An average student may go through a distressing and frustrating process when choosing the college or university to enroll to for postsecondary education. This is more so for the student with learning disabilities. Students with learning disabilities have unique needs that can’t be matched by looking at a campus brochure, going through their programs or even visiting their campus. Specific activities must be done to prepare such a student for college education.

This starts with an effective high school program. An individualized high school program will enable the student to learn the needed skills and knowledge base to qualify for college. Often, students with learning disabilities are advised to take the general studies curriculum which would mean receiving course waivers for some subjects like mathematics or foreign languages. Although course waivers may be suitable and necessary for such students, these should not be granted without valid diagnostic data.
Getting course waivers is limiting the student’s knowledge base which in turn limits their college options. According to studies, pacing has proved to be effective for students with learning disabilities. High school personnel must be open to a program that can be taken anywhere from 4 ½ to 5 years so students do not have to be frustrated with the normal load and can still graduate with the necessary skills.

The program should also include special educators to introduce students to a more independent environment. Typical students can get tossed around in the highly independent setting of college and students with learning disabilities may feel this more strongly. Without the necessary guidance and instruction to incorporate their skills, they may end up with a very distressing college experience.

It is very easy to identify the problems that such a student goes through and one of these is in interpersonal relationships. Inability to perceive verbal and non-verbal cues to classify appropriate social behavior is common among students with learning disabilities. As such it is easy for them to be in stressful or even threatening situations. Parents, teachers and even friends would automatically shelter them from these situations, which in the long run, do not allow them to develop the necessary social skills they need to function as independent students. Development of social skills is necessary for a student with learning disabilities. The most important factor is continuous monitoring and adjustment based on the student’s performance.

When looking for a suitable college setting, some academic considerations should be looked into such as availability of remedial courses, pre-college courses and even course waiver provisions. Having specific support programs will be helpful in case the students are in need of assistance in a competitive academic university program.

For the final selection parents and students must ask pertinent questions if they are not satisfied with what they have learned. They should know in detail what kind of support is available, if students’ performance is monitored by professional staff and if the program has been evaluated. Each family may have specific questions they want to ask and all of these should be aired out before a final match can be made. All this groundwork is necessary to ensure that the student’s postsecondary educational setting matches all his/her needs and goals.

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