Tl/DR but my autism/adhd/anxiety kid went to GMU with accomodations. Her department saw that she had internships every summer. He had an offer from MicroSoft before graduation and has been employed for nine years.

Definitely not a fake diagnosis, my kid with adhd (diagnosed in 2nd grade) managed to get a 36 on the ACT with his 50% extra time. Maybe he would get a 35 without. Either way, he got through college (T20) with a 3.7 GPA (again with accommodations) and is gainfully employed making six figures and one promotion under his belt after less than 2 years. It totally depends on the individual and the career path they choose. He’s involved in tech.

The majority of Silicon Valley execs would qualify for accommodations. Being wired differently enables people to see the world differently.

Maybe the real issue is an educational system designed to produce drones?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:They take the jobs best suited to their skills. There are so many jobs that don’t require testing, that have no long-term deadlines, aren’t project based, whatever. You get the accommodations to get through school, then you get a job which doesn’t need any of those kind of accommodations.

So just no positions like doctor or lawyer?

Tons of doctors and lawyers have ADHD. Why are you posting about this topic when you are so obviously igonorant about it?

Sure. But that is a totally different question than whether they need extra time to deal with time sensitive issues. I know that there are some niche positions that don't rely on time sensitive issues, but the vast majority need split second answers and lots of them.

... do you seriously not know that lots of people with ADHD absolutely thrive under those sorts of conditions?

I would argue that students with accommodations for four years of high school get increasingly better at managing their disabilities…the anxiety or ADHD doesn’t disappear but the students develop strategies that help them be successful despite the disabilities. I would further posit that good teachers and counselors are actively working with students to develop those strategies. By college they need fewer or different accommodations in many cases. And they know what works for them or didn’t really help. After another four years of college they have a very solid sense of their capacities. And I don’t believe that kids with 504 or IEP plans in high school are faking it; I think that’s pretty rare. For one thing, fitting in extra testing time when you have seven classes plus extracurricular activities is extremely challenging and no one would do that for long unless they really needed it. Seriously. You make it sound like kids can pick and choose when to use an accommodation and that’s not how it works. Assigned seats, forced into special testing room, having to get your planner checked, etc. etc. is not fun or a special bonus. It’s all time-consuming and extra hassle and kids who need these things miss out on other things. It’s necessary. I wish I didn’t need to wear glasses but I do, or I can’t see. I am not wearing them just to look cute.

It might be hard to accept, but a lot of kids with accommodations are likely smarter and more creative thinkers and problem solvers than your snowflake that checked all the boxes, got all the As, played all the sports, was class president, and feels cheated that they did not get accepted to Stanford or its equivalent.

Maybe the schools want these kids because they have demonstrated they are exceptional in some way beyond grades and test scores and the accommodations helped them to navigate a lot of the normal hurdles in our educational system.

All the applicants have the grades and the test scores, to get into Stanford you need something more than that and they did not accommodate their way into that uniqueness.

I have a student with ADHD that will be going to an elite school (not Stanford) in the fall and the truth is her ADHD is her super power in many ways, but she also has real differences in her brain that make it harder to navigate the mundane to get through school and testing.

Her accommodations did not, however, earn her the LORs that made her stand out from other applicants or cause her to follow a very unique EC path that aligned with what she wants to study.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:They take the jobs best suited to their skills. There are so many jobs that don’t require testing, that have no long-term deadlines, aren’t project based, whatever. You get the accommodations to get through school, then you get a job which doesn’t need any of those kind of accommodations.

So just no positions like doctor or lawyer?

UGH. Sometimes I just want to throw something when I read nonsense like this thread.

My DC's specialist MD is one of few pediatric experts in the country in managing my child's chronic medical condition. The doctor has the same chronic condition and learning differences as my kid and advocates frequently in medicine and in education. It has been life-changing having that doctor's empathy, insight and medical support.

