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College Board Accommodations for Type 1 Diabetes


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Has anyone here been through this process? If so, would you be willing to walk me through it?

 

We are way, way behind for this year's PSAT due to a move and we're waiting on a first appt with a new doc.

 

In the meantime, I have the Student Eligibility Form and I've been reading the fine print but I'm still not sure what to do. It seems like the accommodations should be pretty straightforward, but the paperwork tends to make me believe otherwise.

 

I'm especially at a loss because we homeschool so we don't have an IEP or a 504.

 

Thanks!

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I haven't done it for diabetes, but I have done an accommodations request through the college board. Just call them and request the form. Fill it out and include your doctor's letter with test results. Your child wouldn't have an IEP even in ps and might not even have a 504. I'm assuming you are asking for breaks or something in order to eat/check blood sugar type thing. This should be a no brainer. College board takes 7 weeks and for us they used every single day of 7 weeks.

 

ACT board was more generous and took about 10 days to get through the process. We never even had to call, just print the form available online. LOVE ACT board.

 

I still had to deal with college board for APs though. Good luck.

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Good luck!

 

My dd has Type 1 Diabetes. She did not use accommodations on any College Board tests, but several of the T1D's that we know have done so. They all seemed to feel that the process was full of red tape but very doable.

 

Do know what you are asking for -- does your dd just want permission to have a pump and testing equipment on her person, does she want permission to test during breaks and potentially have a snack, and/or does she want "stop the clock" accommodation?

 

If you decide to go the "no accommodations" route, please PM me!

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Good luck!

 

My dd has Type 1 Diabetes. She did not use accommodations on any College Board tests, but several of the T1D's that we know have done so. They all seemed to feel that the process was full of red tape but very doable.

 

Do know what you are asking for -- does your dd just want permission to have a pump and testing equipment on her person, does she want permission to test during breaks and potentially have a snack, and/or does she want "stop the clock" accommodation?

 

If you decide to go the "no accommodations" route, please PM me!

 

Thanks, Gwen!

 

Dh is strongly suggesting the "no accommodations" route. Since this is for a 10th grade PSAT, we may do that and see how it goes. Need to think it through with ds. 

 

Dh pointed out that there are breaks between sections, which of course is true. I just keep remembering the last time ds did a *pressure* test -- he started the MathCounts qualifier in the 200s and finished in the 40s. Testing really affects his bg!

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Thanks, Gwen!

 

Dh is strongly suggesting the "no accommodations" route. Since this is for a 10th grade PSAT, we may do that and see how it goes. Need to think it through with ds. 

 

Dh pointed out that there are breaks between sections, which of course is true. I just keep remembering the last time ds did a *pressure* test -- he started the MathCounts qualifier in the 200s and finished in the 40s. Testing really affects his bg!

 I think the bolded part answers your questions.  Not all type 1's are affected this way, but this certainly has seemed to have been a problem for your son in the past.  Even if he did ok, just think how much better he would have done if he had been thinking clearly and able to focus!

 

  It sounds like your son needs to have the accommodations in place, just in case. My kid has anxiety and anxiety makes her bg drop! 

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My second had to do the ACT without accommodations because her health issues were really pretty vague at the time (read: undiagnosed.  The doctors had thrown up their hands.  And even if we had had a diagnosis, I'm not sure it's something the College Board would have accepted)

 

So she didn't do as well as she should have.

 

To be honest, I don't think it affected the college admissions or financial aid process at the LAC's she applied to.  (No state schools, no Ivies)

 

I probably would have had her make more of a fuss about the health issues if she'd applied any place super-selective.  And my guess is that talking about it with the college would have had about as much effect as accommodations on the standardized testing.  Maybe more.

 

So I wouldn't get too worked up over it.  If it's easy to get the accommodations, by all means, go ahead and do it.  But if it starts to get difficult or too last minute, just have your student go ahead and take the test without them -- and sort things out later.

 

My daughter didn't even do the PSAT because of the health issues.  I figured, what was the point?  A student has to score really high for it to mean anything.  Otherwise, it's just a practice test.  Only the ACT/SAT matters.  (Well, and AP tests and such, but those are more optional)

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