Well, Hive- My seven year old daughter was diagnosed with developmental dyslexia that is severe. We have an appointment coming up at a reputable place called Kennedy Krieger which will do a full assessment/evaluation and speech therapy (to start). She was evaluated and diagnosed by a licensed psychologist. One thing on my brain is purchasing the pre-Barton- Foundation in Sounds for her. I felt completely way-laid- as in almost hit by a truck- when I investigated the cost of Lindamood- Bell- which was potentially recommended for her if we cannot get sufficient therapy through another avenue. In addition, I felt the same when I studied dyslexic schools in my state. Thousands and thousands and thousands of dollars. I am a long time homeschooler. Can I do this? How can I do this? I posted on this board a couple months ago- because I also have a daughter with a language learning disability/disorder who is also heading to Kennedy Krieger (next week, actually) but her learning issues are completely different. Entering a whole new world here in my fourteenth/fifteenth year of homeschooling. How do I know if she needs a dyslexic school?

I did go through the QuestBridge process with my oldest son, and he was named a finalist. He did not match, and he was not chosen through regular decision. In retrospect, I wish I would not have done it- and just gone through regular decision at 100% need school(s) of his choice/interest- (or knowing what I know now, even Early Decision) The college match scholarship is amazing, and it would have been such an incredible opportunity- so that is why we did it. In the end, he ended up in a Honors Program with Scholarship that we felt was the best fit for his future and aspirations (current freshman). I did not go through QuestBridge with my current senior son (even though we qualify)- and he did get an amazing package at a 100% need school. Amazing.. As in, I literally fell over (on the bed) and cried. I did go through Jack Kent Cooke with this son, and he did not make the semi finalist stage. QuestBridge was an incredible amount of work- and we do not meet the demographic- i.e. my sons are white males who are not first generation college students. We have income above the "number" threshold but qualify (well-qualify) based on federal guidelines. Also, although everything for QuestBridge is done by October, if the student does not match and then goes through Regular Decision at these schools- then there is additional writing- much more additional writing for every school. One additional item of note - we experienced some very difficult circumstances during my oldest son's high school years that I thought might make us be considered. Finally, I do not think I provided enough records for homeschooling. The QuestBridge application was SO thorough. Some of the schools also required the CommonApp on top of the QB app for the match(not just regular decision.) -- that I just didn't realize all else I needed to do. I did provide course descriptions for some courses, etc. However, I did not provide a comprehensive record. My son was also in a state credited academic diploma program, and I foolishly thought that would hold some weight. I did create the comprehensive record for my current senior after learning from the whole process with my oldest. My QB finalist had an ACT of 31 with 34 and 35 in the English and Reading Sections- and he is a humanities major (history). If you meet the income guidelines for QuestBridge, be assured you will AUTOMATICALLY qualify for the CSS Profile fee waiver- and it will be automatically applied during checkout. Also, you will qualify for application fee waivers via the CommonApp.- in other words, there are ways to be able to apply to colleges with fee waiver without QuestBridge. This is important for families to know in my demographic/income bracket- because all the fees- SAT, ACT, CommonAPP, Profile, AP exams, AP score sending, are so horribly prohibitive and cause so much anxiety. I hope this helps.

The end felt like the end of pregnancy when every day is 100 days long. I have a college freshman so it has been grueling to go through this process again so soon. All decisions are in. Because seeing everyone's schools helped me so much- his final letter list ( in no specific order): Messiah College- Provost Scholarship (he missed qualifying for the Honors Program interview by one point on the ACT and decided not to try to press and take it again). Grove City- merit aid Gordon College AJ Scholars Bridgewater College Presidential Merit/Flory Honors College/Music Scholarship Gettysburg- Wait listed Lafayette- Wait listed Lehigh University (Legacy) admitted College of Arts and Sciences with a financial package that made me fall over and cry my eyes out. This thread has been a great support!! I am glad the long wait is finally over. The Wait List letters really were discouraging.

I feel like I am officially going crazy. Why is March the longest month of the senior year? Wait. Maybe that's April while a decision is agonizingly made- at least in my house. Ugh.

Regentrude, I am so delighted to hear this! I harbor secret writing hopes myself- and you and I discussed poetry writing at one point. Also, just a note to say how much I value your voice on this board. Thanks so much for sharing this news and your journey. -Rebecca

Just wanted to follow-up on this thread. Thank you for all the information. I did contact the college itself and received some solid information confirming that their program does prepare students to go on to dental school and also medical school. They do have a pre-health professional group with a pre-med advisor (who responded to my questions). In addition, I contacted the University of Maryland School of Dentistry admissions as that is our state of residence- and Bridgewater recommends that students follow the dental prereqs for their state of residence. I spoke with an admissions officer and she stated that they are looking for DAT score, GPA, research, and internships. They are not looking at the ranking of the undergraduate institution. My son is waiting on three colleges for regular decision who meet 100% financial need. But- we are really looking forward to visiting Bridgewater this month!! -Rebecca

How do I check the stats? I did research dental placement, etc but all I was able to determine were GPA requirements and DAT score needed per dental school. They(Bridgewater) do not have an agreement with a dental school like some other schools he is considering. Thank you for your help!

