Colleges for smart kids with learning disabilities

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think small and mid-sized colleges that prioritize undergraduate education would be better than huge RI universities where your kid may be taught by grad students in lecture classes of 100+ students.

I'd look at American, St. Mary's College of Maryland, and William & Mary to start.

Scratch W&M. I have a kid there with ADHD who does not need accommodations at this point. She says if she did, she’s be in trouble. Love the school. But it’s a hard a## about ADHD accommodations.

Sent a different ADHD kid who needed more accommodations Oberlin and was very pleased with how the school handled it.

Uh-oh. My kid with SLD and ADHD just committed to W&M! She was sold by the size, campus, and undergrad focus. I’ve just started working with the accessibility office but I’ve been encouraged so far. I’ll report back once I’ve got more data.

I’m the PP. and do not want to panic anyone. This is sample size one kid— with ADHD— who has done exceptionally well at W&M. She has not needed accommodations— like many smart women, she compensates for low PS/ high GAI well. And she worked with an EF coach in HS and was prepared to manage the load. And paid attention each semester to course balance— not all reading or writing or. Labs in one semester— a mix of classes so she didn’t have, say, two classes reading 500 page novels. Also like many women with ADHD, she has anxiety, and WM was exceptionally helpful at sitting with her and helping her find good, walkable counseling on our insurance (as in the school evaluated her to see if short term, on campus counseling would work. When she decided she wanted more than that, they scheduled three sessions, helped her write emails to therapists and screen therapists and set up appointments with a couple so she could choose a good fit, vs kids I know at other schools who were handed a list and told good luck). This was at one point when some situational stressors made her decide to get help with the anxiety.

Her opinion that W&M isnt accommodating isn’t first hand experience. She is going off of what friends say about getting things like extensions of time. Which is not that it isn’t granted. But more that they require the documentation to all be there and will only give what the documentation shows. Basically, she says friends say it’s a PITA. Not that it isn’t there. I don’t want to panic anyone. For all I know, these friends don’t have the testing and are asking for more informal extensions, which W&M isn’t generous about.

As a parent of an ADHD kid, I will say this. COLL 100s are 4 credits and they must take one each of the first 2 semesters. Any foreign language classes are 4 credits. They need 2 fine arts credits. Kids usually come in with a decent amount of APs. Mine is graduating next year on time (8 semesters plus a summer abroad program) with two very demanding majors, both of which required a lot of pre-recs before she got to the major itself. She needs only 5 classes senior year to graduate with both majors and 3 to graduate with a major and a minor. She could technically get out a semester early with a double major, and easily with a major and a minor. But she loves it, it’s paid for, and I want her to have a wonderful, fun, (hard working) full senior year, and enjoy her friends, the traditions, the works. She took 4 classes instead of 5 both semesters freshman year (15 credits, because 2 COLL 100s at 4 credits each and 2 foreign language at 4 each and 2 1 credit music classes both freshman semesters, plus 2 3 credits classes— I’m not counting her 1 credit instrument lesson that was pass fail as a class). This was an excellent call. Some kids take 5 because they are all over achievers. There is no reason to do that a freshman with ADHD. Encourage your kid to take 4 classes instead of 5 while they get their footing— even if no foreign language and it’s 14 credits. Better to do 4 well and get decent grades and a solid start to college than 5 and falter and start in the hole grade wise.

Good luck, and Welcome to the Tribe!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My kid is bright with very slow processing speed and poor executive functioning skills. She works hard and does very well in her honors and AP classes. Her teachers like her. But she needs accommodations (extra time, small group testing, anxiety management), which have enabled her to succeed at her huge MCPS W school. We're looking for colleges within 3-4 hours of home that are supportive of students with learning disabilities. Her WGPA is 4.7 and she will probably go test optional. She'll be a senior next year. TIA.

No advice but I find it interesting that my son has the same exact diagnosis but opposite school experience. Teachers dislike him but got 34 on single ACT sitting.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think small and mid-sized colleges that prioritize undergraduate education would be better than huge RI universities where your kid may be taught by grad students in lecture classes of 100+ students.

I'd look at American, St. Mary's College of Maryland, and William & Mary to start.

Scratch W&M. I have a kid there with ADHD who does not need accommodations at this point. She says if she did, she’s be in trouble. Love the school. But it’s a hard a## about ADHD accommodations.

Sent a different ADHD kid who needed more accommodations Oberlin and was very pleased with how the school handled it.

Uh-oh. My kid with SLD and ADHD just committed to W&M! She was sold by the size, campus, and undergrad focus. I’ve just started working with the accessibility office but I’ve been encouraged so far. I’ll report back once I’ve got more data.

