Dyslexic/Learning Disabled Students At Dartmouth College

• Published in: Annals of dyslexia Vol. 38; no. 1; pp. 276 - 284
• Main Authors: Pompian, Nancy W., Thum, Carl P.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States The Orton Dyslexia Society 01-01-1988
• Subjects: Academic learning; College students; Colleges; Dyslexia; Learning disabilities; Nursing students; Part III: Theory and Practice—Interdependent; School surveys; Second language learning; Special needs students; Vocational education
• ISSN: 0736-9387; 1934-7243
• DOI: 10.1007/BF02648261

Dartmouth College, a highly selective Ivy League college with 4100 undergraduates, has a small but significant number of dyslexic/learning-disabled students, two-thirds of whom were identified through diagnostic testing at Dartmouth. Close advising relationships and intensive interviews with Dartmouth learning-disabled students reveal a profile of a particular category of learning-disabled college students. In spite of experiencing difficulty in a specific content area or with an information-processing task, learning-disabled Dartmouth students achieve well academically, socially, and extracurricularly, get high scores on timed SAT and IQ tests, and rely when necessary on accommodations, rather than remedial courses or specialized tutorial assistance. The authors surveyed selective colleges in 1986 and 1988 and found an increase in awareness and academic accommodations at other selective colleges during this two-year period. A 1987 dyslexic/learning-disabilities symposium hosted by Dartmouth is described, as are Dartmouth's services and accommodations. The authors provide a suggested list of services and resources for highly selective colleges.