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[quote=Anonymous]The biggest question is:  What does your DD want to do?  
Second biggest question:  What is your DD doing to manage her ADHD and anxiety?

I have a 19 yo with ADHD/anxiety without your DD's natural intelligence. He is on therapeutic medication levels for ADHD/anxiety and has an IEP. He did very well in the classes he like but didn't give a sh!t about the others - and, of course, those were the classes he had to pass to graduate.  He also has a true math disability and had to take SOL remediation over 2 summers in order to pass the math SOL needed for graduation.  I was very clear with him by his freshman year about the behaviors I needed to see from him in order to support him going away for college. It wasn't grade related but behavior related:  doing his homework, turning it in and on time, staying on top of his classes, getting himself up independently and out the door on time, communicating with his teachers when he was struggling, getting out of an academic hole, etc.  Not only are these critical for college but they are lifeskills needed for any job you're in.

Despite my efforts/support, DS did not display any of those behaviors yet he still said he wanted to go to college.  By the middle of his senior year, he was regretful because his friends were getting their acceptance letters and he hadn't even applied to college.  I, again, reminded him that he didn't have to go to college or he could take a gap year.  He wanted to go to college.  So, we came up with a plan so that he could get into community college.

He started out taking online classes that were offered at no cost to FCPS students through their Jump Start program.  They were asynchronous but not difficult to get through.  Now that he was more motivated, DS applied himself at a level that surprised me.  That doesn't mean he didn't struggle or that he made poor choices.  The difference was that he was more motivated/willing.  The community college has been great.  Sure, there are some dud instructors but the vast majority have been at least 'good'.  Living at home has allowed me to scaffold support to DS and not waste money - even simple things like figuring out how/where to get books, finding instructor reviews before signing up for a class, etc.  I've seen a lot of growth and maturation in DS.  Going off to college would have been a huge mistake.[/quote]

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