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If a child has pretty good grades (Mostly B, B+'s, and a GPA of around 3.22-3.33) and is suffering from a non verbal learning disability and ADD, would this be a "plus" in the overall admissions decision?

By metoo on Tuesday, February 04, 2003 - 09:51 am: Edit

I have the same problem. I have a son in the 8th grade who is doing well, but he has an auditory processing d/o, dysgraphia,dyslexia, and fine and gross motor problems. He has an IQ of 146. When he didn't make honors, I demanded that they retest him according to his new IEP, and he scored 12th grade.They put him into honors.I don't know what a "plus" it is to have all these disabilities, but if your child is working hard to overcome his disability, I would try to make sure that he/she has the same chances as everyone else, and that the colleges understand that they are getting one special kid who doesn't give up!!

By Soccermom on Tuesday, February 04, 2003 - 10:33 am: Edit

According to my child's guidance counselor, there is some (slight) affirmative action with respect to LD kids -- the colleges want to take a few to show they are not discriminating. I wouldn't exactly call it a "plus," but the colleges will take it into account, especially if you put a positive spin on it. I also had to fight to keep my LD child in honors, but things worked out well for my child, who had great ECs & high boards but a mediocre GPA.

By metoo on Tuesday, February 04, 2003 - 11:23 am: Edit

I find that my son's grades vary with the experience of the teacher, and the willingness of the teacher to accommodate him as necessary. At times it has been a real battle. Thank goodness for the federal government protecting our kids with 504s and IEPs.Some teachers feel that they have a Phd in psychology and call a disability laziness. If only they knew....

By Debbie on Friday, February 07, 2003 - 12:57 am: Edit

There's a book about colleges for kids with learning disabilities and ADD...it's called "The K&W Guide to Colleges for Students with Learning Disabilities or Attention Deficit Disorder." You can get it on B&N and Amazon.com.

Not sure this link will work, but here ya go:

http://search.barnesandnoble.com/bookSearch/isbnInquiry.asp?sourceid=00318290827489012375&ISBN=0375762205&bfdate=02-07-2003+00:55:19

By ADD ISNT AN EXCUSE on Friday, February 07, 2003 - 10:25 pm: Edit

I don't think ADD should give anyone an advantage. It is so incredibly overdiagnosed, and some people always make it an excuse. I/He/She would have straight As, but I/He/She has ADD. How do people think human kind managed to live before Ritalin and everyone and their brother had ADD. I'm not trying to be mean, but they're just my thoughts.

By Wesdillingham (Wesdillingham) on Thursday, March 20, 2003 - 11:56 am: Edit

add isnt an escuse: dont speak on a topic you dont know of. i have add and can personally say that it has affected me. im very smart but i have trouble with oranization and study skills as well as overall motvation. i had a 3.1 weighted and 1590 SAT. (dont tell me that means nothing). Im bound to georgia tech. anyways to all your parents-- dont treat your child like he/she is disabled - hold them to the same standards as all other children without putting them ddown about ADD.

By Emeraldkity4 (Emeraldkity4) on Thursday, March 27, 2003 - 01:48 pm: Edit

My daughter has lds and ADD. Because she had attended small private schools with differentiated instruction and experiential learning, she wasnt really diagnosed until her junior year in high school. Her intellect had made it possible for her to get by until that time. I must say though that she always had to spend more time re-reading material, and a calculator was a must for her.

She ended up at a college that was not in the K&W book, ( Reed College) but nevertheless has an excellent support system for her.
She has an ADD coach once a week, she has some accomodations in the class room, and she co-leads the ADD support group on campus.
I don't know if it gave her any advantage in the admission process although I do beleive she wrote an essay on dealing with learning differences.