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Dyslexia/ADD/Auditory Processing Disorder in High School


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I don't know how the years passed so fast, but here we are homeschooling 10th grade.  Nothing has come easy for my daughter over the years, every subject is effected by her learning disabilities. What I struggle with the most is encouraging her to "reach for her dreams" and being realistic all at the same time.  Honestly, she would drown in taking ONE college class at a community college. Somedays, reality sets in for her and she realizes what a mountain it would be for her to attempt college. Then other days she walks around with her head in the clouds and talks all about her future career and getting her degree.  I don't really know how to handle this. I am a realist at heart, so my gut instinct is to prepare her emotionally for not getting in to college, prepare her to work somewhere like a movie theater or bookstore.  Does anyone else have a child this age where college is not a real possibility?  

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Hello,

 

As a education liaison, helping students with mental health or learning disabilities, I would strongly suggest you do not tell her she would not succeed at college and should look for something else. From my experience, this day in age, almost anyone can succeed at college with the correct supports in place. I would first set up an appointment with disability services at the college to ask what they have available to their students with disabilities (they have so many options now with technology). Start her off with some classes she would enjoy, that speak to her strengths. I started a 17 year old taking classes prior to graduating HS because I wanted him to get used to being on campus and to get acquainted with dss etc. As a mother of a LD child, I know it's so difficult, we want to protect them! But our voices will be the ones in their minds, battling the negative. Keep filling her mind with 'she can do anything she works hard for'! Good job and best of luck!

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My older daughter has all these diagnosis as well.  She is now almost 18, a junior at local charter school and is taking community college courses this year.  She does have accommodations of extended time, use of smart pen, recording of lectures, access to copies of teachers notes on board and power point slides ahead of time, testing in a quiet environment, she can also request someone read the test questions to her and can get textbooks in audio format if we plan ahead (we haven't used the last two).  She made National Honor Society.  She works really hard and we try to keep the workload reasonable but she is doing well.  Friends with daughter similar age and diagnosis is also handling that level of work well this year.  Last year she took one college class per semester (carefully chosen from professors we knew to be fun and easy per her older brother who struggles as well). Her older brother is in same program and struggles a bit more but is still successful when he applies himself, just not as good a student and doesn't like school so his first community college classes were graphic design type classes.

 

I put the kids in this program because I wanted them to see they could succeed outside our home and that college is a very real option.  The school offers tutors in every subject if kids want to take advantage.  

 

Kimberly

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I agree--there are lots of accommodations available, and you might be surprised at what she can do. Additionally, there is a huge difference between 10th grade and being a Freshman in college--that's 3 more years of developing. Significant changes can take place in 3 years. 

 

My mom taught for years in an alternative high school--lots of behavior disorder kids, but also lots of kids who ended up there because they had learning disabilities and couldn't make it in the regular (much larger) high school. Of the kids who were not ready for college at graduation, they found that over 50% were college-ready at 19-21 and did well--a lot of these kids just needed to mature and have more time to develop.

 

Anyway...I wouldn't rule out college for a student who dreams of going, especially if you have an affordable community college nearby where you can see what a classroom experience with accommodations would actually be like. Don't rush it though--she doesn't have to be ready now.

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Assistive technology, accommodations like extra time and test read etc. has enabled my child to access the general ed curriculum. She will attempt community college at her pace and in her good time! and if not, she will get good job training. 

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My college student doesn't have all the dxs that my youngest has, but does have undxed or mom-dxed mild Aspergers and probably dysgraphia and some processing issues. He is doing amazingly well. Things take him a long time, but we keep his workload light, look into the professors and really read the descriptions on rate my professor (ignoring the stars, but looking at the comments -- is this a writing heavy course? Are the notes clear? Are the tests out of left field? Etc...) and accept that a four year degree can, may, will take longer than four years.

 

We did have him start in high school, doing dual credit, and it helped to ease him into things with support and for us to see if he needed accommodations or not, and what sort. It also helped with the "taking longer" thing, in that hopefully his post highschool college time shouldn't be too much longer, even though his number of years taking college classes will be.

