4048sara

I posted this several days ago on the Parents thread, and now found this one which seems a more appropriate place for this. I've modified it somewhat.

My son is diagnosed with ADHD and SLD (dyslexia). He takes Concerta for his ADHD. This year he had to lower his dose due to some heart concerns and I believe it has impacted his grades/ability to focus. He went from a dosage of 72 down to 54 mg. His grades have been more of a struggle in his senior year. He did not get extra time in SAT but did in ACT. His composite ACT was 28, he scored a 31 in Science. His GPA when he applied to colleges was 3.6 unweighted on his HS transcript (not sure how the colleges calculated it) . He applied for 4 state schools, one is a reach, one he would be one of the strongest students there and 2 of them are pretty much on the mark. He was accepted at 3 of the 4 schools for Summer 2013. We won't hear until February on the reach school. We explored private schools when my daughter was considering schools, the Expected Family Contribution just seemed to be too much, so we did not really explore private schools with him. He is unsure of what he'd like to major in and does not advocate well for himself although we are constantly working on getting him to do that. He has an IEP, but was able to achieve what he has in high school with minimal accommodations. We are struggling with deciding if he gets in to the reach school should he go? If he could not take meds for some reason I think that could be disasterous. I'm even worried about the two schools that are a close match for him. He has a pretty heavy load this year. 1 AP class, 3rd year Spanish and 3 honors classes, and two 'regular' classes. Anyone else out there faced with these decisions how did things turn out? Thanks.

higgins2013

Check to see whether his schools participate in the federally-funded TRIO program, which serves low-income, first-generation, and LD students. Students need to qualify for only one category, and apply after acceptance. TRIO programs tend to be very "hands-on", offering monitoring, mentoring, and advising to its students, at a greater depth of detail than conventional Student Services-administered services. Far more than "academic accommodations". LD students must have documentation to obtain TRIO services, and there are limited spots. Both private and public colleges and universities can apply and participate in TRIO program. List of participating schools is 30 pages long, and extends from community colleges to highly-selective undergraduate programs. Carleton College in MN, for instance, has a TRIO program.

TRIO is focussed on "student retention" - to keep student in school, with goal of graduation and often graduate school. Phenomenal program. One-on-one services, given an LD student better odds towards successful college completion.

flyaround

If you dont think he'll take advantages of support services, go for a school that is known for:
high student/prof interaction
Not a lot of issues getting classes (scheduling of classes is important in relation to sleeping, eating and med management). It's especially tough to have an early morning and then night class in one day
Less of a burden with required classes
I would also suggest meeting with disability services, together, before the semester begins just in case he decides to take advantage of what's available. Also, ask that he be given priority registration.
What classes he takes, what the schedule is and how the professor handles the class is most important. Pick professors who give lots of quizzes and homework and count attendance. The classes with just midterms and finals can be trouble.
Teach him to use ratemyprofessor.

cmscribe

I definitely agree with everything Flyaround suggested, and think as much as possible he should try for classes with a relatively small number of students... realizing that is not always possible during freshman year, but for kids with ADHD it's important not to get "lost in the crowd." Personally I would lean toward a school where he's likely to get the most attention/support, rather than aiming for the one with the most prestige, highest test scores, etc.