Slow processing speed tutor for DS in college who learns visually. Pls, help!

[Anonymous]

I am right now traveling in Europe and need to find a tutor for DS who is in college. He has just been diagnosed with slow processing speed last week.(full evaluation) He thought it was dyslexia, and it could be that the psychologist is not so well versed in adult dyslexia, but assessment showed that his word recognition and facts knowledge is really good, the rest not so good. We are not sure what to make of his results. He has always had some LD, but is such a hard worker, that his grades and even college grades are As and Bs. He is self sufficient and now taking care of the house, pets, lawn,(while the rest of us are traveling) and works full time during the summer, earning a lot of money as an athletic coach. He even found a part time job at college that he is starting in August. We are all confused as how is all this possible if his results are accurate. He always needed more time for academic tasks, but has no accommodations and hasn't had them since HS. Psychologist assumed that he would have had harder and harder time as HS progressed, but it was just the opposite, in fact he had more learning issues early on and less and less by the end of HS. It was always severe social anxiety that was the issue prior to this, and visual learning style. He is very open to finding a tutor/coach(he asked me to help him find a tutor) to help him improve his learning speed and comprehension during the summer and even online during school year, so that he can improve his study skills in college. On top of this his grades are pretty good for a varsity college athlete who is among the best on the team. If you know a tutor in MD/DC area that could help him develop better learning skills, or a tutoring center for even the last month of the summer, please let me know. Sorry if I sound confused, it has been a bit of a shock getting these news right now, and as you can imagine hard on my adult DS as well. Many thanks in advance for any suggestions.

[Anonymous]

He is getting A and Bs? He works full time? He is responsible? What is the fear here? What is driving you to ruin your vacation like this? Slow down. This is not devastating news that you have to remedy before school starts.

He has severe social anxiety. He has some study skills/organization issues (?) (hard to tell, really). Your own post is so filled with anxiety that it's hard to tell what is real here and what is actually happening that needs to be remedied. The notion that he needs a tutor (for what coursework?) during the summertime while he works full time as an athletic coach is kind of bizarre. And he's an adult. Help him, but don't have an anxiety attack with him.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:He is getting A and Bs? He works full time? He is responsible? What is the fear here? What is driving you to ruin your vacation like this? Slow down. This is not devastating news that you have to remedy before school starts.

He has severe social anxiety. He has some study skills/organization issues (?) (hard to tell, really). Your own post is so filled with anxiety that it's hard to tell what is real here and what is actually happening that needs to be remedied. The notion that he needs a tutor (for what coursework?) during the summertime while he works full time as an athletic coach is kind of bizarre. And he's an adult. Help him, but don't have an anxiety attack with him.

Yes, you are right. I am a bit of a mess right now. He reads extremely slow and would like to improve that and would like to improve difficult reading material comprehension. He was quite upset when psychologist gave him his IQ results. He has study issues, he reads very slowly and skips lines, messes up words, being the biggest problem, and why he wanted to get an evaluation. He is very organized when it comes to studying and work. Thanks for advice to calm down.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:He is getting A and Bs? He works full time? He is responsible? What is the fear here? What is driving you to ruin your vacation like this? Slow down. This is not devastating news that you have to remedy before school starts.

He has severe social anxiety. He has some study skills/organization issues (?) (hard to tell, really). Your own post is so filled with anxiety that it's hard to tell what is real here and what is actually happening that needs to be remedied. The notion that he needs a tutor (for what coursework?) during the summertime while he works full time as an athletic coach is kind of bizarre. And he's an adult. Help him, but don't have an anxiety attack with him.

Yes, you are right. I am a bit of a mess right now. He reads extremely slow and would like to improve that and would like to improve difficult reading material comprehension. He was quite upset when psychologist gave him his IQ results. He has study issues, he reads very slowly and skips lines, messes up words, being the biggest problem, and why he wanted to get an evaluation. He is very organized when it comes to studying and work. Thanks for advice to calm down.

Can he listen to audio books at a faster pace? My DC has low processing and also dyslexia and he uses audio books for his textbooks. It is one of his accommodations. If not, I would recommend a lighter academic load each semester (whatever is the lowest to stay as a "fulltime" student). DC is at a school where most take 4 classes a semester and that works for him. It may mean that your DC has to graduate a semester later. If your DC is a student athlete and he is working, he should not be taking full credits anyway. Something has to give; that kind of load is hard for a neurotypical student. Doesn't the athletic program have tutors available?

[Anonymous]

OP, I would start with the college. They should have tutoring and study skills resources. If this is an executive functioning issue, then perhaps an executive functioning coach could help, but persons with anxiety often have concentration issues. Is he on an anxiety medication?

[Anonymous]

I would encourage him to check into university resources (do they have a special needs office, they might have some tutoring suggestions). My husband did a speed reading course, and found it very helpful, and I suspect he has some sort of undiagnosed LD.

