid for her child's schooling in cold hard cash and got a fair refund for the other classes she had to drop. Now, she is paying for her child to go to the local Community College online (with the money refunded from having to drop these four classes). These classes are $423.00usd a pop, alright? Pretty pricey. In this interim Community College period (if you will) she is going to be contacting a lawyer, because she would love for her child to please go back to the local public University. </p>

<p>All this kid wants to do is teach special ed grade schoolers by the way. Do you know what I mean? </p>

<p>The person who denied her the most tried and true accommodations for the dyslexia has a BA in the Dramatic Arts and that is it. I am not trying to be disrespectful of the Dramatic Arts. But, seriously. </p>

<p>So, I am trying to kinda sorta be anon. and such with what all my superior told me, but please be careful all you parents. Please be careful. Do not take diddly squat at face value. Get current testing done. Google who all is in charge for the l.d. accommodations. Keep things cool. No l.d. or adhd child is going to have the same deal with their testing at the age of 18, 19, or 20 as they did at 13, 14, 15, or 16.</p>

4

<p>Just to let you know all colleges/universities in the US who receive federal funding (nearly all I am sure since federal loans are counted in this) must have explicit policy on what type of testing they will accept, whose credentials they recognize for a diagnosis, and what disabilities will be accommodated. Unlike high school, there is no IEP and students with disabilities are covered under the ADA. You are wise to start investigating what services are available. Some colleges even have extra services for a fee to assist LD students. </p>

<p>smdur1970 - ADD/HD is a medical diagnosis. Unless you had an MD do the testing, I would recommend a second opinion with a medical doctor who is familiar with your daughter. You can also find alot of research that distinguishes executive functioning, which I believe has more to do with organizational issues, and attention - which can include organizational issues but has more to do with staying on task and maintaining focus. I could be wrong but that was my impression. Good luck</p>

5

<p>We have recent experience in this department.
Last testing was done in Jan of 9th grade. We were planning on updating testing but due to having to travel for the testing we put it off since my son was taking a gap year. Plans change and he decided 2 weeks ago to head to college in the fall. The Director of student with disabilities was willing to take the old testing. He said more schools are willing to use testing up to 5 yrs old. It pays to ask since testing is expensive. He also was willing to look at the material we had and let us know if he needed any updated testing. Since son is ADD and LD he is still seeing a Psychiatrist so we were able to have him send in a medication form and also prepare a list of accommodations that he felt my son would need at college.</p>

6

<p>My son was due to have his triennial testing (if we wanted it; the school felt it was not necessary), and we delayed it until the year before he started college, specifically to have updated documentation for college. His school allowed this. BUT schools do not have to allow this. I figure that most schools should do this, especially since their transition services are mostly insufficient. So we had the school system's neuropsychologist (yes, we have one, and yes, that is unusual) do the updated testing on him. She knew him well. Before the testing, she asked us what kinds of accommodations we thought he might need in college. I'd done my homework, and we provided her with a list. She then did testing to show the need for those accommodations (including for a single room). It worked beautifully.</p>

7

<p>As one who performs this kind of testing, I can tell you there are wide differences in what colleges and universities will want/accept and when. Yes, many, if not most, will want to see "adult" scores (eg, WAIS-III instead of WISC-IV scores for IQ). There are overlapping norms at ages 16-17 (ie you can give either the WAIS or the WISC), and a number of factors are usually considered when deciding to administer a WISC vs a WAIS with kids in this age range. Sometimes colleges will give a 5 yr rather than 3 yr re-test window (ie the scores will be good for 5 years) if the scores are "adult" tests or if the kid is over 18 when tested. I strongly agree with the above posters whe suggested you stay on top of all this, but (a) if your child is not yet in college, I'd wait 'til he/she is accepted to address it (until then you can read the colleges websites for info) and (b) once your child is 18 he/she will need to self-advocate. I have seen the awful situation happen like mildred described, to a college senior who "all of a sudden" no longer qualified for accomodations because the testing had "expired". However, the school claims they sent warnings to the student who didn't follow up. We did a lot of last minute scrambling, retesting, aclling and letter-writing to keep this kid from having to take a required course he had otherwise been exempt from- Priacy issues revent me from goinginto detail, and we were able to get his needs met, but it was a bit of a mess.</p>

8

<p>My D was tested to have an LD- processing disorder. It took years before the public school would even take the time to test her as she was also gifted, so compensated and seemed "fine" other than the tears & frustration that we saw at home!</p>

<p>With her testing the only accomodation D took throughout the rest of K-12 was extra time on timed tests (SAT, AP, as well as school timed exams) and ocassionally extra time during the sports season, otherwise she kept up by spending every Sunday all day studying extra to stay up with her classes. She "loses track" when reading & rereads everything to grasp any of the info.</p>

<p>W/extra time on the SAT her score was right in the same ballpark as her sisters, all of whom have about the same IQ.</p>

<p>D now attends UC Berkeley- I would have thought they would be generous in their attitude, but no....the only accomodation is if the child tests below 50% of normal........well, D has a 30 point processing discrepency, but is still above average, so no extra time for her. She finishes almost no timed test at university and this mainly means some Bs along the way when she could earn an A if she could finish. very frustrating, but what can you do?</p>

<p>Apparently the disability set up in university is primarily directed toward physical disabilities, not LDs, otherwise no one could get in the school. If you are not bright enough to compensate for LDs you probably would not have been admitted, so about the only people who would receive an accomodation would be some one who is physically in need, as far as I can imagine.</p>

<p>I am wondering if having time accomodation on the SAT would be the same standard as extra time allowed on the MCAT? D is thinking premed, but if she takes a ding on her marks with no extra time and cannot do her best on the MCAT maybe that is silly.</p>

<p>And, if she was an actual physician, she would not have trouble as her main manifestation is that she is a slow slow reader.</p>