Thank you. Any and all information appreciated. We will be there soon and again at the end of next month. Yes, he has the full ride. It is the lowest ranked school on his list, but honestly, if he can achieve his career goals, it doesn't really matter ..right now it is the best financial option. Was hoping there might be some experience in the collective hive... I was wondering if the honors program would help with the direct mentoring, etc. Thank you, Chris!

My high school senior is considering a pre-dental path. Does anyone here have any knowledge or feedback about Bridgewater College in Virginia for undergrad? Edited to add: He would be a Flory Honors Scholar.

We were going to take this at TPS but have a schedule conflict 😔 Recommendations for somewhere else? My son has taken intro to programming, and is currently taking C++ all at TPS. -Rebecca

We have the Wacom tablet. My son also uses the mouse. It is used for interaction during live teaching. TPS is very interactive. Homework is done on paper at home. Exams are taken on paper and scanned/uploaded through StudyPlace. We are not anywhere near Calculus yet. Precalculus and Honors Alg 1 (TPS )next year for a couple students. I do know of a rigourous Calc AB course that is live online (another provider) that is scan and upload. PM if interested. -Rebecca

Updated my post because I am familiar with Wheaton.❤️

My son is attending Messiah in the College Honors Program. He is a freshman. He also had an arduous college application process and in the end chose Messiah. I am not familiar with/do not have experience with your other schools. (Except for Wheaton which we ruled out bc of distance/cost-- however, I did tutor a student two years ago in College English/Writing/ and Philosophy from Wheaton and was absolutely "in heaven." Loved every minute working with his materials. 🙂 ) We all greatly enjoyed the Honors Day at Messiah and were completely surprised by the whole experience. It is a very positive place. It is ranked very highly for student engagement which directly correlates to Professor interaction/mentorship of students. I would say that my son's experience so far supports that, too.

I HIGHLY recommend Liliana Serbicki!! She teaches at both AIM Academy and PA Homeschoolers. She is extraordinarly organized, detailed, and clear. There are clear, concise handouts for every assignment as well as web links. She eases students into big projects (mid-term) and timed essays in a gradual, methodical way.

Thank you so much for the reply! She has never had a screening by an audiologist- we have never suspected a need for one? Her issue doesn't lie in hearing the sounds or words- it is in understanding meaning and making inference and connection. -- as far as I have ever suspected--- I have never felt that my daughter could not or did not hear me. I have felt that she didn't understand me (or something else heard). She has also missed details in instructions or conversations. However, this is really interesting to think about... is there a way I could tell at home that an audiologist appointment is necessary? She has, of course, been screened at the pediatrician. We cannot get services through the public school system at all where I live. The most they might do is screen- but I actually had a very difficult time even getting to that position. In the end, I went with a private professional for my daughters. It is not just homeschoolers-- students in private school also face the same challenges. They will not help you at all if you homeschool- and they make it difficult to even get evaluated. The psych did not do a full autism evaluation. She screened for autism. I do think she saw some signs that could be indicators but not the full picture of what would be found. I do not know how autism presents in girls. I am checking out the link you shared. May I please ask? How does Autism sometimes present in girls? Several of you have mentioned that... I have not ever suspected autism in my daughter-- I have suspected learning disability. However, please do not take this to indicate a closed mind. I want to help her, and I want to understand. Storygirl, thank you for all the things you shared (about comprehension, writing, etc.) Yes! Everything you wrote makes sense and relates to my daughter. The psych stated that a more fine-grained assessment by a Speech-Language Pathologist was needed in order to fully determine my daughter's situation. Regarding Wings to Soar, I again confirm everything you wrote. I do assist and support her with the assignments, and I do modify as needed. Yes, it is extraordinarily time consuming- made less so by me- because I am a Writing Tutor so I can remediate and assist at every level with the assignments. I actually did email the director the day after I received the assessment results and shared the diagnosis- because prior we were operating under a possibly dyslexia diagnosis. We did discuss it a bit- and determine that the programs she is using are still appropriate however-- she also soundly recommended a speech language pathologist as being the first and primary step I need to take with her. I agree that Wings to Soar is incredibly helpful and willing to communicate with and assist parents. The psychologist also evaluated their offerings and determined that they offer true intervention and recommended my daughter continue as well. I do feel a little lost right now, though. Sometimes, it feels like it is not that my daughter CAN'T do the work-- it is just so INCREDIBLY painful and HARD for her. It is very difficult for both of us. This is true with Wings to Soar- but also true with a program I would use myself. Another question- if anyone reads this far--- at this time- the psych and Wings to Soar do NOT recommend my daughter taking a foreign language- and that perhaps it will never be appropriate for her. Foreign language is a graduation requirement in my state- and it is also required for a four year college. Can a student be released from this requirement on the college level through disability services? I am just wondering if my daughter should honestly consider a path that does not include a four year degree? The psych offered to write a letter to release her from that high school graduation requirement. I am just thinking about it all. Thank you for your help. Rebecca

