Apr 26 2010
It is a well-established fact that the college graduation rate for students with learning disabilities is significantly lower than that of their peers. Is this because students with LD lack the raw intelligence to succeed in college? That does not appear to be the case. According to the McGraw-Hill Concise Dictionary of Modern Medicine, a learning disability is defined as “a suboptimal ability to read-dyslexia, write-dysgraphia, perform mathematical operations-dyscalculia, or other cognitive skills in a child of presumed normal intelligence”. (emphasis is this author’s)
Having spent thirteen years as a college Learning Specialist, this author has observed six significant factors that lead towards a student’s downhill slide. They are:
- Failure to disclose – Students who choose not to disclose usually do so to shed the stigmatizing “LD” label they’ve worn for years. Without realizing it, they are making their first egregious mistake. In college, students with learning disabilities attend the same classes and must meet the same expectations as all other students — no one is labeled. Disclosure is entirely confidential – only the disability services office and any teachers the student informs are aware. In high school, IEPs guarantee that students receive academic support and special services. On the college level, IEPs are non-existent. Students who fail to disclose suddenly discover they are no longer protected by the Americans with Disabilities Act and are ineligible for the accommodations/services recommended by their documentation. In other words, the student goes from having a safety net with a lot of support in the high school system to walking a tightrope without a net in college. This dramatic change quickly overwhelms students.
- Beginning with a full course load – Another major misconception is that if students handled five subjects in high school, they can manage that load in college. They fail to recognize that an entire textbook can be covered in a 15-week college semester. Traditionally, high school students with disabilities have little homework and study no more than an hour or two per week. The standard formula for college students is for every hour spent in class, they can expect two to three hours of outside work. Therefore, assuming a full-time load is 15 credits, students can have between 30 – 45 hours of homework and/or studying per week, on top of the 15 hours they sit in class. Having become accustomed to a typical high school work load, 30 – 45 hours is akin to diving into a 15-foot pool of freezing cold water. Rather than take a full load, students should take only what they feel they can successfully handle. It is far better to start slowly and build confidence than to begin too quickly and flounder. Students who start with a reduced course load are more likely to earn high GPAs (grade point averages). It is far easier to maintain a high GPA than it is to raise a low one, not to mention that a high GPA creates enthusiasm for school and a “can do” attitude. The only way a student can take a reduced course load and remain on his parents’ insurance plan is if the disability services provider writes a letter indicating that “Joe is considered a full-time student with nine credits due to a documented learning disability.” Call your insurance company anonymously to confirm that your child will retain coverage before doing this. Submit the letter only if the insurance company asks for proof of your child’s full-time student status.
- Lack of time management and organizational skills – Perhaps the single most important factor in college organization is the daily planner. While an assignment pad in high school sufficed, it is almost valueless to college students who have far too many tasks to keep tabs on. They need to keep all responsibilities in this planner, so they don’t “double-book” themselves. This means keeping track of homework, long-term assignments, test dates, dentist appointments, social engagements, etc. in an academic planner (runs from August to August) that has both weekly and monthly views. This assures that students see the immediate, as well as long-term, pictures.
- Too many employment hours – In a perfect world, students would have the luxury of not having to earn money while attending college. For many students, however, this is not a reality. Because of the unique challenges of college, students should work no more than 15 hours per week – the fewer the better. In addition, students who work and attend school often lack the ability to “switch gears”. Remember that colleges have long winter and summer breaks when students can work full-time and accumulate money for when school is in session. However, maturity is required to delay gratification and live a less lavish lifestyle for the ultimate reward of a good education. If possible, during a semester, school should be considered a student’s “full-time job”.
- The inability to say “no” – Due to the unique structure of a college schedule, a student may have only two hours of class on a particular day, giving the illusion that there is much more free time than in high school. This is deceptive because while there is much more “unstructured” time, there is less “free” time. This lack of structure tempts students to put off their school work until the last minute and say yes to invitations that are incompatible with being a good student. College students who commute often retain the high school mentality of leaving school the minute classes end, returning home to a distracting environment of TV, computers, family, etc. Residential students often return to their noisy dorms after class, where temptations abound. Students who succeed have the self-discipline to go to a quiet environment, such as the library, where they can work undisturbed, without temptations. Even if they can only concentrate for 30 minutes at a time, they can take a 5-minute break and return to their work. All locales have connotations, and the school library says “this is the place to do work.” In addition, it is a lot harder to feel sorry for yourself when surrounded by others doing the same thing you are.
- Insufficient academic support – Disclosure, while often vital, by itself is no guarantee of academic success. High school students who were enrolled in special education programs or were removed from mainstream classes for resource room help usually need at least three one-hour tutoring sessions per week with a Learning Specialist upon beginning college. Often, their high school curriculum has been watered-down. They are dependent upon support provided for in their IEP. They are often tackling developmental skills never learned previously. Consider the lack of an IEP along with the heightened speed and heavier work load of college classes, and it’s no wonder that most students drown without strong academic support. Therefore, students and parents must be realistic about support needs when selecting a college. While most colleges now have large tutoring centers, they are there to serve “college students at-large”. Most operate on a first come, first served basis, and a student is usually not seen for more than 20 minutes if someone else is waiting. In addition, the tutors have not been trained to teach students with disabilities, whose needs are different. If a college can’t provide specialized tutoring by appointment at least three times a week, you’ll need to hire an outside specialist. As students learn the system and experience success, it is possible they may only need tutoring twice a week. Gradually, as they become meta-cognitive, students may start to wean themselves from tutoring and see a tutor only on an “as needed” basis.
It should now be clear that errors in judgment, difficulty in delaying gratification, poor impulse control, immaturity, inability to prioritize, and/or lack of appropriate academic support frequently causes the downfall of many a student. What hasn’t been mentioned is determination, the single most important factor in the success of any college student. The good news, however, is that those who possess realistic awareness of the challenges ahead, as well as the discipline to establish constructive habits from the get-go, usually start off on the right foot and continue in the same vein. Those are the students who go on to graduate; unfortunately, they are still the minority.
© 2007 Joan Azarva
There is a lot more to learn about achieving success in college with a learning disability. If you would like more information, please go to http://www.ConquercollegewithLD.com and sign up for a free copy of “Learning Disabilities: 10 Tips for High School Students with College Aspirations”.
Joan M. Azarva, Ms.ED is an expert college Learning Specialist and most recently worked in this capacity at a local community college. She has nearly 35 years of experience working with students with LD/ADD. Joan currently teaches “Conquer College with LD/ADD” locally and will soon offer it online in webinar format. You can read more about Joan and connect with her at http://www.linkedin.com/in/conquercollegewithld
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