Thank you spaghetti! Your response was extremely helpful as usual. You’ve been such a wonderful resource throughout our journey. Thank you!
Would you mind sharing the accommodations your DS did or didn’t find helpful? DD is thriving in the 1-1 environment of Fusion Academy. It fits like a glove so we no longer even think of accommodations being in place. Her program is fully dependent on AT. She and her teachers have conversations. They discuss everything and the course unfolds in whatever way interests her the most. She developed note taking skills but they are entirely dependent on AT. Her teachers just naturally adjust their presentations and expected work product to accommodate her. It’s wonderful but obviously not what she will face in large classroom at a university. I really have little idea anymore of what tangible things she would need to succeed in a mainstream environment.
I had hoped that by now I would have been able to hire a special ed placement specialist but so far I have struck out finding one. I thought I had one but she said she focuses on the actual trabsition process rather than the placement piece. I attended a webinar with another and while it included information on some specialized programs his focus was more on getting the prestigious window sticker on the back of your car so your kid is set up to network with the right people in the professional world.
We are not looking for prestige. We want to find a program where DD can be successful. Where she can be comfortable. Where she can learn and grow and develop the skills she needs to have a fulfilling life. She’s not interested in - and probably wouldn’t be able to function in - a pressure cooker like MIT. She wouldn’t be able to handle a large, chaotic dormitory. She could probably handle a 300 person lecture hall if she sat in the front row and the room had good acoustics. (Background noise is a huge issue for her personally and with her note taking apps.)
So I agree with your (very helpful) idea of starting with needed accommodations and working backward but how do I determine what those might be?
ETA: We visited Landmark which specializes in students with language based LD issues. (They also focus on autism and ADHD) I recall small classes and universal accommodations like all students being provided notes, all textbooks being provided in audio format, several hours a week of academic support, etc. BUT they still had a 2 course math requirement which is tough for a kid with Math Disability. She would need both a Math and Foreign Language waiver. Would those be dependent this eval?
