Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums Twice Exceptional 2E and achievement testing

Any ideas or advice out there on how to get achievement testing for someone with visual, motor, and speech deficits that doesn't just measure the fact that they have visual, motor, and speech deficits?

On a related note, has anyone had success getting the College Board to agree to the use of a keyboard for the writing section of the SAT? I know that the ACT explicitly states that they only allow a keyboard for testers who are physically unable to hold a pencil, which does not describe my son, but using a scribe is problematic because of his speech issues.

He took the ACT without any accommodations last year at age 13 and scored 31 in reading, 23 in Science, but only 12 in Math and 21 in English, as he could only finish about 1/4 of the math section due to how slowly he writes out problems, and he had difficulty completing the English mechanics items because he couldn't scan them very well.

We just completed an LD evaluation which should help in getting accommodations, but the accommodation which would be most helpful to him, which is to take the test in a computerized format where he could zoom in on visually difficult items and where he could use a keyboard for his writing and math, is apparently not yet a reality. Any suggestions?

This could change really soon now that it's my kid who needs it...

I like your attitude

Thanks so much for the support. It is good to remember that we are not alone.

Achievement testing is one of the problems for us since my son's fine motor disability and low muscle tone would cause difficulty with filling in lots of bubbles and in completing timed tests. My son asked me why people with "output disabilities" are not given the accommodations they need. I don't know the answer to that.

A first grade teacher at our public school thought my son was highly gifted and talked me into homeschooling him because she felt he would not receive an appropriate education at our school. She told me not to worry about how we would afford college without me going back to work because he could take the ACT and SAT and make high scores which would qualify him for scholarships. I don't think she realized that his disabilities might hurt his chances of making a high enough score. I will not let him take the ACT or SAT without accommodations. We might just have him study for college classes at home and take CLEP tests for college credit since those tests are done on a computer and he can take it when he doesn't have a migraine. If he does college classes this way then I don't think he will need the ACT or SAT, but I still wonder how we will be able to afford college. It would be nice if he could get scholarships.

But first I need to make sure my son learns everything he needs in order to be successful in college and it seems our state legislators are trying to make this more difficult. My son recently wrote a letter to a state senator who is trying to restrict our rights as homeschoolers. He very articulately described the reason he was homeschooling and why it is important for him to have the freedom to learn the way he learns best without government restrictions.

I think we are going to work through an online Partners in Policymaking course which was designed for people with more severe disabilities but I think will also be useful in learning to advocate more effectively for kids like my very bright and articulate son with hidden disabilities.

Absolutely there are kids who need accommodations and can't function without them. That said, especially for kids with more moderate fine motor delays (kids who can hold a pencil and make marks, who can write some but who tire easily, who can sit in a chair, etc.) I would really encourage parents to keep as many options open by also pursuing other treatments including OT, PT, core strengthening, etc.

I would also encourage parents of younger kids who have not already done so to research exactly what is required before you panic and conclude your kids won't be able to take standardized tests. The ACT requires bubbling 215 answers over about a three hour period and it includes breaks. The essay is optional (a few colleges require it, but most don't).

Lori - you have described your son as being able to write in class essays by hand and to type online for hours with friends. Most kids who are capable of those thing would certainly have enough muscle tone to be able to bubble in 215 bubbles over a three hour period. ACT prep books including sample tests are readily available free from the public library. He could take a sample test on a day when he's feeling well and you could see how he does before you refuse to let him take the test.

Again, I understand the process of seeking accommodations can be expensive and especially difficult for homeschoolers. Some families will have absolutely no choice but to do so. But, I think it does kids a good service to help them have as many options as possible. (and I say that as a parent of a child who had a severe diagnosed fine motor delay and dysgraphia and who ended up being able to take standardized tests without accommodations thanks to OT and work.)

Passthepotatoes,

I absolutely agree that OT, PT, and teaching compensatory strategies should be a top priority for families with children who have motor issues, dysgraphia, perceptual deficits, and other input, processing, or output challenges. It has taken years of intensive (5 days a week plus home program) OT, PT, and vision therapy to get my son to the point where he is. We continue to work on his visual and motor skills and strategies on an on-going basis.

If you can help your child develop the skills to be able to manage a test like this without needing accommodations, that should absolutely be the goal - not because then you won't have to fight the testing companies (although that is certainly something you want to avoid if you can), but because those skills are going to make the rest of your child's life so much easier. I am thrilled that my son can now manage to write down a phone number if someone calls while we aren't home - even if it takes him 5 minutes to do it, and he is the only one who can read it back to us. I'm not being sarcastic, BTW - it really is a big deal.

