Nevada

My DS is in the 8th grade and wants to talk about college but because of his LD I have no idea about the possibilities.

In many ways I don' have any idea what will happen in the next 4 1/2 years. We are just starting to really see more than just our local college as a possibility. My son is currently in 8th grade and taking Algebra I (H), Advanced Science, Advanced Art, Reg English 8, Reg Geography, and PE. We are so proud. The school counselors and administrators walk around patting themselves on the back. He started 6th grade with all remedial classes (except advanced Math) despite strong test scores and stanines. He couldn't do the work. He could comprehend all the information but couldn't show his knowledge if not multiple choice which is why his test scores are high.

He is not Aspergers but doesn't assimilate social clues at an average level. Maybe at low normal level. He has friends but his articulation is poor.
His IQ is around 140. The Psychologist told us when he was 6 she had never seen a kid with such profound weaknesses have such a high IQ.
In fact he has no real diagnosed disability despite all the doctors he has seen. We just use 'Language Learning Disability'.
He has been receiving special services since age 2. IEP's ect.

A perfect example would be in Kindergarten DS did not know his alphabet nor how to count to 10. One day he sat down and wrote to 100. I was shocked! I started printing off math worksheets and he started doing tons of Math! 1st grade, 2nd grade, 3rd grade. 27 + 34 = 61 in his head. However he didn't know the name of 27, 34, or 61. He just knew their values. He didn't have the words of any of the math…just the ability to do it.

In Kindergarten he wasn't even speaking fully.

These days his written presentation is not strong but he is using a laptop in school which helps a ton. He is really starting to be able to produce work which conveys his knowledge level. I think his school thinks he is the most exciting special needs student they have ever seen from the standpoint of progress obtained. The thought of where he started and where he is now produces tears at school among the admin and teachers. Seriously to tears.

I'm not sure if words will ever flow fluently for him. It affects his speech, reading and writing. His Algebra I (H) and Advanced Science teacher tell me he is certainly one of the smartest and obvious standouts in their classes. His Geography teacher came up to me and flat out told me she could tell he had a disability.

Now he wants to talk college. I have NO idea how to proceed. I suspect he will take many advanced classes in HS. He is already planning his HS activities such as swim team. Because he tests well I expect him to at least get above average SAT scores. This kid works HARD. Frequently he pounds the books from the end of the school day until he goes to bed just to get a normal amount of work accomplished. Words do not flow but he is hungry for knowledge. He is an A student.

What is out there in on there for college for learning disabled people? DS is looking at the University of Southern California because his older brother attended. I'm thinking smaller on the west side of the country. I'd actually be good with him attending our local university and living at home. There is nothing wrong with that! Yet he has different aspirations and I love that he wants goals for himself.

To those parents with LD kids, if you could go back and do anything different…what would it be? How does all of this work?

I need guidance.

Thanks in advance.

shawbridge

My son has language-related learning disabilities (my phrase, SpEd folks use less descriptive phrases) including severe dyslexia and delayed speech and articulation issues. He has a very high IQ and like your son, a psychologist who saw his profile said, "We call kids like this severely gifted. I'd hate to be inside his skin." It's like having a supercomputer for a processor but input/output is done via dial-up lines. He did badly on standardized tests (mid 40's percentile) until he got accommodations and until his reading improved. He didn't really start to read until third grade and his writing didn't become decent until partway through high school. Both are now very good but quite fatiguing. He was a sponge for ideas (and surprisingly complex ones at every age level) and could think really well but could not express his thoughts well.

The good news: he graduated in the top 5 in his HS class (they don't do class rank but that's an educated guess) at a highly regarded, pretty competitive suburban Boston public high school and surprised me by scoring 99+ percentile on each part of the SATs and as well on the ACTs and even got a 770 on the SAT II literature exam despite the fact that he hadn't taken a literature course since first semester sophomore year. He was successful in arguing Moot Court cases in his high school's competition and lost in the finals in front of a panel of state judges (and was offered an internship by one). He's co-authoring a novel that has gotten interest from agents and publishers. He was admitted to a number of very good schools and is now a freshman at a very highly ranked LAC. His main extracurricular activity in college is on their debate team (who would have ever thought this possible for a dyslexic kid with a speech delay).

Things I would do differently.

1. More focus early on remediation and assistive technology to address the fatigue. Make sure he is really comfortable with the technology.

2. Start partial homeschooling or homeschooling earlier. Partial homeschooling enabled us to focus on building skills rather than doing assignments that often had a lot of busywork that for him was tiring. We did partial because my wife was concerned about social skills. Although he's not a slap you on the back type and prefers a few close friends, his people skills actually seem reasonably good. He reads people well and is making lots of acquaintances/situational friends in his first year in college while looking for the close friends. He would have preferred full home-schooling and that might have been better. Who knows?

