| I'm having a lot of
trouble in my classes and I think I have a Learning Disability. What
should I do?
I think I may have Attention
Deficit Disorder. What should I do?
Can I just "take a test" to find out if I have a
Learning Disability?
How can I get extra time on my tests?
I was tested when I was younger and put in some special classes.
I'm having problems with my college coursework. What should I do?
I was in Resource classes in high school. How can I continue to
get the help I need?
How do you "diagnose" a learning disability? (What is
"assessment"?)
Do I have to be a student at SMC? (and other administrative
"issues"...)
If I do have a learning disability, what happens next?
Are the test
results and personal information confidential?
What services does the Learning Disabilities Program offer to students who are
eligible?
How can I compensate for my Learning Disability if I have one?
What are "accommodations"?
Can I get tutoring?
What are the Study Strategy Workshops?
How often or how long do I receive services if I'm eligible?
What about when I transfer to a four-year school?
I have been diagnosed with a psychological disability, but I also
think I have learning problems. What should I do?
Are there any evening services?
What about Summer and Winter sessions?
I'm having a lot of trouble
in my classes and I think I have a Learning Disability. What should
I do?
There are many reasons for low achievement,
including poor study habits, limited skills, lack of past learning
opportunities, psycho/emotional problems, stress, lack of time or
motivation, limited effort, etc. Another cause could be a learning disability. Before you assume
it's a learning disability (unless you have been diagnosed in the
past), please do some "self-evaluation" and try some of
the following:
1. Develop your study skills! Take our Study
Strategy Workshops, or
Hum.Dev.
20.
2. Evaluate the time and effort you put
into your college classes.
You should be spending 2-3 hours outside
of class for every hour
spent in class. (That's
a minimum of 24 hours/week study time for
12 units!
Think about it...)
3. Get rid of stress. Get help if personal
problems are interfering.
4. Read more about learning
disabilities and attention
deficit on
these pages to see if these are the type of problems
you're having
If none of these help, come to one our Orientation
Sessions for more info.
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I think I may have
Attention Deficit. What should I do?
There are many reasons for a
feeling of inability to concentrate, or a feeling of lack of
"focus" - Attention Deficit Disorder has very specific
criteria for diagnosis and some very specific, long-term
characteristics. (See section on ADHD).
The Learning Disabilities Program may not make a diagnosis of
Attention Deficit, but we can refer you to community resources for
this.
If you are concerned about your academic success, please do some "self-evaluation"
(read, research this website, follow some of the
"Helpful Links", and try some of
the following):
1. Develop better study skills! Take our Study
Strategy Workshops, or
Hum.Dev.
20)
2. Evaluate the time and effort you put
into your college classes.
Remember: 24 hours
outside of class for every 12 units!!
3. Get rid of stress. Get help if personal
problems are interfering.
4. Read more about learning
disabilities and attention
deficit on
these pages to see if these are the type of problems
you're having.
If none of these help, come to one our Orientation
Sessions for more info.
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Can I just "take a test" to find out if I have a
Learning Disability?
Sorry..wish it was that
"easy"! In order to determine eligibility for our services
as a learning disabled student, you must first come to an
Orientation and fill out a short "intake" form for
screening purposes. If we think assessment is appropriate, we will
refer you to one of our Assessment
Workshops. If not, we will make other suggestions or referrals
for you to consider. Determining eligibility
for our services consists of cognitive and achievement testing,
observation, informal tests of study skills and student behaviors,
and one-on-one interviews. We also want students to become aware of
their personal profile of strengths and weaknesses, and to be able
to advocate for themselves as learning disabled adults. This
workshop provides the necessary information and tools to do this.
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How can I get extra time on my tests?
After you have been assessed, and
it is determined that you are eligible for services as a learning
disabled student, the Learning Disabilities Specialist will make
recommendations for accommodations based on your profile of
strengths and weaknesses. Extra time on tests is often recommended
for students with learning disabilities to compensate for such
things as slow reading rate, lack of writing fluency, the need to
proofread answers, for coping with anxiety, etc.
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I was tested when I was younger and
was put in some special classes.
I'm having problems with my college coursework. What should I do?
You should come to one of our Orientation
Sessions and plan to take an Assessment Workshop so that we can
determine that nature of your learning difficulties and, if
appropriate, start using the services we provide.
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I was in Resource classes in high school. How can I continue to
get the help I need?
Make an appointment with a Learning
Specialist. Bring in any documentation you may have, particularly
your "Three Year Evaluation" from high school. You may
need to be re-tested, but we can decide that based on the
information you provide. If services are needed immediately, we will
try to arrange that. There is a 16 week "Success
Strategies Workshop" for incoming freshmen who are learning
disabled. It is given in Fall only, but is highly recommended. For
other student, we highly recommend our Study Strategy Workshops to
learn more about study skills and how to compensate for your
particular learning style.
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How do you "diagnose" a learning disability? (What is
"assessment"?)