Thank you for these responses! My daughter is and has been homeschooled her entire life- so she has never had an IEP-- she has also never been flagged for speech or had a speech issue/concern (I share more about this below) The psychologist stated that she does not have autism or autistic spectrum disorder-- she did have a "basket" of symptoms that fall in that category- what used to be considered symptoms of Asperger's-- and those she defined under the pragmatic communication disorder. Please help me: how do I know if I need to dig deeper related to autism? I have felt that she has a learning block/barrier with reading, writing, and what she hears (see below). She is a very reserved, disciplined girl with a very strong work ethic. The most pressing piece of advice/suggestion was to find a speech language pathologist who 1.) deals with language disability not just articulation and 2.) is comfortable with teens I suspected a learning disability for many reasons- two most related to this are: her difficulty and in some cases inability - to understand both what she hears and reads as well as her difficulty in expression: sharing how she feels, what she thinks, both verbally and in writing. I could share more about this. She has struggled terribly with grammar, reading, and writing. She can read- she just doesn't understand what she read in context. We spent last semester in a writing intervention course through Wings to Soar Online Academy- and she will be taking the next session this semester. This course really helped her but it is (and was) misery. She often has trouble understanding complex instructions spoken to her in various settings such as out of the home activities, etc. She doesn't hear clearly when information is provided to her and has trouble relating the details. She equally struggles with written instruction. She has taken standardized testing several times in her life and fallen in the 30-45% range consistently- with comprehension being much lower. This is consistent with what the psychologist found during her recent evaluation. She is in the middle third. She is my fourth child (out of nine) and this is significantly different and lower than her older siblings and as of now her two younger siblings. I suspected a learning disability impacting her comprehension but it could also be her intelligence/ability. She does not and never has had a speech disorder. She does not have a phonological issue. She has never had speech or been flagged as needing speech.One reason it t took me this long to have her evaluated because I kept pondering dyslexia and when I would screen and try to figure it out- she did not screen dyslexic. Teaching her to read was very difficult. She learned using Explode the Code. It was only in the last two years as I have been working with one of my younger children (age 7 right now) who is being tested and I suspect has severe dyslexia- that I started connecting more dots with this daughter. She did not assess for anxiety- but I can tell you that she does struggle with anxiety in different ways. She is strong in math- but is not comprehending much in her other subjects- or comprehending very minimally. My goals were/are to help her become a proficient writer and communicator. As of right now. she is still considering her future and what she would like to do/be. We are encouraging book-keeping as one path for her that might be a good fit. She is in an honors Algebra course online and has an A average at this time. I think she is also a kid who performs better in real life than she does on standardized tests. Like I wrote above, she is a very hard worker. I welcome your thoughts!!! -Rebecca

My daughter recently completed her evaluation from the psychologist and I received the results and had the conference yesterday. She received a mixed expressive/receptive language disorder diagnosis with a secondary diagnosis of pragmatic communication disorder. I am reaching out to see if anyone is familiar with this and can share experience? We were referred to find a speech-language pathologist who is comfortable with teens (she is a freshman). Thank you for any help!

The Mitford Series!

O my! Thank you so much. In the counselor letter, did you address more than just the student applying? For example, my current counselor letter highlights my son's qualities- I mainly use it as an opportunity to provide more context for his application. I do not really address our homeschooling methodology, curriculum, GPA, or anything like that. Appreciate all feedback. THANK YOU! Rebecca

What have you placed here? What kind of detail do you include? I created a couple of paragraphs- but reading it over- I feel so uncertain. Thank you for your help, Rebecca

Calming Tea, My son said the exact same thing about the grammar and mechanics section on test day. I was very surprised because that is possibly his strongest area - both on the ACT and the SAT. My son also felt that way about Math, and his score decreased 10 points. Interesting!!

Yes- this was our experience, too. However, a superscore doesn't improve anything for him- and I also don't think any of his potential schools use superscore anyway. ? And yes, my son felt really good after the test (on test day). On, on! Rebecca

BlsdMama, I want to hug you and squeeze your hand and offer you tea (if you like that sort of thing). You are so valiant and courageous. I am so sorry. Prayers and friendship to you.

Well, thank goodness! His scores did appear about an hour ago! Thank you for sharing stories and the whole experience. All in all, the results were disappointing- so it is somewhat of a bummer day.? Rebecca

So, this is my first time seeing this message for one of my kids. Does this mean it will take the additional week? The report says: We apologize but your score is still being processed. You should get your score within a week. He took the test at our local public school and there was a lot of drama on test day. ? He got out almost an hour after he was expected because of mix up with tests and students with essay and without essay (He did not take the essay). He also had an additional fifth part to his test that was randomly chosen- his was an English section. Commiserate with me? This is for my senior; and this is the last test score before the Scholarship applications are due.- -Rebecca