3. Play more to his strengths (which we downpedaled a bit too much) while addressing his weaknesses.

4. We did this well but I'd give you advice to get IEP, 504 and neuropsych testing sufficient to get SAT and ACT accommodations. Pay for private testing as appropriate but get documents that the testing agencies (and the colleges thereafter) will feel are sufficient. Not all neuropsychologists know how to write for that audience. Be prepared to negotiate with the College Board or ACT folks if they don't offer him appropriate accommodations.

5. Consider colleges with few requirements and lots of curricular flexibility. So far, this looks like a blessing. Skip colleges with intense core curriculum or distribution requirements. Small may be better than big.

6. Take a gap year. He did and needed it to recover from HS and get surgery for an energy-sapping condition. Because of the extra effort our kids have to make, they may need the year to build up energy reserves.

jym626

Nevada-
Was your son evaluated for dyslexia? Early sequencing problems an dproblems with sound-symbol relationships and the lexical representation of language is often an early indicator of a reading disorder. Just wondering.

Mitdu

Nevada--

Shawbridge really knows his stuff. You might want to print his recommendations and keep them where you can find them.

#5 may be especially important. Some of our kids get swept away by the marketing, hype and image of the big, well-known schools. Even kids that don't otherwise aren't interested in trends or trying to impress people.

When he was in about 9th grade, one of my kids started envisioning himself at a large stateuniversity. Once his vision was "set," no logic could convince him that he might be better off at a smaller school. Given his struggles in college, I wish he would have gone to a smaller, more flexible college.

There definitely ARE colleges out there for kids with unique learning needs. Some kids' needs are more unique than others. And some colleges are better than others at truly meeting unique needs. You and your son may have to make a lot of campus visits, talk with a lot of Disabilities Directors on those campuses, and sort through the lists of goals, priorities, wants, and needs.

While that discussion of goals/wants/needs happens for nearly all parents and kids as they consider colleges, it can be a lot more complicated for kids with LDs or unique learning styles.

Rellielou

Landmark is a 2 year college that has a fantastic reputation for working with kids with LDs.

mildred

I am sorry but Landmark costs an arm and a leg for a two year college, even given its specialty.


Admissions | Landmark College | Financial Aid


Truly, I am sorry. To spend over one hundred thousand dollars on a two year degree from a college specializing in LD's is a heck of a lot. No offense intended towards anyone.

With OP, I wonder some things. When was the last time your child was formally evaluated for their LD? I also wonder what their IEP is like? It's like your child has a NOS issue going on. And sometimes a NOS issue makes sense, but sometimes it is a cop out from a psych.

Lastly, my own humble opinion is that your child could do well working along with the Department of Vocational Rehabilitation while attending Community College for two years and then they could just speed through the rest of their degree at a four year school (I say that because your child seems darned bright and hard working). If your city has a fully funded Department of Vocational Rehabilitation, then it would be worth looking into what they could do to help your child make that progression from high school to college and everything in between, you know what I mean?

shawbridge

I would disagree with Mildred about the right path for your kid. I would work for the next 4 years on skills and finding a college/university that works for him. My son, who as I said is really dyslexic, seems to be doing pretty well in his first semester in college. He got the highest grade on his economics mid-term and seems to be doing well across the board as far as I can tell.

Another post includes this link to a dyslexic biology professor who just won the Nobel prize this year.

Gwen Fairfax

It's so GREAT that he's already interested in college! So much will change in the next 4 years, he will grow and develop and change....and so will the conversation. He's a good student, he tests well, he has dyslexia and some difficulty with social skills...he may be a good candidate for a number of schools. (I'm sure he does want to live on a campus and have the full experience, and he could try that, at your local U, with the knowledge that he could always move back home and continue his studies if necessary.) He sounds like a great kid and I'm sure there will be some bumps, but I would definitely encourage him. (My d sounds like his opposite, with very high social and verbal skills, but dysgraphia and trouble with standardized tests. She too is hard-working and ambitious, and we talk a lot about how to find a place where she can learn a lot without suffering in math/science classes that are simply beyond her.)

"Flexible curriculum" is key-- and if anyone knows a link on here to a good list of colleges with more flexible or open curriculums, I'd love to have it. Thanks!

mildred

I actually really thank you for disagreeing with me! I completing glossed over or otherwise ignored the fact that OP's young adult child still has four years to go with schooling! Thank you.

I still cannot help but wonder about the LD testing results in this scenario.

What do the doctors use? If they use "NOS" (not otherwise specified) then that is really not all to very good a thing. Have you ever thought of going to a neuropsychiatric doctor? I am just wondering.