For Students with a learning disability, dyslexia and ADHD issues mentoring is a proven approach to help students achieve their academic goals.
A mentor can help students choose an academic program to achieve their career planning, and improve their job placement rates after their graduation.
A mentor help develop skills to self -advocate, allows the student to have access to safe places and a caring adult who helps them grow socially emotionally and academically.
For students that suffer from LD, dyslexia, ADHD who suffer from low self-perception, mentoring can not only improve their academic outcome it improves their self- confidence and self-advocacy skills.
A mentor can help develop and improve coping strategies and improve the student’s sense of responsibility.
A mentor is helpful emotionally as a friendship develops with someone whom they can discuss their challenges, assist them to build their strength academically, promote self advocacy for their accommodation and give them a sense that someone cares for them.
We, at LDRFA, realized from past experience that just giving an award without follow up is not effective. Often, students get discouraged and do not make phone calls to get help.
A student struggling to keep up with the academic demands as well as seeking financial resources, often become stressed and feel overwhelmed and call it quits.
However, when they are able to express their anxiety, and help is offered, they usually are able to work through the problem.
Here is a quote from a letter of a student to LDRFA.
That student wrote: “I was so touched, that I no longer consider the LD Resources Foundation and its Sponsors just a foundation or just Sponsors. I consider them my extended family.” – Jason
Learning disabled Students transitioning to college need to develop Self-advocacy skills these skills will help bring them academic success
An important point is that mentoring can help the student focus on developing and building their abilities and confidence to become their own self- advocate. This is especially hard for students who are transitioning to college. These students need to learn to navigate the transition from high school. This process is especially challenging for many students with learning disabilities. They need to self-identify their disability and decide whether to seek accommodations and determine the accommodation needed for their learning disability, dyslexia or ADHD. Some students have expressed discomfort with the process.
Becoming their own self-advocate requires them to become experts on their disabilities
and, to know what specific services and help they need using self-advocacy strategies to obtain this support. Their lives should not be defined by the assumptions and decisions of others they need the skills to be able to take control of their own life.
We strongly encourage our students to have a mentor and one day we hope
that those students that we helped, will become mentors reaching out and educating others, touching their lives and, in so doing, pass on the inspiration and knowledge needed to guarantee
that one day no one will have to suffer from the lack of help for their learning disabilities.