My kid has been admitted into highly competitive schools EA (one with full ride) and is awaiting ivy/ivy-plus results. Not sure of plans yet but I have every confidence that DC's future is very bright. DC fatigues easily and lives with daily pain, but is one of the smartest and most resilient people I have ever known. DC likely will face some struggles in college, but we're doing a lot of planning up front and DC will pivot along the way as needed.

I'm tired of trying to educate ignorant people. Either do some reading or shut up and stay in your own lane, OP.

To be fair, if there is cheating going on, it is his labne. it's everybody's lane.

So you are the police of everybody?

You are more qualified to assess a medical condition/disability than a medical doctor for a student that you do not know? And you are also comfortable throwing around accusations questioning someone's integrity?

Gross.

Your immaturity, entitlement, and lack of perspective is just sad. I hope your kid isn't as intellectually lazy and careless as you are.

Whoops, this got lost. My autism must have eaten it, sorry!

Meant to say

There is “clear and consistent evidence that inclusive educational settings can confer substantial short and long-term benefits for students with and without disabilities”.

and shall add this:

An extensive meta-analysis covering a total sample of almost 4,800,000 students ... confirmed the finding that inclusive learning environments have also been shown to to have no detrimental impact, and some positive impact, on the academic performance of non-disabled students.

Knock yourself out, kitten 😻😸😽

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Agree that the OP seems uninformed and not that bright.

School is mostly a one size fits all situation but the working world is not that way. People with learning disabilities find careers that match their strengths and interests.

+1 My kid has some reading issues, and while they would love to go into law, they know that they cannot because that would require a lot of reading which is their weakness.

So, they are going into something else that doesn't require that much reading.

BTW, I would rather my kid not have this issue and have accommodations. Believe me, it's been a painful and expensive process to get to this point. DC was harming themselves because they couldn't understand why they were having trouble focusing.

But the problem is that kids with weaknesses are insisting on getting accommodations instead of accepting the weakness ….

actually?

This is the world you want to live in?

Where students with "weaknesses" "accept the weakness" instead of securing whatever supports help them succeed?

DP but yes. You need to learn to power through your weaknesses and lean into subjects that are your strengths. It makes you more resilient. College used to be hard to graduate. High schools didn’t use to pass everyone. When you remove all obstacles, it makes degrees obsolete.

Ah I see is this from your Hunger Games dissertation? Your Survival of the Fittest PhD?

Don't come back and pretend you know what you're talking about. Oh actually I'm a clinical psycho--

No. You're not.

All you're going on is hot takes and vibes. And, I suppose, a lack of self-awareness and romanticized, ideologically-driven conception of "how things used to be." Let me guess: When "we" were "great?"

Here is what is demonstrably true: There is “clear and consistent evidence that inclusive educational settings can confer substantial short and long-term benefits for students with and without disabilities”.

Like, a huge and constantly growing body of evidence.

Time to update the software, kitten, and let go of your demonstrably baseless, harmful-to-everyone dogmas. Spend fifteen minutes actually learning from published, peer-reviewed research, and show us what you find. Double-dog dare you, darlin.

Because universities are not reality tv shows -- and degrees are not prizes given to the last man standing.

And actual resilience includes self-awareness, self-advocacy, and finding what works -- whether "what works" goes through a university disability office or not.

Some of them can’t function. Some of them die. Some of them have more grief than you could ever imagine. A bit of kindness could go a very long way in this thread. It is so sad to read some of these responses.

My kids don’t have accommodations but I’m a teacher and don’t have a problem with most of them (ie extra time)

I assume when they’re adults they’ll choose jobs that work well with their strengths and don’t tax their weaknesses. They’ll also develop their brains more and acquire executive function into skills and wisdom.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So there's this cohort we've discussed at length that have had testing, homework, classwork, and so many other accommodations. Clearly we've discussed whether they are legitimate or not, and it sounds like certainly the case for many, but the volume at top universities beggars belief.