I’m the PP. and do not want to panic anyone. This is sample size one kid— with ADHD— who has done exceptionally well at W&M. She has not needed accommodations— like many smart women, she compensates for low PS/ high GAI well. And she worked with an EF coach in HS and was prepared to manage the load. And paid attention each semester to course balance— not all reading or writing or. Labs in one semester— a mix of classes so she didn’t have, say, two classes reading 500 page novels. Also like many women with ADHD, she has anxiety, and WM was exceptionally helpful at sitting with her and helping her find good, walkable counseling on our insurance (as in the school evaluated her to see if short term, on campus counseling would work. When she decided she wanted more than that, they scheduled three sessions, helped her write emails to therapists and screen therapists and set up appointments with a couple so she could choose a good fit, vs kids I know at other schools who were handed a list and told good luck). This was at one point when some situational stressors made her decide to get help with the anxiety.

Her opinion that W&M isnt accommodating isn’t first hand experience. She is going off of what friends say about getting things like extensions of time. Which is not that it isn’t granted. But more that they require the documentation to all be there and will only give what the documentation shows. Basically, she says friends say it’s a PITA. Not that it isn’t there. I don’t want to panic anyone. For all I know, these friends don’t have the testing and are asking for more informal extensions, which W&M isn’t generous about.

As a parent of an ADHD kid, I will say this. COLL 100s are 4 credits and they must take one each of the first 2 semesters. Any foreign language classes are 4 credits. They need 2 fine arts credits. Kids usually come in with a decent amount of APs. Mine is graduating next year on time (8 semesters plus a summer abroad program) with two very demanding majors, both of which required a lot of pre-recs before she got to the major itself. She needs only 5 classes senior year to graduate with both majors and 3 to graduate with a major and a minor. She could technically get out a semester early with a double major, and easily with a major and a minor. But she loves it, it’s paid for, and I want her to have a wonderful, fun, (hard working) full senior year, and enjoy her friends, the traditions, the works. She took 4 classes instead of 5 both semesters freshman year (15 credits, because 2 COLL 100s at 4 credits each and 2 foreign language at 4 each and 2 1 credit music classes both freshman semesters, plus 2 3 credits classes— I’m not counting her 1 credit instrument lesson that was pass fail as a class). This was an excellent call. Some kids take 5 because they are all over achievers. There is no reason to do that a freshman with ADHD. Encourage your kid to take 4 classes instead of 5 while they get their footing— even if no foreign language and it’s 14 credits. Better to do 4 well and get decent grades and a solid start to college than 5 and falter and start in the hole grade wise.

Good luck, and Welcome to the Tribe!

Thanks so much for taking the time to share this. It was helpful to me and others I’m sure. I will definitely encourage DD to take 4 classes freshman year if she can. If a freshman had 4 years of language in HS, aren’t they excused from the language requirement?

[Anonymous]

Emerson College!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Highly recommend joining the FB group:

Parents of College Bound Students with Learning Disabilities, ADHD and ASD

+1 for this group

[Anonymous]

I work for Best Buddies and have heard great things about the program at George Mason University:

https://masonlife.gmu.edu/

[Anonymous]

High Point teaches life skills.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I work for Best Buddies and have heard great things about the program at George Mason University:

https://masonlife.gmu.edu/

This sounds great, but probably not the right fit for OP’s student as it’s a transition program for kids with intellectual and developmental disabilities that doesn’t result in a college degree.

[Anonymous]

Avoid any large or very competitive schools. So not UVA, W&M, VA Tech, UMD, for example.

Aim for schools like Mary Washington,
St. Mary's, JMU, Elon etc...

[Anonymous]

University of Denver

[Anonymous]

3-4 hours from MCPS, I’d look at SMCM, Goucher, Loyola MD, Dickinson, St. Joe’s, Bryn Mawr, and Mary Washington to name a few schools that are supportive and nurturing for smart kids with accommodation needs. I bet your student would qualify for merit aid and scholarships at several with that high GPA!

Colleges that Change Lives could also provide a helpful starting point list.

https://ctcl.org/

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:High Point teaches life skills.

This kid has a 4.7 GPA and can aim higher. Lots of top-rated schools will be able to offer the needed accommodations. Plus, HPU is more than 3-4 hours from MD, which was one of OP’s parameters.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Highly recommend joining the FB group:

Parents of College Bound Students with Learning Disabilities, ADHD and ASD

+1 for this group

Please join this group! While many in this thread are likely well meaning and have good intentions, they don’t seem to fully grasp this student’s profile. Sounds like a twice exceptional kid who is very bright but struggles with processing/exec function. She will have plenty of great options!

[Anonymous]

We had great conversations with Lehigh and Franklin and Marshall about their process and accommodations for our 2E kid. Examples, Lehigh has a very interesting e-note taking system, F&M has 1:1 tutors trained in EF skills. There is more to each, but for a 2E kid like yours, these seem like good schools to visit.

[Anonymous]

My dd is at W&M and has pretty serious adhd, but her only accomodations are for lecture recording and written instructions/due dates (this is enough for her). So far she's only had issues with one professor. All the kids have access to free tutoring, and they also have graduate students who setve as academic coaches (also free).

She had a peer notetaker her first semester but they aren't allowing that accommodation for anyone anymore.