We have never accepted the idea that these kinds of disabilities should just be accommodated without attempting remediation if remediation or rehabilitation is at all possible. I think that that is cruel. It could permanently close off a lifetime of options and opportunities that might otherwise be open. But we have also never accepted the idea that disabled children should have their intellectual gifts dismissed or ignored because they can't develop their visual and motor skills to a high enough level to compete with non-disabled peers without accommodation, which is, unfortunately, an attitude we have encountered frequently.

It is great that you have been able to make such a strong commitment to getting your son therapies and that you have seen improvements. While we are not all going to end up in the same place with the same level of function, all progress is meaningful. Like your example of your son writing down the phone number, that is something that will make a difference in his life.

I wish I could say that your level of commitment is the norm, but unfortunately it isn't what always happens. I've seen quite a few families simply bowing out by for example embracing soft dysgraphia diagnoses for kids as young as six and seven as a sign that they should shift 100% over to keyboarding and not keep up continued efforts to build fine motor strength and skills. I hate to see doors closed like this.

There should be accommodations available and hopefully there will be as kids need them. However, even in the best environment that provides all of the accommodations the student requests, it can still be a rough road for students and these challenges do make daily life harder. Anything parents can do to get kids therapies and services to help them maximize what they can do will pay off down the road in keeping more options open for the child.

Of course!

Not that it is an answer for everyone, but just as a practical note what it is worth if your kid does find on bubble tests he does have the option now of taking the ACT without the optional writing section. So, whether you can resolve accommodations or not he will be okay. AP tests would be a huge problem though.


Of course that makes no sense. We may be talking past each other. My belief is there needs to be a balance in a kid's life between working on deficits that can be improved upon, and developing areas of strength. It is a gigantic and all too common problem when the only challenge in a kid's academic environment is in areas of deficit (as in hey kid nothing new to learn in math, but here's hours of handwriting).

Over many years in homeschooling communities I've become equally concerned about the outcome of only focusing on areas of strength and not providing needed supports for kids to develop in other areas - whether those are simply areas that don't come as easily or areas of actual disability. I've been in homeschooling groups where a huge percentage of boys are being excused from any activity that would involve them touching a pencil. Parents have said it is an unnecessary skill because they will just type in college. Certainly there are kids this makes sense for, but often these are kids who haven't had assessments or any therapies. Yes, schools share some blame there. Parents really should not assume their kids will be able to get accommodations and this is a reason not to pursue therapies in the many cases where therapies can make a difference.

I agree that we need to let kids show their strengths. I don't think anything is more frustrating than to have something to say or show and not having a way to express it.

I also agree that we need to help them reach the highest level of functioning they can, within reason. I don't think any child should have to wait to show what they know if there is a reasonable means for them to show it now, but I don't think anyone in this thread has been arguing in favor of that position, only arguing that the opportunity for real rehabilitation, where possible, shouldn't be ignored.

My son has had accommodations for his disabilities in place during almost his entire education (one of the many reasons we homeschooled), but he has also had OT and PT and vision therapy. I don't think it should philosophically be an either-or situation. Every family has to carefully consider what the best balance for their child is, taking into account the nature and severity of the disability, the outlook for rehabilitation, and the time, energy, and resources available to the family, as well as the personality of the child. There is no one-size-fits-all plan.

I know I sometimes get so frustrated by having to fight and fight for reasonable accommodations in activities and settings that are away from home, and from having to listen to well-meaning people who insist that a soft pencil grip would solve all of my son's problems because it really helped their neighbor's cousin-in-law's stepchild, that I have a bit of a knee-jerk defensiveness about the topic, and I know from talking with others in similar situations that that I am not alone in that.

Sometimes, my awareness of how hard my son has to work to show what he knows without accommodation blinds me to some extent to what he is really able to accomplish on his own, particularly when it really matters to him. There is no doubt that testing under those conditions did not allow him show everything he can do, but even so, he did well enough to get access to the highest level of the Duke TIP summer program's humanities courses. It didn't get him access to most of the high-level science courses, which disappointed him, but I would not have predicted that he would have been able to do even what he did under those conditions. I had been really tempted to forgo testing until we could get current documentation because I thought that he wouldn't be able to manage it. I'm glad I didn't wait. Sometimes, our kids can surprise us. I think we should give them the opportunity to do so.

Reading back through the thread, I'm not finding any evidence that anyone here thinks that kids who need accommodations to show what they know shouldn't have them, or that kids who can benefit from therapy shouldn't get it. It's a refreshing change!