Are the accommodated somehow able to hack it in working worlds? Do they up their game? Do they take what look like serious credentials down the working ladder to somewhere less prestigious/rat-race-like? Did they never really need accommodations and were just trying to maximize results, to "play the game" and beat their peers who don't seek extra time, etc.?

I just get curious about the endgame, after graduation.

They learn how to function in the real world and find a job that works best for them.

My ADHD kid never had any accommodations, did intensive therapy and tutoring and learned to manage themselves. 4 years out of college (and with the same job the entire time) they have learned a lot. They learned they work better if they take a 5 min walk each hour (sometimes more)--so they will take 1-1 calls while walking around campus if possible (yes they work at a large company where "campus" is an accurate description). They have learned how to use caffeine to benefit them the most (they hate ADHD meds). They listen to music as it helps them when doing work that is not interacting with others. Basically, they figured out what they need to do to stay focused.

Also, very likely time played a role -- a lot of brain development happens for ADHD kids at these ages, and their exec functioning is able to do some catching up with theirpeers

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Agree that the OP seems uninformed and not that bright.

School is mostly a one size fits all situation but the working world is not that way. People with learning disabilities find careers that match their strengths and interests.

+1 My kid has some reading issues, and while they would love to go into law, they know that they cannot because that would require a lot of reading which is their weakness.

So, they are going into something else that doesn't require that much reading.

BTW, I would rather my kid not have this issue and have accommodations. Believe me, it's been a painful and expensive process to get to this point. DC was harming themselves because they couldn't understand why they were having trouble focusing.

But the problem is that kids with weaknesses are insisting on getting accommodations instead of accepting the weakness ….

actually?

This is the world you want to live in?

Where students with "weaknesses" "accept the weakness" instead of securing whatever supports help them succeed?

DP but yes. You need to learn to power through your weaknesses and lean into subjects that are your strengths. It makes you more resilient. College used to be hard to graduate. High schools didn’t use to pass everyone. When you remove all obstacles, it makes degrees obsolete.

Anonymous wrote:Can you imagine having a pilot who has all the skills on paper but needs 50% more time to make the same decisions as regular pilots? Or a surgeon who can accurately and correctly perform a procedure but has to keep you cut open for 90 minutes instead of 60 minutes?

Well yes that wouldn't work. But many people who needed/need accommodations are capable of being in the medical field and yes can even be surgeons. Because the reality is, when they are doing something they love, they have the ability to focus (same reason the teenage boy with ADHD can play video games for 2 hours and not loose focus). Also, your brain matures and you learn how to manage it as you hit 30.

Also, most jobs are not time critical (as in, if you take 30 seconds to figure something out everyone will be dead). But if you eliminate/discount those with ADHD or other issues, you will be missing out on some major creativity and smarts!

Anonymous wrote:So there's this cohort we've discussed at length that have had testing, homework, classwork, and so many other accommodations. Clearly we've discussed whether they are legitimate or not, and it sounds like certainly the case for many, but the volume at top universities beggars belief.

Are the accommodated somehow able to hack it in working worlds? Do they up their game? Do they take what look like serious credentials down the working ladder to somewhere less prestigious/rat-race-like? Did they never really need accommodations and were just trying to maximize results, to "play the game" and beat their peers who don't seek extra time, etc.?

I just get curious about the endgame, after graduation.

They learn how to function in the real world and find a job that works best for them.

My ADHD kid never had any accommodations, did intensive therapy and tutoring and learned to manage themselves. 4 years out of college (and with the same job the entire time) they have learned a lot. They learned they work better if they take a 5 min walk each hour (sometimes more)--so they will take 1-1 calls while walking around campus if possible (yes they work at a large company where "campus" is an accurate description). They have learned how to use caffeine to benefit them the most (they hate ADHD meds). They listen to music as it helps them when doing work that is not interacting with others. Basically, they figured out what they need to do to stay focused.