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| Date: From: Subject: | 5/12/2011 9:51:17 AM Home School Legal Defense Association HSLDA's Homeschooling Your Struggling Learner Newsletter -- May 2011 |
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---------------------------------------------------------------- HSLDA's Homeschooling Your Struggling Learner Newsletter May 2011--Tackling Tricky High School Issues Part 2 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- ---[ Free e-book from AllAboutSpelling.com ]-------------------------- All About Spelling is an excellent multi-senory, logical program if you are just beginning to teach your child spelling, or if your child needs remedial help. Click the link below to get "20 Best Tips for Teaching Spelling" FREE! http://www.hslda.org/alink.asp?ID=322 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- In the last issue of our Struggling Learner email newsletter, we discussed some of the tricky high school issues that many families encounter related to homeschooling a teenager with special needs or learning disabilities. In this month's newsletter, we will address some of the challenges related to college preparation and post-secondary goals when it comes to working with teens with special needs. Particularly, we will look at the frequently asked questions our Struggling Learner Department receives related to preparing for post secondary endeavors, such as college. Q: I am not sure college is realistic for my child, who has some severe special needs, or that she even wants to go to college. Do you have other post secondary suggestions? A: My first word of encouragement is to "never say never" and don't underestimate the power of personal motivation. As a high school junior, I was told by my guidance counselor, "Don't bother applying to college because you are not college material." With the support of my mother, a great math tutor, the strength of Jesus Christ ("I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength!"), in addition to taking my harder math and science courses in the summer months, I was able to get the credits and course work I needed in order to apply and be accepted into the colleges of my choice. I also took the ACT and SAT several times in order to get my best possible scores. I also made sure I applied to smaller colleges that took into consideration a personal portfolio of work, interests, volunteer work, and community service, rather than just a score! > Joni Eareckson Tada's ministry has a listing of colleges that accepts students with learning disabilities. Check out their website at http://www.hslda.org/elink.asp?id=11108 > Crosswalk.com http://www.hslda.org/elink.asp?id=11109 ; Select Christian Education directory for extensive list of Christian colleges and universities We encourage families who are homeschooling children with learning disabilities (and especially those who have children who are gifted with learning disabilities) to plan their child's high school studies with college in mind. Do not automatically rule college out because the student has some mild-to-severe learning challenges, such as dyslexia. Community college is a great stepping-stone to a four-year university or college. However, if college is not realistic or a desire for your child, then there are many other options to consider, such as: > two-year, junior college (Landmark College in Vermont and Louisburg College in North Carolina are two-year colleges for struggling learners) > Vocational/Technical training > Military > Internships and Apprenticeships > Transition to work force > Assisted independent living > Conservatorship/Guardianship Q: My child has a specific reading disability, and I am concerned he may not be able to meet the foreign language requirement that many colleges put forth. What do you recommend? A: The foreign language requirement can be challenging for teens who are struggling with learning disabilities or language processing difficulties. But it is not impossible to meet this requirement. Here are some things to keep in mind: > Many universities are now accepting American Sign Language > Some colleges will waive the foreign language requirement if the child has a documented language-based learning disability or specific learning disability. > Check with colleges and university special student services departments to find out if they will accept alternative/substitute course work such as cultural studies class, mission/volunteer work where language was learned/applied in the field experience. > With the use of accommodations, slower pace of instruction, assistive technology such as reading pens, textbooks on audio and software packages, as well as a tutor, the student may be able to be successful with a foreign language. > Many colleges are accepting less frequently used languages such as Russian and Mandarin in order to meet the language requirement. The course should include speaking, writing, and reading. If you choose to use Rosetta Stone homeschool version as your foreign language curriculum, you should supplement with a text/workbook for grammar. One suggestion is to find out what foreign language texts the local public schools are using (in some instances homeschoolers may be permitted to borrow these books). Also check with your local community colleges to see what foreign languages they offer and if they have dual enrollment for high school students. You may also want to find out the textbooks/curriculum they are using. Q: My child wants to go to college, but I am unsure he will perform to the best of his ability on the SAT or ACT because of his learning challenges. How can I apply for special testing accommodations on the college boards? A: If a child has a learning disability, ADHD, or some other special challenge that will warrant the implementation of testing accommodations, there is an application and documentation review board process set in place by the College Board. Documentation policy statements for the College Board, as set forth by the Educational Testing Service (ETS) are available at http://www.hslda.org/elink.asp?id=11112 . These provide guidance to parents, consumers and educational testing professionals about the type of documentation required to verify accommodation requests for test takers with learning disabilities and attention deficit disorder. On the College Board website, please go to students with disabilities section. Look at the documentation guidelines, application process, and forms for parents. They also have counselors available to help you through the process. One of the requirements set forth is the student must have current (within three years) psycho-educational battery of tests by a licensed psychologist or certified educational diagnostician. The documentation and application process is fairly lengthy, so we encourage parents to begin early. The Special Needs consultants encourage you to not wait until the student is a freshman or sophomore in high school to have your child's learning disability or struggles officially diagnosed or documented. We have talked with many members who have waited until the student was a teenager to get an official diagnosis only to be denied testing accommodations by the College Board. A helpful article on navigating this process is available at Kathy Kuhl's website, http://www.hslda.org/elink.asp?id=11110 Also keep in mind, that there are many colleges that do not use the ACT or SAT test scores for admission decisions. Be sure to check ahead of time to see what the colleges your child is interested in require for homeschooled students. To view a list of over 300 schools that do not use the ACT and SAT, visit the Fair Test website at http://www.hslda.org/elink.asp?id=11111 We know that those God has called He will be faithful to equip with every resource needed in order to finish the good work! We are so happy to be able to come alongside you and assist you in the task of homeschooling your struggling learner (Yes, even through high school). We will leave you with this promise from God's Word. 2 Corinthians 9:8 "And God is able to make all grace abound to you, that you, always having all sufficiency in all things, may have abundance for every good work." Resources: > "Homeschooling Children with Special Needs" by Sharon Hensley > "Guiding Teens with Learning Disabilities" by Arlyn Roffman, PhD >" Learning Disabilities: The Ultimate Teen Guide" by Penny Hutchins Paquette and Cheryl Gerson Tuttle > "Peterson's Guide National Colleges with Programs for Students with LD and ADHD" > "K & W Guide to Colleges for Students with Learning Disabilities" *(also provides a list of assisted independent living options for young adults) ---------------------------------------------------------------------- -> What do you look like when you get out of bed? It's hard to look our best all the time. HSLDA works to present homeschooling in an engaging, dynamic, and informative light to the public news media. 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