This year’s National College Attainment Network (NCAN) National Conference featured three workshops about serving students with learning
differences. The speakers came from different parts of the country but were in clear agreement with what it took to support students in their transitions beyond high school.
We started with the pre-conference on September 15 titled “Navigating College Attainment with Neurodiverse Students: from Transition to Transformation.” This session was led by representatives from Beacon College, who provided a truly comprehensive guide for organizations aiming to support neurodiverse students through a combination of proven practices, institutional support, and engagement strategies. They emphasized the
importance of understanding learning disabilities (LD) and ADHD, detailing how these issues manifest, particularly in reading, writing, math, and time management. Effective engagement strategies like assistive technology, peer support, and accessible
learning environments are crucial to these students’ success.
However, self-awareness, self-advocacy, and proactive communication are the only way neurodiverse students can access those supports in college:
Students with learning differences often battle increased stress and low self-esteem. The consistent metrics of school and even the make-up of academic supports in K-12 can “other” them. The best approach to supporting students with learning differences
begins by helping them become a self-cheerleader. Their experience in life keeps them uniquely aware of their limitations. Help them identify strengths and the “superpowers” that come along with their differences.
The legal differences between student support services in K-12 and college are the source of much of the confusion for students. In college, students must lead the professionals through the support they need to be academically successful. Providing
the student support office with diagnosis paperwork and notifying each professor of the accommodations they will need for the class is often the students’ responsibility. It is also the students’ responsibility to vet class sizes, class format,
or ask for assistive technology.
Proactive communication is the most imperative to students with learning differences and their families. While services are available, they take time to implement. Likewise, families must give the student time to become autonomous.
This session really urged practitioners to analyze the academic and social engagement they are providing students with learning differences. Assisting neurodiverse students find and develop systems such as proven habits, positive routines, and compensatory
strategies have the largest influence on their college persistence and eventual attainment.
In another session titled “Empowering College Success: Navigating Learning Differences with Inclusive Pathways and Family Engagement,” speakers from UnidosUS and the Puente Learning
Center spoke about the extensive work they are doing with underserved families in California. They provided numerous examples of how they help families move past the stigma of learning differences to empowerment and eventually community advocacy.
Together, both UnidosUS and the Puente Learning Center are fostering open dialogue among their families to understand learning differences and what accommodations are available for their students.
They support families in being active in their schools to ensure the schools are accountable and accessible to their students.
The presentation also focused on sensory processing issues, where students may struggle with stimuli such as loud noises, bright lights, or certain textures. Strategies to mitigate these challenges include providing sensory tools like fidget spinners
or noise-canceling headphones and implementing sensory breaks. Nonverbal signals, such as hand-raising or color cards, can help students discreetly communicate their needs and manage sensory overload. UnidosUS is taking steps toward normalizing these
accommodations through the use of sensory tools and nonverbal signals in their own programming. Through this holistic approach, students can overcome challenges and succeed in college settings with the support of family, accommodations, and institutional
resources.
We finished Tuesday with “Academic Intentionality: CLASS a Framework for Strategic Thinking and Actions during Academic and Workplace Transitions.” The speakers from the STEPP program at East Carolina University (Greenville, NC) shared some of the tools and methods they use with their students with learning differences. The CLASS framework provides a tool students can use to be strategic during the transitions they are facing between
high school, college, and career. CLASS stands for:
Course: Helping students navigate the specifics of each course.
Learning Profile: Tailoring learning strategies to the individual needs of the student.
Analyze: Encouraging reflection and assessment of academic progress.
Strategize: Developing actionable plans to overcome challenges.
Succeed: Focusing on implementing these strategies to achieve academic and career goals.
The framework is not discipline-specific and can be adapted to different educational environments, making it a versatile tool for supporting students across various contexts. One of the key aspects of CLASS is its focus on helping students become proactive,
self-advocates, capable of identifying their needs and seeking the appropriate accommodations and resources.
Ensuring students with learning differences are prepared for both academic and workplace transitions is a challenge for most programs. The three sessions coming from the four programs this year helped make that easier.
If you attended our 2024 National Conference and would like the slides and resources from these great sessions, navigate to the mentioned titles and download the shared files on the conference app.
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