To Youth with an NVLD- Growing up facing fine and gross motor skill deficits did bring some confusion as it seemed I was the only one who had these difficulties. Early on it caused me to be so sad when my mom said we needed to leave for OT or when my APE teacher would say things like “Eileen you’re with me today so we can do a music and movement activity that involves jumping, doing jumping jacks and skipping.” Read More
In my previous piece, I discussed how students with an NVLD can sometimes have too many services and modifications to address different areas of weaknesses. However, I do believe services for many NVLD students are typically necessary at least in the elementary years as gaining these skills is so important to help make school and life as successful as possible. However, I do understand your child’s frustrations as it took me a while to understand the need for these services too. Read More
First Example- Growing up I was fortunate enough to have widespread support though the family that made the strongest impression on us was the Pinkerton Family as never once did having an NVLD matter. This led to many hours of playing at each other’s houses. With our mothers loving the outdoors many winter days were spent playing in the snow and summer days were spent in our pool. In addition, Mr.Pinkerton had me on his baseball team despite my poor gross motor skills. Additionally during my high school years when the social deficits showed up more, the Pinkerton kids never once ended their friendship with me and their parents were always there for our family too. It truly set a great example for not being afraid to reach out to neighbors for support or be afraid to join outside groups.
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Growing up with an NVLD, one of the things that greatly bothered me was how clear it was that students weren’t being encouraged to challenge themselves a little by joining activities, and having new experiences. It truly took some time for my support team to understand my parents’ philosophies. However, as time went on it ended up being a great learning experience for us all. The truth is students with an NVLD and other disabilities loved challenging themselves more than some realized. Read More
The Importance of Having Same Resource Room Teacher and Requesting Teachers Ahead of Time, by Eileen
One of things I learned during my high school years as a student with NVLD is that having the same resource room teacher all four years was so helpful. My resource room teacher had such a clear understanding of my NVLD and it made it easier to truly reach my goals. Another thing I learned was that by speaking to your school counselor ahead of time to request teachers is so helpful too as regrettably not all teachers are so accepting of students with disabilities. Some districts do this automatically and others don’t so it is important to speak up especially if you are a hard working student. Read More
As a student with an NVLD I was very grateful to be in a school district that valued inclusion and that they received all their training from Syracuse University, a renowned leader in inclusion. However like others I am sure, they misunderstood the differences between partial and full inclusion especially for the secondary level. Read More
Over the years I have been asked by my former support team what my secret was for being successful in college as so many like myself didn’t make it through college. The truth is there aren’t any secrets to my success. The difference was that I chose to attend schools with comprehensive support programs where I received a great deal of academic and social support while they attended schools that offer only basic support which just gave only basic accommodations such as extended time.
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To Dr. Anne- My first time meeting you when we came down to finalize my Arch Accommodation Plan I didn’t know what to totally expect as you had some doubts but yet were also impressed by my determination and work ethics. What greatly impressed me is how during it you focus first on these traits first and then share some ways I would be successful. One of them was to check in with you weekly and thankfully I listened to you. What I remember most was you telling me after only a month at Dean that I was a student who you no longer had to worry about. This was special to me as so many believed college was the wrong choice for me, yet here I was at college being successful. You truly set a wonderful example of how students with an NVLD and other Learning Disabilities, when given some extra attention, are successful in college. For me this led to you seeing my ability first and becoming a real advocate to me. You even made sure the locks in my dorm got changed to ID cards only as you saw the key was too tricky for me. You truly were an incredible program director and my strongest advocate.
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In my experience overcoming an NVLD, students with the disability or other Learning Disabilities can be given too many accommodations and support through high school. While this may seem helpful in the long run this can do more harm than good as it limits the opportunities to learn how to self-advocate and overcome challenges on your own.
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Growing up with an NVLD I watched so many students living with similar challenges not challenging themselves and honestly I didn’t get it. In my eyes, being challenged leads to greater results both academically and personally. Therefore, I believe more IEP teams and parents need to understand that being challenged leads students to seeing their true potential and not being afraid to encourage students to take on challenges. As I look back I feel I learned so much from always being challenged.
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