Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums Twice Exceptional 2e High School Senior Story

I apologize for the length of this post. This is a safe site where others have an understanding of 2e, and I need to vent.

I come here often to read and learn as I am a mother of a twice exceptional son who is 18 and a high school senior. I have not posted for almost four years because we have been navigating the high school years with mostly minor difficulty. DS's diagnosis is ADHD inattentive, mild; Learning Disability, NOS, process slowing. He has been privately evaluated every three years since third grade and has had a 504 plan in place since eighth grade. During the past two years he has also participated in counseling to address some anxiety issues, along with minor OCD symptoms for which he has been able to maintain good control.

DS has never given us any behavioral problems. He has always been level headed, creative, has many friends and engages in many activities.

We made sure we had a strong paper trail and DS received extended time on both ACT and SAT tests.

DS applied to a well regarded engineering university and was accepted based on his test scores and the strength of his artistic portfolio. DS is very passionate about creating music and sound and is not seeking a traditional engineering degree.

The processing speed issues have become more troublesome as classes have become more difficult. Last year he enrolled in Precalculus online because he felt he would have more processing time. Often times he would sit at the computer for hours. Many times he would devote 12 hours at a crack to get through a chapter.

This year he enrolled in AP Calc in the traditional classroom. This was partly due to my encouragement for him to try the classroom again as it was painful to watch him struggle alone online. (He did earn an A and B in precalc) DS was given the option of taking AP Calc as an audited class, but he declined to do that as he felt there would be no motivation for him to work hard and then gain nothing. DS was never able to get on board with AP Calc even with extended time accommodations and assignment modifications. He would go in and try to get help from the instructor, but he just was not successful. It was clear there was no way to avoid failing. He still would not quit until it was having an adverse affect on his emotional health. The principal would not let him drop the class without a withdrawal failure as he did not drop within the first five days which was a new school policy. We ended up getting him a medical release from the class from his doctor. The principal's position was that DS knew the class would be difficult and this is what he deserved. All the while, the principal was letting other students drop classes without a failure with teacher recommendation. Yes, really. He would not allow this for DS even though he knew it would have an affect on his college acceptance and scholarships. In addition, with a F as a grade, he would not be allowed to participate in sports or other extra-curricular activities. The superintendent was also spineless. We had to hire an attorney to have the matter put on the school board agenda. I know my way around legal matters fairly well as I work in the court system, but had no other option than hire legal counsel.

Doesn't this sound crazy? A good student is punished for trying to challenge himself even though he has well documented learning differences? There was no way I was going to let that principal wreck DS's senior year, or have an impact on his future. He picked the wrong mother to tangle with. He picked the wrong mother because I have spent the last 12 years reading everything I could get my hands on so I could understand how to help my child. Incidentally, it never cost the school district a dime for any testing or for any accommodations that DS received.

All you 2e parents out there know how hard it can be to try to explain to others that your child can have these amazing strengths and at the same time these great challenges.

We had two school board meetings. At the first meeting the principal was able to address the board alone while we waited outside. At the next meeting we came armed with teachers, a guidance counselor and letters from DS's medical professionals. Not one teacher hesitated to say they would be there when asked to attend. It was like the last scene of a feel-good movie. They all gave heart felt speeches in favor of the F being dropped from DS's transcript based on their experiences with DS as a student. They were in great contrast to the principal who sat there with his head down who has never had a conversation with DS. One of the board members had heard enough and was really disgusted that this matter had to come to this point. School board voted unanimously in our favor. YAY!!!

We never thought we would be defending our son from a bully at this stage. We thought we had done our best to manage our son's learning situation.

With that ugly scenario now behind us, and our triumphant win, I would like to post DS's testing results to gain some feedback for college. I have posted most of his previous three evaluation scores four years ago, but there are some new fluency scores that are kind of alarming. Described as "an atypical learning disability".

WAIS IV

SI 9
VC 16
IN 13
VCI COMPOSITE 114

BD 18
MR 12
VP 16
PRI COMPOSITE 131

DS 9
AR 12
WM COMPOSITE 102

CD 5
SS 8
PSI COMPOSITE 81

WRAT 4
Word Reading 113 81st
Sentence Comp 121 92nd
Reading Composite 118 88th
Spelling 107 68th
Math Computation 117 87th

Woodcock Johnson
Reading Fluency 88
Math Fluency 78
Writing Fluency 95

COWAT FAS TEST 40

TRAILS A 25th percentile
TRAILS B 20th percentile

REY OSTERRIETH: Good visual spatial analytical skills as well as good ability to remember information presented in a visual manner.

ACT READING 31
ACT MATH 29


Thanks for the opportunity to vent to those who "get it". I have learned so much from this website.

Wow... I'm glad to hear that the school district backed you up. I can't believe they only allow 5 days to drop for ANY student. I'm very glad to hear he has gotten accepted to a university he is happy with.

My local H.S. school gives 7 weeks to drop a course. My older DD20 (not gifted but has a LD) tried to take Latin 3 her senior year. She didn't need it but she had been doing fine in Latin 1 & 2 because she could memorize well. Big mistake she was quickly failing and a conference with the teacher made it clear the class wasn't going to work. It was the same situation the F on her transcript would have really messed up her college applications. She dropped about 6 weeks in. Didn't hurt her applications to college that way. She is now a junior at university.)

