What should I do?

<p>Over the past few years, I have noticed that I have not had enough time to finish many tests, essays, etc. I know I need extended time. Even when I do finish on time, I am almost always the last or one of the last students to turn my test in. I have just completed freshman year, and with tons of more effort than my peers, I have managed to get pretty decent grades. I think I have about an A- average. This is good, but I know I should have a 4.0 gpa considering the amount of effort I put into my work. School has been a struggle because of my disabilities, but I have compensated with a lot of hard work. </p>

<p>I am a very hard worker, but I do not think I can continue high school at a disadvantage because of a disability that I am pretty sure I have. I think I have ADHD. Although I enjoy reading, it could be a very big struggle for me if I do not have enough time to process what I am reading. I probably take 5 minutes per page. I do not think this is normal when my peers can read a page in 1-2 minutes. I find that I have to read certain sentences over many times before I move on. I am assuming this is a processing issue. I also get distracted very easily, and constantly day dream. </p>

<p>This past year, I have applied to independent high schools. While in this process, I have done well on most parts of the application besides the standardized admissions test. Although my scores were poor, with a convincing letter of explanation, I managed to gain admission to a selective independent high school. I only got through maybe 2/3 of some parts of these tests despite extensive preparation. There is a problem. Not only the ADHD, but I find that I have OCD. This has affected me not only in life in general, but on the tests. For example, I take a very long time to fill in the answer bubbles. I found that it could take me as short as 5 to as long as 30 seconds. I have such a problem in this area, that sometimes my pencil has been filling in the bubble so long that it rips the answer sheet. </p>

<p>I think it is clear that my symptoms show that I need accommodations in school and for testing. The problem is, I do not know if I can get it considering I am going to be a tenth grader in September. I am very concerned because the school I am transferring to is academically rigorous, and I do not think I can succeed without accommodations. What is a good way to get these accommodations? </p>

<p>Lastly, I think it is important to note that I once had accommodations up until some point in sixth grade. The reason why they stopped is because my mom stopped them. My mom stopped them because I was very upset because once I was old enough to realize what was going on, I thought that teachers made it obvious that I received accommodations, and that other students would realize it. I was mad, and my mom decided I didn't need them anymore. Maybe this was because my grades were good. I was also very motivated back then. Taking away these accommodations was a mistake, and now I need them back. Please help me.</p>

<p>“Taking away these accommodations was a mistake, and now I need them back.”</p>

<p>Now that you are old enough to recognize that you need the accommodations, talk with your mother about it. Tell her that you can see clearly that you will need to have extra time for certain testing situations. Then make an appointment with your school counselor so that you can set up the team needed to draw up your new IEP. If your school does not have an in-house psychologist who does their screening, get some recommendations from your counselor and your physician. It should not be a problem at all to have the accommodations put in place this year.</p>

<p>People do not “out-grow” learning differences like dyslexia or ADD. What they can do, is learn how to best work with the brains that they have, and thus compensate for any weak areas. Knowing that you need some help in developing those compensation skills is a great start! You are ahead of many, many people.</p>

<p>Wishing you all the best!</p>