 

For my youngest, who has a whole realm of dxs.....I am facing right now that college may or may not take a traditional route for him. Much as I would love to say "of course he'll go to college!" we do have to look at....maybe not. He is only almost 12 right now, and by his birthdate "should" be in 6th grade I think, or possibly 7th, I forget. He is in what we are calling 5th grade....doing 4th grade work at the homeschool enrichment classes, and Barton Level 3 should arrive this week. As things stand, I have already planned that his graduation from high school will be when he's 19, not 17 or 18. That's step one...accepting the delayed timetable.

 

But beyond that is accepting that his middle school/junior high years won't look like his brothers' did, at all, and his high school path may or may not look anything like the "recommended plan" of our state, and college.....yea, I am right there with you. Right now, he wants to become a YouTuber......and right now, I have moments of wondering if that is a really great plan for him, because it is at least within his reach.

 

It is a disheartening thing to even think about, and I waffle between defiant, fight like hell to get him to where the world expects, and gentle, encouraging, help him succeed as much as he is humanly able and guide his hopes and dreams into things that are achievable. In the end, I keep pushing, because mostly I don't want him to learn to just take the easy way out, ever, I want him to know that hard work actually works and is worth it.

 

He is far from high school yet, so I have zero practical advice for you about how to actually walk through this when you are closer to the finish line....I just wanted to chime in and say, I hear you. Sometimes, some kids do really need a plan other than a 4 yr degree (even in 6 yrs), and need job training that can lead to a fulfilling career. I would maybe look at her interests and if there are achievable careers that fit with her passions or interests -- think beyond just hair dresser, etc, unless that is an area of passion for her.

 

But do keep encouraging her to push herself; like someone said up thread, our voices should be the one they hear countering the negative messages....that really struck home for me. I have to be his champion, because the world is loud enough yelling at him what he can and can't do.

 

(((Hugs))) to you; I know it isn't easy at all, and I hope you don't mind me chiming in even though my kiddo isn't high school yet (and my college kid isn't dx'ed with anything).

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Do you have up-to-date testing, either privately or through the school, as documentation of her disabilities and necessary accommodations? If not, that would be the place to start. If she takes the SAT or ACT, she would need the paperwork to request accommodations, and a college disability office would also need to see the documentation.

 

There are many people on the LC board who have gone through that process, in case you have questions.

 

I have two children with learning disabilities. My daughter with ADHD and dyslexia is most likely college bound (though she is still young), but she is getting remediation at a private school, so I have confidence that she will succeed at higher education. My son, however, has a different profile of learning issues, combined with a low average IQ, and he struggles with grade-level school work. He is progressing, due to intervention at school, but I don't know if he will be able to reach a college-ready level academically.

 

So yes, I think there are students who may not be college bound. But I do think that with the help available today, many more people can accomplish college work than was possible in the past. If your daughter wants to go to college, I think it would be good for you to think of that as a goal and do some research with her to see what it will take to get her there. Perhaps she will only be able to take one community college class at a time, but she could still make progress toward an associates degree.

 

It's good to be realistic, so really look into what is available for her. There are some colleges that have programs for LD students.

 

Has your daughter's dyslexia been remediated? What accommodations does she use in her classwork now?

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What the others said... :)

 

FWIW, I have a daughter who is also in 10th grade.  She struggles with low processing speed, dyslexia and dyscalculia, among other things.  She also has some amazing strengths.  I also have a husband and a son with similar issues to your daughter, along with dysgraphia and other things.  Life has not been easy for any of them in many ways but they all have their areas of strength, too, areas they are pursuing.  DH, for instance, barely graduated High School.  He almost didn't.  He is a very successful engineer.  Why?  Because his parents encouraged his areas of interest and his school offered a program for Broadcast TV that tapped a ton of his strengths and few of his weaknesses.

