College: Which Colleges Provide the Best Services for ADHD and Learning Disabilities?

If you read my post about what college options look like after high school, you will be aware of the lack of understanding and/or education about what is available for kids with ADHD or learning disabilities. This really isn't the student's parents fault because many of the high school counselors don't really know about the available programs or services out there. And it really isn't the school counselor's fault either since they are usually not in the classroom and are maybe not as aware of the student's struggles are or what their IEP or 504 plan states.

So...where can we look to place the blame? Well, how about we don't blame anyone and instead, focus that energy into looking for programs and colleges that provide comprehensive services to students who need them. What if we start looking at the potential of these students instead of automatically placing them in the "Junior College Only" category? Because these kids shouldn't be overlooked or opted out because they have different needs or even more needs than other students- they should be given the same opportunity that other students have so that they can feel the success that comes from attending a school that empowers them instead of shaming them.

Through my research about such programs and talking to parents who have come before me and done some of the initial leg-work, I have come up with a couple of amazing programs that help bridge the gap between Parent's house and Independent Living, some options that help provide a smaller stepping stone between living at home and living out the world by themselves. If you have any other suggestions, I would LOVE to hear about them so that we can create a comprehensive resource for parents, counselors, and even the students themselves.

Landmark College:

Landmark College is an Associate Degree program in Vermont that provides students with a comprehensive education that has been designed specifically for students with dyslexia, ADHD, and ASD. Students learn that the WAY they learn is as important as WHAT they learn and start educating themselves accordingly. This program focuses on proven strategies for students who need adaptive teaching methods and technology based teaching. Students learn how to self advocate as well as coping skills that benefit them both in school and in real life.

Michael from Scaggsville, MD says that "(He) only had three other options: return to Franklin and Marshall, return to community college, or stay home and get a job. I chose Landmark. I have loved it. At Landmark, they teach you about yourself and what your strengths and challenges are and how to overcome those challenges by focusing on your strengths."

Check out more at http://www.landmark.edu/ or email them at admissions@landmark.edu

Menlo College

This is a top business school in the Silicon Valley, California and name "Best in the West" by Princeton Review for two years. The best part about these amazing distinctions is that Menlo also provides extensive services for students due to their amazing 14:1 student to faculty ratio. These services can be from simple tutoring to a personal faculty liason for students who need interventions and specific help from the teachers. Students say that this personal connection with their professors is one of the main reasons why they are so successful because "no one will leave them behind."

Check out Menlo College at http://www.menlo.edu/
and email questions to admissions@menlo.edu

Beacon College

Beacon College is a four year college in Leesburg, Florida that provides degree programs for students with dyslexia, ADHD, and those on the autism spectrum. Students have the opportunity to study Business Management, Computer Information Systems, Interdisciplinary Studies, Human Services, and Psychology. What makes Beacon unique is their belief that all students, regardless of their disabilities, can achieve a four year degree that provides them with the stepping stone necessary for most American young adults trying to make it in a world where a B.A. is a necessary trade mark of a career driven person.

Andrea Cornick, 2013 graduate, said "What I love about Beacon College is the fact that it gives you a chance to shine and prove to yourself and others that you are capable of achieving more than your best expectations. Beacon College is the place to make your academic dreams come true."

Learn more about Beacon College at http://www.beaconcollege.edu and email them at admissions@beaconcollege.edu.

College Living Experience

I am actually really excited to talk about College Living Experience because I know for a fact how much good it can do for my students and their parents. College Living Experience is a program that helps students with ADHD and Executive Functioning Disorders attend school at either a four year university or community college and participate in a live-in program that provides structure and regulations for students. They have specific meetings they must attend, such as tutoring hours, study hall, and social and academic workshops to increase their skills, housekeeping presentations, and living skills classes. These services provide students with a stepping stone between their parent's house and living completely independently. Students are able to participate in any of the services that are provided, however students are also expected to start the process of understanding what it takes to function on an independent basis. I think it is such a great chance for college students to find out how to be successful away from home yet still learn how to make a difference in their own lives by self-advocating for their needs.

Contact College Living Experience at http://experiencecle.com and call them at (800) 486-5058.

Creating the Perfect Differentiated Classroom

As educators, we have to be prepared to teach many different levels of kids in one class. This means we need to think about the kids who are gifted and the ones who need a LOT of extra time and assistance. But, I have some questions about this concept-How does this concept of a "Differentiated Classroom" translate into a working class where everyone, including the teacher, can benefit? How do teachers create a differentiated classroom so that each student is receiving the type of instruction they need to learn effectively while also creating a dynamic, engaging environment that promotes self-advocacy and applied learning techniques?

I don't know...I am still trying to figure it out. This year, I have a class with two students who, at 15, can barely create a working sentence and then three other students, ages 16, 17, and 18, who have the foundations down, but are not into seeing the world in anything other than "black and white" concepts and who lack deeper, analytical thinking processes. The difficulty I am currently facing is finding quality books to read with the class where I can teach the basics of themes, literary devices, and historical significance, but that will not be so hard where the lower level students can't follow along at all.

I was thinking of reading To Kill a Mockingbird, but I am afraid that I won't be able to get anyone engaged in the book because the complex racism will be over their heads and questions that should arise in a class in order to create discussion, won't occur. I was then thinking about The Hunger Games, but I have a student who has no concept of reality and can't differentiate between a story and truth, so something like this will be very difficult to understand. Night is was too heavy, they won't understand anything with Shakespeare, and Of Mice and Men will hit too close to home with these kids since they are typically the "Lenny's" of previous classes and have been ridiculed so much that they come into this school with shattered egos and very very low self-esteem.

I'm kind of lost here!! Anyone have any good ideas??

What do IEPs actually do?

Most of the kids I have in my class, especially those that transfer from a public school, have IEPs or Individual Education Plans. Most teachers know that IEPs provide students with accommodations in the classroom for various learning disabilities, psychological issues, behavior problems, and other issues that might impede a student's learning. However, when dealing with 25-45 students on a daily basis, each with different learning styles, expectations, intelligence, and motivations, those IEPs tend to get confusing and too specific to follow.

 For example- these goals are found somewhere in each IEP, usually in different places depending on the section where they need help:

  Johnny needs to have all notes provided to him PRIOR to the lecture. 

 Mabel required extra attention on math word problems but not on ELA vocabulary quizzes. 

Tracy needs verbal prompts a minimum 3x a day to re-focus on her work but no more than 6 prompts should be used. 

 Anthony will be working on writing assignments in calendar and teacher will sign schedule everyday.

 Now- a list like this might make it easier to see who needs what, but that is not what happens. IEPs and 504s are kept in a student's file in the office because it is a private, legal document that cannot be shared with people not teaching or consulting that student. So if a teacher needs clarification on a goal, or referencing a particular skill set that needs work, the teacher will have to find the file, write down the goal on a separate piece of paper and then implement the requirement in the classroom- FOR EVERY STUDENT.

 Simply put, it gets to be too much. But everyone agrees that these students actually NEED these accommodations allowances, breaks, and prompts. So what is the solution? How can teachers reference the goals easily and quickly while still creating the best learning environment for EVERY student?

 The teachers and special education specialists that are participating in these discussions agree that changes need to be made in the way the system works and the expectations that are placed on teachers, but no one really will step up and say some of the hard observations or offer suggestions that might be considered too "offensive" to the parents.

 So it stays the way it is with the teachers in the dark about the IEP goals, the parents wanting teachers to "fix" their student even to the detriment of the other 24-44 students in the class, and administrators who want to keep everyone happy while preventing lawsuits.