P.S. Editing to add DS15 is going to be taking AP Calc next year, BC or AB still up in the air. Seeing how the rest of pre-calc goes and what the teacher recs. My DS15 also has low processing & WM, so while I was pushing for BC calc until recently I'm starting to think AB where it's more likely he will get an A might be the better route.

5 days? That is not long enough to give it a proper try.

So glad it worked out. Sorry it was so much effort, especially in light of this inconsistency -
I agree with the others that 5 days is very small window to drop a course without penalty. It seems that high schools would/could/should want to be encouraging "growth mindset" by supporting students to take on a challenge, rather than making it very high risk to take on a challenge.

Yes, the five day window is a new policy and that school board said they would be revisiting. I will do my best to see that they follow through.

Now as to DS moving on to making college a success, we will be providing documentation to the university's student disability services. It may be that DS will require taking a lighter load, given it just takes him longer to do almost everything. DS was included in the post testing follow up meeting with the neuropsychologist and has a good understanding of his challenges.

Does anyone know of any particular college math accommodations available besides extended time? Perhaps taking his math credits online is the best way for him to learn. He also seems to have difficulty with mathematical problems that are spaced too close together on a page. His Algebra I teacher made that discovery.

I looked back at your previous testing, and noticed that his GAI has dipped very slightly, due to the VCI, which I would ascribe to that one average Similarities score. Not knowing his previous subtest scores, it's hard to say whether this has been an historical pattern, but I am struck by the observation that the lowest subtest in each of VCI and PRI is the one with the heaviest fluid reasoning loading (Similarities and Matrix Reasoning). That is consistent with what you've reported as an atypical LD. Good verbal, good perceptual, but difficulty integrating the two.

The processing speed area appears to be consistent with past testing, and continues to be a relative and normative weakness.

Other than fluency, all of his untimed achievement scores are within striking distance of his cognition, though spelling and word reading are on the weaker end. Fluency, of course, is quite low, comparable to his PSI. Does he have challenges with switching tasks or task approaches? I ask because math fluency is so much lower than reading and writing fluency, and one of the differences is that the WJIII MF subtest is mixed math facts.

Executive function scores are on the lower end of average. Can I assume these scores were lowered by speed, not accuracy?

Good ACT scores!

Accommodations:

-calculator (though that doesn't usually come up as an issue in college), mainly to speed up the basic calculation process.
-printed lecture notes (so struggling to keep up with taking notes doesn't prevent him from listening to and comprehending the lecture)
-reduced work load/key items only
-obviously, all the extended time items

An accommodation to discuss with your DS:

-double or single residence (some colleges will work with you to obtain a dorm room with fewer students in it, which generally makes it easier to study and organize oneself)

Some strategies that may help him:

-create your own visual guide/frame by covering up the bottom of the page (e.g., with a blank sheet of paper) as you work, leaving only a single row of math problems visible.
-ask lots of questions in class, especially about practical and professional applications. Active learning and participation will help him maintain attention, and make the real-life connections that are particularly important for his learning profile.
-seek out each of the professors during office hours, not only to seek clarification and instructional assistance, but to give them a chance to get to know you as a real person. It will help them to see your strengths and weaknesses in a balanced context.

aeh, thank you so much for the helpful suggestions and strategies for next year. I am especially intrigued by the idea of a single dorm room. DS is typically pretty quiet and reserved. While he has friends and is fine socially, he really enjoys his own company. Having his own space may make a huge difference in his focus.

His chosen major will have a great amount of active learning right off the bat. I agree that will be helpful also.

If I may, these are his subtest scores from (2005) and 2008 on the WISC-IV

SI 14 (14) BD 15 (15)
VC 14 (14) PC 14 (14)
CO 11 (14) MR 14 (17)

DS 10 (12) CD 4 (5)
LN 11 (12) SS 10 (7)

VCI 116 (124)
PRI 127 (133) I do not have the subtest scores
WMI 102 (110) from 2011.
PSI 83 (78)

All testing was done at approximately 8:30 a.m., with a two hour car ride prior, but that was consistent each time.

DS probably does display challenges with switching tasks, but it is difficult to see in a nonacademic setting.

Again, thank you for your thoughtful reply. Great advice.

One thing to keep in mind about university is that it's your DS will need to be doing his own advocating once he is 18. My DD20 started undergraduate at 17 yrs 11 months and because of that the disability coordinator was willing to talk to me and take the paperwork to qualify her for help but only because she was still 17. It's extra help that she mostly doesn't take but she does turn to it for writing intensive courses. I mostly giving her guidance from behind my cell phone. How is that paper doing? Have you made an appointment with a tutor yet? One thing I have gotten through her head is that she CAN'T act like some college student who wait for the last 24 hours to write a paper.

If I were in your shoes I would seriously consider having him take a "light" or part time load, particularly in Engineering. This will make college longer but quite likely make it more successful. This is probably something he needs to talk about with the Disability Services at his school. Upper Division Engineering classes are a lot of work and taking too many of these courses during the same semester could be a disaster. My DD doesn't take a light load but I haven't encouraged her to get a job or be involved in any time consuming extra curricular. (I do have a reason behind this suggestion but it's not my story to tell.)

Is he continuing to self study Calculus? For any type of Engineering he will need to have a good grasp of Calculus. Having him self-study the subject this year and then take a class next year might be a good idea. Or take a class this summer & plan to have him repeat it when he gets to college. College math classes are fast paced.

Magination Press (American Psychological Association) has a few Children's books about transitioning through adolescence into college with an LD. Click "By Subject", then click "Attention Deficient Disorder and Learning Disabilities".