 

Going on to college is absolutely a possibility for people with learning challenges, especially in today's day and age.  The question might be better looked at from a different angle, though.  Does she NEED college for her areas of interest?  Does she want to go to college or is this just something that was expected of her before her learning challenges caused that path to be questioned?  Would she benefit from a year to work on strengths while still remediating weak areas before tackling college?  

 

DD needs extra time on tests and I am currently in the process of figuring out how to get her that time.  She is also learning how to incorporate external supports to help her be more independent.  She is taking some on-line classes where someone else is the instructor and learning how to navigate without me always at her side.  It still means that some days are harder for both of us but her struggles do not mean she automatically needs to give up on college if college is what she needs to achieve her dreams.  The biggest thing has been really working on her strengths as we work on the weak areas.  

 

 

1.  Do you have recent testing?

2.  What have you used to remediate the dyslexia issues, and work through/around/with the ADD/APD issues?

3.  What are her strengths and what has been done to nurture those and help her tie them to areas she could pursue professionally?

4.  Have you and she looked at any colleges that might provide programs in her areas of interest/strength and what accommodations they might provide?

5.  Have you and she worked to incorporate external supports she can put in place herself as needed?  (Such as a smart phone with lots of specifically labeled alarms for helping with time deadlines or using a spell checker for spelling or using technology to read material to her).

 

:grouphug:  :grouphug:  :grouphug:   Hang in there.  

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Thank you ladies so much for jumping in and talking this out with me!  A little bit more background, she was tested several times in Elementary School ( public school days) and we went through speech therapy, right brain training, play therapy, ect...until we were all burned out! Her IQ testing showed that she would never read above a second grade level and we would have to take care of her through out her adult life (like give her baths).  I ignored those results, pulled her out of public school after she failed K, 1st, and 2nd grade and we began homeschooling.  I am happy to say that the test were wrong....she reads on a high school level, she has been showering on her own since she was 8, and she shaves her own legs! LOL  

 

I had no idea that colleges have programs for kids with LD!  I didn't even realize special accommodations were an option.  She would need extra time on test, the ability to record lectures and re-listen to them, and one of my greatest fears is that they would fail every paper because of her dyslexia and the fact that putting her thoughts down on paper ( or expressing them out loud period) is VERY confusing.  She doesn't think on a deeper/analytical level at all...everything is surface level, even her friendships and relationship with her family.  I remember college including a lot of analytical thinking.  

 

Despite her dyslexia and struggles with putting her personal thoughts on paper....she EXCELS at writing fiction!  She can spend hours typing up a fantasy fiction novel.  I like the idea of her taking one class per semester and slowly working towards a two year degree. She would definitely want to start out with a creative writing class. Her imagination is incredible and she finds it therapeutic to write fantasy fiction.  

 

I have never pressured any of my kids to go to college. I have always told them I believe no matter what they should all start with two years at a community college to mature more before heading off to a larger university.  For a long time her main goal in life was just to graduate high school, but she now hears friends talking about college and that has her feeling like she NEEDS to go.  

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Welcome back and thanks for the additional info.  That might help people with more targeted responses.  

 

When was the last time your daughter had an official evaluation and has she ever been evaluated by a neuropsychologist (not through the school system but privately)?  It sounds like it has been several years?  If it has been several years, then a new evaluation might significantly help with getting accommodations (most colleges require something within the last three years to request accommodations) and to determine if there is anything underlying that still needs addressing in a targeted fashion.  

 

You might look around and see if there are any neuropsychologists in your area that could give a comprehensive exam and what the cost would be.  Sometimes Insurance will cover it and sometimes it won't.  Make sure it is someone that will not just hand you a piece of paper with a bunch of statistical numbers on it, but will actually sit with you and walk you through the results.

 

Have you ever read the book The Dyslexic Advantage by Brock and Fernette Eide?  It might give you a bit of a different perspective on Dyslexia and really on many different learning challenges and strengths.  They are usually two sides of the same complicated coin.  

