Aspergers and the ACT

[CathieC]

I have a 9th grader with Asperger Syndrome. I'm starting to think in advance to the time when he will need to take the ACT for college. Has anyone had experience with this? All of his testing up to now has been in a small group (pulled out from the regular class when still in public school, and with a small homeschool group since then). Since he is no longer under an IEP, I don't think we'll be able to apply for special accommodations. Looking for experiences of others.
Thanks,
Cathie

[Claire]

Here is a link (http://www.additudemag.com/q&a/ask_the_learning_expert/1403.html) that may be helpful.

Note that: "Your goal is to establish that the accommodations are essential if the exam is to be a fair evaluation of your child’s aptitude, and that denying accommodations is tantamount to discrimination against someone who has a disability."

In general, from what I have heard, it is very difficult to get accommodations for a homeschooled student but not impossible. An IEP would not be necessary, but you must have an evaluation that has been done within the last three years. Also, you must be able to document that accommodations are a part of the student's daily routine -- necessary for educational functioning. Even public schools are having difficulty meeting all the new requirements for documentation in order to get accommodations. The college boards cracked down after hearing complaints that non-disabled students were getting accommodations that were giving them an advantage on the tests over their peers.

[CathieC]

Claire,
Thanks for your response. I wonder if it's much different for the ACT. As most colleges where we live want the ACT, not the SAT, he will take the ACT. Hoping someone here has some experience with it...
Cathie

[Cadam]

If you have a dx disability then I am pretty sure you can get the accommodations.

[Claire]

Here is the link to the ACT website (http://www.act.org/aap/disab/index.html) for accommodations. I haven't compared it word-for-word with the SAT requirements, but they look very similar. I see the ACT also requires an evaluation within the 3-year period preceding taking the test. My bet is that the process is very similar.

I have read posts about homeschoolers who succeeded in getting accommodations. They all had to resubmit several times and strongly advised starting the process early.

[kjprice]

Oh, good question. I guess that I need to start thinking about these things, too! Yikes!

[sweetbaby]

Yes, as long as there is a documented diagnosis, you should be able to recieve special accomodations.