You are sitting behind the computer screen filling out your college application. You proudly list your activities and accomplishments — salutatorian, six APs, string section leader for orchestra, state science fair runner-up, summer French language immersion camps, Duke of Edinburgh Gold Award, and rock-climbing instructor. Then you arrive at the writing section where you can list
Additional Information and are filled with angst.
Your mind races with questions and thoughts:
•Do I state I am dyslexic and have test anxiety?
•Do I list my accommodations?
•Will admissions officers see me as a liability?
You love this school and can imagine yourself on campus, heading to the French Alps for study abroad, starting a rock-climbing club back on campus, and pursuing your love for psychology and neuroscience.
You decide to forgo disclosing your learning differences in the
Additional Information section and submit your application. Weeks later you receive an acceptance letter! But come fall, you find yourself on campus
without any clue that your failure to disclose will prevent you from receiving the support services and accommodations you need to work to your full potential. It’s only after your first class when the professor denies your accommodation request that you ponder if early disclosure could have created a different reality.
According to a National Center for Learning Disabilities
2017 report, up to 10 percent of the population has a learning difference, but only 20 percent of the neurodiverse population pursues a post-secondary education. Once at college/university, 76 percent of neurodiverse students do not disclose their neurodiversity to the school. This increases the possibility of taking more than six years to graduate to 3.5 times higher than the neurotypical population, according to a
2013 study by Robyn Hudson.
So, at a college with an undergraduate population of 10,000 students, there would be approximately 200 students with learning differences. Only 68 of these will benefit from services while the rest will struggle to complete their degrees on time or worse, fail to attain a degree.
To avoid these pitfalls,
my education consulting practice encourages neurodiverse students to celebrate, embrace, and see their differences as strengths. There is a power in authenticity. There are numerous benefits associated with disclosing a need for accommodations in the recruitment, admissions, and enrollment processes.
By disclosing neurodiversity, students can form an authentic and productive relationship with their admissions representative, who can connect them with the most effective resources on campus to ensure a good fit. These resources allow students to understand the types of accommodations they can receive and the university to see the student as a productive, independent individual.
To maximize access to resources on campus, it is important to know that IEPs do not exist at the university level. Early relationship-building with the appropriate office and individuals who set up accommodations is critical to the long-term success of neurodiverse students. We encourage students to disclose at several key points:
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During the application process. Early disclosure shows a student’s authenticity, allows them to build rapport with admissions, and to discover if the university is the best environment for their learning style.
Note: Disclosing to admissions does not guarantee accommodations, but it is an important first step toward a successful post-secondary career.
[perfectpullquote align=”left” bordertop=”false” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=””][We] encourage neurodiverse students to celebrate, embrace, and see their differences as strengths. There is a power in authenticity. There are numerous benefits associated with disclosing a need for accommodations in the recruitment, admissions, and enrollment processes.[/perfectpullquote]
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Once the student submits a deposit. Students at this point can ask to speak directly with student support services personnel to start working on the resources, accommodations, and learning plans needed to be successful on campus. This preparation will help students stay focused and succeed once on campus.
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Upon arrival to campus. If the student works with support services before arrival, he or she can confidently walk onto campus with a sound accommodations plan and advocate to professors, classmates, and other personnel/offices.
Unlike the character at the start of this article, a current neurodiverse client of mine disclosed their disability in a well-written essay through the
Additional Information section. They are now building skills so they can effectively self-advocate when they get to university, thus increasing the likelihood of success.
The school admission process is a time of high stress. In my experience as a professional educational consultant and as a parent of a 2e child, I could not find much quality guidance on how to approach disclosure in a proper, productive, and understandable way. In my practice, I developed a few pragmatic, relevant, and empowering tips for neurodiverse students and their families:
•Find a mentor who can help guide you through this major transition
•Work with an independent education consultant who specializes in neurodiverse clientele
•Become an active member/voice in your transition process with your secondary school team
•Ask questions about your supports and/or accommodations to understand what and why you have them. You can transfer that knowledge to the university setting and proper support network
Neurodiverse learners can feel that it’s not only OK to discuss and disclose their differences, but that making such a choice could be a key to future success.