 

As for learning how to do more in depth analysis, we are still working on that here, too, but DD has had some success with using products from The Critical Thinking Company, such as The Reading Detective and Mind Benders.  There are many others.  I am linking some below.

 

http://www.criticalthinking.com/reading-detective.html

 

http://www.criticalthinking.com/mind-benders.html

 

http://www.criticalthinking.com/catalogsearch/advanced/result/?subject%5B%5D=123&product_type%5B%5D=all

 

We use them as a quick warm up in the morning.  Mind Benders has been especially popular here.  I recommend placing your daughter in a lower level and working her slowly into the higher levels.  They can get quite complicated and if a brain isn't used to thinking this way it can take time to make those connections.  My mom (a reading specialist) really struggled with Level 3 :) .  DD is now in level 7 and doing well.  We both have come to enjoy them.  

 

I also recommend getting the e-book, not the pre-printed book, if you have a way to download and print at home.  That way you can print as many copies as you need, you can do them together and if your daughter needs to review one already done you can print another copy.  Also, that way the level is not readily apparent on the front cover, in case levels bother her.

 

I have seen this recommended but we have not tried it:

http://www.dyslexiavictoriaonline.com/the-study-of-english-literature/

 

I came across this last week:

https://www.edutopia.org/blog/reaching-literary-analysis-rusul-alrubail

 

There are other resources, too.  Hopefully someone will chime in with some additional suggestions.

 

Best wishes.

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Thank you ladies so much for jumping in and talking this out with me!  A little bit more background, she was tested several times in Elementary School ( public school days) and we went through speech therapy, right brain training, play therapy, ect...until we were all burned out! Her IQ testing showed that she would never read above a second grade level and we would have to take care of her through out her adult life (like give her baths).  I ignored those results, pulled her out of public school after she failed K, 1st, and 2nd grade and we began homeschooling.  I am happy to say that the test were wrong....she reads on a high school level, she has been showering on her own since she was 8, and she shaves her own legs! LOL  

 

I had no idea that colleges have programs for kids with LD!  I didn't even realize special accommodations were an option.  She would need extra time on test, the ability to record lectures and re-listen to them, and one of my greatest fears is that they would fail every paper because of her dyslexia and the fact that putting her thoughts down on paper ( or expressing them out loud period) is VERY confusing.  She doesn't think on a deeper/analytical level at all...everything is surface level, even her friendships and relationship with her family.  I remember college including a lot of analytical thinking.  

 

Despite her dyslexia and struggles with putting her personal thoughts on paper....she EXCELS at writing fiction!  She can spend hours typing up a fantasy fiction novel.  I like the idea of her taking one class per semester and slowly working towards a two year degree. She would definitely want to start out with a creative writing class. Her imagination is incredible and she finds it therapeutic to write fantasy fiction.  

 

I have never pressured any of my kids to go to college. I have always told them I believe no matter what they should all start with two years at a community college to mature more before heading off to a larger university.  For a long time her main goal in life was just to graduate high school, but she now hears friends talking about college and that has her feeling like she NEEDS to go.  

 

Wow, good job mama for pulling her from a school that told you that! And great job homeschooling! I just pulled my 9 yold out; it's encouraging to hear from mama's that have walked this road. I'm used to dealing with young adults, so I'm in a new phase helping my daughter. If she can write fiction, she definitely should be in college. Kids with dyslexia often become amazing writers, if they have not been punished too badly for their writing. I bet she will find a professor that can help build her confidence and steer her in the right direction. Best of luck!

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Wow, good job mama for pulling her from a school that told you that! And great job homeschooling! I just pulled my 9 yold out; it's encouraging to hear from mama's that have walked this road. I'm used to dealing with young adults, so I'm in a new phase helping my daughter. If she can write fiction, she definitely should be in college. Kids with dyslexia often become amazing writers, if they have not been punished too badly for their writing. I bet she will find a professor that can help build her confidence and steer her in the right direction. Best of luck!

 

 

Thank you so much! 

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