School Profile - Common App - LDs

[OnMyOwn]

A lot of the success of homeschooling for my son was that it has allowed him to achieve at levels he never would have been able to in the public school system due to learning disabilities.  In kindergarten, he had to retake the CAT because he scored lower than the 20th percentile.  He got a 34 on the reading portion of the ACT this year, 29 composite.  I don't think he would have made it through algebra 1 with the way the school does math and he is solidifying his precalculus this year.  Overall, his achievements are not amazing if you compare him to top students -- 4 years of English, 4 years of SS, 4 years of science, 3 years of foreign language and no dual enrollment or APs -- but they ARE stellar FOR HIM.  This is the whole reason I began homeschooling (well, this plus the fact that he has many, many food allergies and I didn't feel he'd be safe in school), but I don't exactly want to highlight his lds.  How can I approach this in a positive way?  

Edited October 4, 2017 by OnMyOwn

[regentrude]

Actually, I would mention his LDs and show how homeschooling gave him the individual attention and remediation to overcome his initial problems. His academic achievements speak for themselves and are a testament to your homeschooling success nobody can question.

You do not have to use the term "Learning disability" - you can phrase it as "initial difficulties in elementary school" and "health issues" if yo do not want to mention the food allergies specifically.

 

This IS a positive approach. You took a struggling student and helped him achieve success.

[catz]

Is he going to need accommodations and services in colleges for his LD's?  That would make a difference in how to approach college applications overall. 

 

I would include this information in his counselor statement along with information about overcoming those struggles and his work ethic.  If he is going to need accommodations and you have a diagnosis, I would not necessarily shy away from using the scientifically correct terminology.   I think you can make a really strong statement including all this info in a positive light. 

[OnMyOwn]

Is he going to need accommodations and services in colleges for his LD's?  That would make a difference in how to approach college applications overall. 

 

I would include this information in his counselor statement along with information about overcoming those struggles and his work ethic.  If he is going to need accommodations and you have a diagnosis, I would not necessarily shy away from using the scientifically correct terminology.   I think you can make a really strong statement including all this info in a positive light. 

 

I'm not sure if he'll need accommodations or not, but I will probably try to at least get him extended time in case he needs it.  I guess I was under the impression that it was best not to mention lds or accommodations until after acceptance.  But maybe I'm wrong?

[daijobu]

I was just reading that in addition to being honest on your college application, you also want to show the adcoms your best self.  You don't need to show them all aspects of yourself.  So if I'm lazy sometimes and occasionally binge watch TV, I am not obligated to share that with them.  If as you are writing about his LDs or "difficulties in elementary school" and you perceive that it isn't showing your ds in the best light, consider showing another side of him and your school.  

 

I homeschool for many reasons.  One reason is that I just didn't want my dd's experiencing girl drama in middle school.  I also don't like fundraisers.  But I'm not going to write those reasons in my school profile, because it isn't the best part of our homeschool that I want them to see.  

 

Adcoms don't spend a lot of time on each individual application so they may not have time to detect any nuances.  Make a clear powerful statement about your homeschool, portraying it in the best possible way.  While still being honest.   

[Corraleno]

Actually, I would mention his LDs and show how homeschooling gave him the individual attention and remediation to overcome his initial problems. His academic achievements speak for themselves and are a testament to your homeschooling success nobody can question.

You do not have to use the term "Learning disability" - you can phrase it as "initial difficulties in elementary school" and "health issues" if yo do not want to mention the food allergies specifically.

 

This IS a positive approach. You took a struggling student and helped him achieve success.

:iagree:

 

That is exactly how I handled it for DS's application. I used the term "learning differences," and explained that in many cases what counts as a "disability" in PS is just the flip side of strengths in other areas (like visual/spatial processing) that aren't valued in that setting. DS's dyslexia is an important part of his story: the 4th grader who could barely read or write English at a 2nd grade level ended up with multiple gold medals on the National Greek & Latin Exams and perfect 36s in English and Reading on the ACT. That's a testament to his sheer grit and determination as well as the rigor and effectiveness of our homeschool. 

[Julie of KY]

I wrote about the obstacles of learning difficulties in part of my counselor letter.

 

Legally, you don't HAVE to say anything. You can tell them about accommodations needed, etc. after acceptance. However, I thought it painted a clearer picture of my son to tell more about him.

[OnMyOwn]

I'm going to have to think about this and see what I can come up with. I can see that if I don't get this part right, I may limit opportunities for him. In Correlano's case and I suspect Julie's, their boys have achieved at a higher level and have either APs or dual enrollment to validate their success. For my son, as I stated in my op, his accomplishments have been pretty typical and he has no dual enrollment or APs. I'm very proud of my son's accomplishments and think they are just right for him and that he will do well, but the only "validation" I have is his ACT score, which I am thrilled with, but it isn't a perfect score either.

 

I've gone from not being worried about this at all because he's not going for highly selective schools to worrying about every single thing I do and say and what the impact of that may be.

Edited October 6, 2017 by OnMyOwn

[rbk mama]

:iagree:

 

That is exactly how I handled it for DS's application. I used the term "learning differences," and explained that in many cases what counts as a "disability" in PS is just the flip side of strengths in other areas (like visual/spatial processing) that aren't valued in that setting. DS's dyslexia is an important part of his story: the 4th grader who could barely read or write English at a 2nd grade level ended up with multiple gold medals on the National Greek & Latin Exams and perfect 36s in English and Reading on the ACT. That's a testament to his sheer grit and determination as well as the rigor and effectiveness of our homeschool. 

 

Wow, this is astounding for a student with dyslexia!!  Congrats to both of you!!  Anyone who is familiar with dyslexia will understand how profoundly significant those anyway awesome achievements are.

 

 

I wrote about the obstacles of learning difficulties in part of my counselor letter.

 

Legally, you don't HAVE to say anything. You can tell them about accommodations needed, etc. after acceptance. However, I thought it painted a clearer picture of my son to tell more about him.

 

As both of these posters mentioned, I've been thinking that dyslexia is a significant part of my DS's life - both the challenges and the strengths, and it will explain a lot about his high school career.  I had never considered not mentioning it.  Its not only about accurately representing him, but also about finding the right fit - he will need a college that can accommodate in certain ways.