It sounds like your son feels "stupid" after getting the IQ and educational testing. If he is making As and Bs during college while playing a sport he is doing great, and I would tell him this. It sounds like he is persistent, organized and a hard worker. This is all he needs to be a success in life. IQ means nothing. The working world, will likely be easier for him than college. Keep him forward thinking and positively focused. Therapy could be more helpful than tutoring.

Best of luck, you are a good mom. It sounds like he confides in you. Dial back your own anxieties so you don't feed his.

[Anonymous]

Thank so much to all for helping me calm down and all the suggestions. I told him and reassured him that these results are not important, that we know he is a good student and a hard worker. I tried my best to keep my anxiety to myself. I will post later, going shopping for DD and DS, trying to enjoy our vacation.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:He is getting A and Bs? He works full time? He is responsible? What is the fear here? What is driving you to ruin your vacation like this? Slow down. This is not devastating news that you have to remedy before school starts.

He has severe social anxiety. He has some study skills/organization issues (?) (hard to tell, really). Your own post is so filled with anxiety that it's hard to tell what is real here and what is actually happening that needs to be remedied. The notion that he needs a tutor (for what coursework?) during the summertime while he works full time as an athletic coach is kind of bizarre. And he's an adult. Help him, but don't have an anxiety attack with him.

Yes, you are right. I am a bit of a mess right now. He reads extremely slow and would like to improve that and would like to improve difficult reading material comprehension. He was quite upset when psychologist gave him his IQ results. He has study issues, he reads very slowly and skips lines, messes up words, being the biggest problem, and why he wanted to get an evaluation. He is very organized when it comes to studying and work. Thanks for advice to calm down.

Can he listen to audio books at a faster pace? My DC has low processing and also dyslexia and he uses audio books for his textbooks. It is one of his accommodations. If not, I would recommend a lighter academic load each semester (whatever is the lowest to stay as a "fulltime" student). DC is at a school where most take 4 classes a semester and that works for him. It may mean that your DC has to graduate a semester later. If your DC is a student athlete and he is working, he should not be taking full credits anyway. Something has to give; that kind of load is hard for a neurotypical student. Doesn't the athletic program have tutors available?

Agree with the audio books suggestion. My DD skips lines, etc. and that was the neuropsych's suggestion. You can;t skip it with an audio book. For my DD, her listening comprehension was actually better than her visual comprehension even though she is a VERY visual person.

[Anonymous]

Also follow your gut if these findings seem off to you. Not every "full evaluation" is a good evaluation. If this is a university setting, it's quite possibly his exam was conducted by a graduate student with little training.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Thank so much to all for helping me calm down and all the suggestions. I told him and reassured him that these results are not important, that we know he is a good student and a hard worker. I tried my best to keep my anxiety to myself. I will post later, going shopping for DD and DS, trying to enjoy our vacation.

Op, the professional who did the evaluation should have given specific recommendations. However, please let your kid pursue whatever remediation he might need for HIMSELF. He's obviously capable. Seriously you need to step waay back.

[Anonymous]

Even if he is not diagnosed with dyslexia, some of the dyslexia advice might help him. Also, I'd read about dyslexia, something like The dyslexia empowerment plan. It's not all bad, your son may realize he has strengths, too, that have already helped him overcome his weaknesses.

[Anonymous]

Sounds like he's learned to cope with his slow processing speed judging by his grades, As and Bs. And he is managing his executive functioning well. He can go into his college disability center and ask for an executive functioning coach to fine tune his time management and organization. Doesn't sound like he needs a tutor, just a consultation.

[Anonymous]

OP here. Yes, he learned to cope with his slower learning style, and the reason he wanted an evaluation was to see if he has dyslexia. He is well aware of his anxiety issues and has overcome so much of it. It will never be perfect. The advice psychologist gave is to see his psychiatrist and start stimulants and to find a cognitive therapist. Does anyone have a good cognitive therapist referral in MD? Psychologist did say that he has some ADHD, but low level? I only know what DS told me, he decided to keep some information to himself and I didn't ask any additional question. Speed reading class sounds like a good idea, as do audio books. The reason I asked about a tutor is that he hoped a tutor can help him improve his reading speed and comprehension. Thanks for much for all the replies and to all for trying to help!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP here. Yes, he learned to cope with his slower learning style, and the reason he wanted an evaluation was to see if he has dyslexia. He is well aware of his anxiety issues and has overcome so much of it. It will never be perfect. The advice psychologist gave is to see his psychiatrist and start stimulants and to find a cognitive therapist. Does anyone have a good cognitive therapist referral in MD? Psychologist did say that he has some ADHD, but low level? I only know what DS told me, he decided to keep some information to himself and I didn't ask any additional question. Speed reading class sounds like a good idea, as do audio books. The reason I asked about a tutor is that he hoped a tutor can help him improve his reading speed and comprehension. Thanks for much for all the replies and to all for trying to help!

Op, 1. Disconnect from dcum and enjoy the rest of your vacation.

2. Your child is a capable adult and doesn't seem to have actually asked for your help on this. Stop infantizing him. He can ask the evaluator or his school if he wants this information.