This evaluation is
achieved in an 8 week Assessment Workshop (Human Development 1H or
2H). During this time, both academic and thinking skills are
assessed. The assessment is achieved through a process of one-on-one
cognitive and achievement testing, informal inventories of learning
and study skills, interviews, observation and larger group
activities. The Learning Disabilities Specialist
interprets the test results and makes individual
recommendations for compensatory strategies and appropriate
accommodations.
Test results
are compared to guidelines provided by the State of California, in
accordance with federal mandates, to determine whether a student
qualifies for on-going support services as a learning disabled
student.
Students must demonstrate:
- Average to above-average intelligence
- Severe processing deficit
- Severe aptitude-achievement discrepancy
- Measured academic achievement
- Functional limitations
For more information, click
here.
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Do I have to be a student at SMC? (and other administrative
"issues"...)
Because this is a support program
for SMC students, it is required that you be enrolled in a regular
college class in order to take the Assessment Workshop. There is no
unit value for this Human Development 1H or 2H workshop. (Exception:
In the Summer Session, you are not required to be enrolled in
another class in order to take the HD1H workshop, and you do get 1/2
unit of credit) In Winter, we do individual testing; no
classes are offered.
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If I do have a learning disability, what happens next?
You will meet with your Learning
Specialist who will make suggestions for improving your academic
performance. It is your responsibility to keep in contact with the
program and to make appointments to update your progress or
brainstorm compensatory strategies with your Contact Instructor. You
should be enrolled in a Human Development 1H workshop each
semester and should continue to strive to understand your unique
learning style and to develop successful strategies. You have access
to all of the services we offer, but you must take the initiative!
We won't know you need us unless you stay in contact!
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Are the test results and
personal information confidential?
ABSOLUTELY!
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What services does the Learning Disabilities Program offer to students who are
eligible?
Click here for the
Support Services we offer!
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How can I compensate for my Learning Disability if I have one?
There are many ways to compensate for your learning
disability. The first step is to become very knowledgeable about
your particular deficits and the strengths you can use to compensate
for them. Take advantage of the study skills we offer, and take
Human Development 20. Both will help you become a more efficient
learner and a better college student. The LD Study Strategy
Workshops are filled with ideas of how an LD student can compensate
for their difficulties and become more successful.
Click here for Compensatory
Strategies info.
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What are "accommodations"?
Accommodation refers to ways in
which the program or instruction can be modified to promote success
of the LD student. Program modifications can include things such as
priority registration, course substitutions, and limited units.
Instructional modifications include taped textbooks, note takers,
extended time on exams, use of a computer, calculators, spell
checkers, taping lectures, etc.
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Can I get tutoring?
Yes, if it's recommended in your
"student educational contract". Our philosophy is aimed at
student success through independence based on self-awareness and
strategy training; however, we recognize that quite often math (and
certain other subjects) require one-on-one instruction. If a need
arises, see your Contact Instructor. Also, remember that the college
provides widespread opportunities for
tutoring.
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What are the Study Strategy Workshops?
These are 8-week workshops that focus
on topics like textbook reading, note taking, listening
comprehension, memory, test-taking, phonics, math and writing
strategies, etc.
Click here for more
detailed information
Click here for Fall
Schedule
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How often or how long do I receive services if I'm eligible?
Our support services are available
to you for as long as you're at SMC and as often as you need them. The
important thing to remember is that you must stay in contact with us
so that we can work together to insure your success. Students who
benefit most from our services usually take the majority of our
workshops, take advantage of the accommodations we recommend, stay
in contact with their LD specialist, and use the drop-in study labs.
They also continue to expand their self-awareness and knowledge of learning disabilities and
become increasingly responsible for their own learning and
success.
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What about when I transfer to a four-year school?
Four year colleges offer services to
LD students and generally accept the California community
college testing and eligibility criteria; however, they may require
additional testing or documentation in some cases. When you get
ready to transfer, check with us to be certain your testing is
up-to-date. At your request, we will copy all relevant information
for you to pick up and send with your application. A good resource is The
Princeton Review's "K & W Guide to Colleges for the
Learning Disabled Student" or Peterson's Guide to
colleges with Programs for Learning Disabled Students.
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I have been diagnosed with a psychological disability, but I also
think I have learning problems. What should I do?
If you have documentation of your
psychological disability, bring it to the Disabled Student's Center
and meet with a counselor. You can receive many services and
accommodations similar to those offered by the LD program. It is
often quite difficult to assess for learning disabilities when there
are "competing" factors or issues, so we don't usually
advise it. It would be wise to take Human Development 20 to
focus on how best to study.
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Are there any evening services?
Unfortunately, these are limited.
We do have one Specialist who is on campus doing testing one night
per week. If you have been assessed, we are able to help you with
accommodations for your evening classes and can offer test
proctoring. Contact a Learning Specialist to discuss your options.
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What about Summer and Winter sessions?
In Summer Session we offer
Assessment Workshops and some tutoring and other limited services.
In Winter Session we primarily do individual testing for
Spring Assessment Workshops and offer limited services.
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