Choosing a College for Students with Learning Challenges
Choosing a College for Students with Learning Challenges
College is accessible to students with learning challenges, however, students and parents must carefully research colleges and universities as the level of support widely varies among institutions. In the article, “Stepping Up to the Challenge,” New York Times reporter Tara Parker-Pope writes about the transition from high school to college for students with ADHD. She notes that not only must students balance the physical and medical demands of making the transition, students must carefully choose the college or university they will attend based on the support services offered. The National Alliance on Mental Illness website provides information for obtaining accommodations in college, understanding your rights, and preparing for college. The U.S. News and World Reports article by Kim Clark, “8 Steps for Learning Disabled Students Who Want to Go to College,” provides other helpful tips for parents and students.
You may find the following websites helpful in identifying colleges with the best support programs for students with Learning Disabilities.
- Colleges for students with disabilities and medical conditions
- Living with Attention Deficit
- Autism Speaks
Refer toThe K&W Guide to Colleges for Students with Learning Disabilities or Attention Deficit Disorderfor additional assistance in identifying colleges. The following listing includes colleges known for providing a broad range of support programs:
- American University
- Augsburg College
- Beacon College
- Boston University
- Curry College
- Clark University
- Dean College
- Drexel University
- Eastern Michigan
- Eastern University
- Fairleigh Dickinson
- Kennesaw State University
- Landmark College
- Marshall University
- Mercyhurst University
- Midwestern State University
- Northeastern University
- Rochester Institute of Technology
- Rutgers University
- St. Joseph’s University
- University of Alabama
- University of Arizona
- University of Colorado-Colorado Springs
- University of Connecticut
- University of Iowa
Organizations providing information, support, and clinical expertise:
- Attention Deficit Disorder Association
- Attention Deficit disorders Association Southern Region
- Children and Adults with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder
- American Psychological Association
- American Speech-Language Hearing Association
- National Resource Center on AD/HD
- Learning Disabilities Association of America
- Edge Foundation
- LD Online
- American Association of Neuroscience Nurses
- ADDinfonetwork
- American Academy of Pediatrics
- American Counseling Association
- American Disability Association
- Association for Psychological Science
- Ch1ldren Now
- Federation for Children with Special Needs
- National Dissemination Center for Children with Disabilities
- Society for Neuroscience
- The National Academies
- National Association for Child Development
- 10 Impressive Special College Programs for Students with Autism
- Autism Speaks “Postsecondary Education Resources”
- CBS News, “Autism awareness: College programs for students on the spectrum”
- Colleges that work for students on autism spectrum
- Forbes Article, “More Colleges Expanding Programs For Students On Autism Spectrum”
- Navigating College
- Programs for Students with Asperger Syndrome
- U.S. News and World Reports, “Find College Scholarships That Support Students With Autism”
Special Needs Scholarships
Identifying special needs scholarships simply requires performing an Internet search on the type of need, for example, “scholarships for students with autism” yields 1,130,000 results on Google. “Scholarships for students with adhd” yields 323,000 results.
It is critically important for parents and students to get an early start in their college planning efforts. Students will need to visit the colleges and parents should carefully assess the support programs and associated costs.