Medical School?

Done. Here is a Web site I’ve created about a famous family doctor who overcame dyslexia to achieve her dream of becoming a physician.

Yours truly,
Kathy Green

http://www.geocities.com/zorrothefox2000/marygrodalewis/marygrodalewishome.html

Vicky wrote:
>
> My 16 year old son is a senior and excellent student w/
> learning disalilities. He will be pursuing a major in
> biology with plans to attend medical school. He is beginning
> to lose confidence…would like to know about medical
> professionals who have reached their goals dispite a learning
> disability. I want to help sustain his enthusiasm for
> learning! Would like to be able to show him that his goals
> are realistic. Thanks

One more thing. Dr. Barbara P. Guyer, who runs the H.E.L.P program at Marshall University, has written a book titled THE PRETENDERS: GIFTED PEOPLE WHO HAVE DIFFICULTY LEARNING. Two of the people profiled in her book have become doctors. I believe their stories, as well as Mary Groda-Lewis’s, will inspire your 16-year-old son.

Yours truly,
Kathy G.
Kathy G. wrote:

> Done. Here is a Web site I’ve created about a famous family
> doctor who overcame dyslexia to achieve her dream of becoming
> a physician.
>
> Yours truly,
> Kathy Green
>
> http://www.geocities.com/zorrothefox2000/marygrodalewis/marygrodalewishome.html
>
> Vicky wrote:
> >
> > My 16 year old son is a senior and excellent student w/
> > learning disalilities. He will be pursuing a major in
> > biology with plans to attend medical school. He is beginning
> > to lose confidence…would like to know about medical
> > professionals who have reached their goals dispite a learning
> > disability. I want to help sustain his enthusiasm for
> > learning! Would like to be able to show him that his goals
> > are realistic. Thanks

Why now is he losing his confidence? How has he done in school so far? If he’s done well this far, he should be able to go on to the rest.

Get the older edition of Princeton’s Review Guide to the Best 311 Colleges. It had a section on colleges which provide support to students with learning differences. Brown University has a good track record for supporting LD students but there were others as well.

He should also be able to get extended time for his SATS and MCATS. These kind of things can help him to attain his goals.

Good luck.

Thank you Kathy G and Sara,

Thank you Kathy G and Sara,

Thank you Kathy G and Sara,

I will be sure to share the story of Mary Groda-Lewis with my son and I plan to order the book by Barbara Guyer. I think that he will appreciate being able to identify with someone else. I am hoping that it will give him encouragement. I also visited the website for Marshall University….maybe that is a school that he should consider. He has his heart set on 2 of the larger schools in NC and from what I understand, they don’t have strong support programs for LD students. I will check out other publications to try to get more info on the best college programs.

To answer your question Sara - My son has become frustrated with his recent inability to recall basic simple facts which have resulted in a couple of poor test grades recently…he is working on that, but I guess it can be discouraging when he has his sights set on such a tough college course of study.

He is re-taking the SAT soon with accomodations for extended test time…we hope. A better score should help w/ college admission to the schools that he is looking at.

Thanks for the help!
Vicky

Hi Vicky,
I’m concerned that your son could be putting too much pressure on himself by setting up a situation where there is only one way to “win.” For him to be worrying already about WHICH school he gets into (and I’ll bet Duke is one school on his list…right?) suggests he may be setting unrealistic goals for himself. Duke is one of the most difficult schools to get into, even for people who do not have learning challenges! So is UNC Chapel Hill, which I am guessing might be the other school on his list. Anyway, I would hope that you can encourage your son to study biology and to keep his goal in sight, but to allow himself the freedom to re-evaluate his plans as he moves along through high school and college. There are many kinds of medical careers. Being a physician is only one of them. There are many medical schools, and most of them are outside North Carolina. It might be a good idea to have your son meet with a psychologist or psychiatrist. The doc can help your son see that there are many ways to move ahead, and that setting only ONE acceptable outcome could be counterproductive in the long run. The fact that your son has developed some memory problems tells me he needs to be evaluated just to be safe. He could be getting depressed, or developing anxiety problems that need to be addressed before they get bigger.

Here’s a thought: Dr. Mel Levine at UNC CH, a leading world expert in learning differences has overcome his own learning challenges, and written several books. Maybe your son would enjoy reading some of his work. Go to www.allkindsofminds.org for more information about Dr. Levine and his research. Also, ADHD experts Drs. Ratey and Hallowell (DRIVEN TO DISTRACTION) both have ADD but also have been very successful. Please help your son see he has lots of options, and to be prepared to explore all of them. Best wishes. JJ

Recall could be a real problem… there is an *awful* lot of memorization involved in med school. Howeer, 16 is not the time to be deciding not to give it a shot. I remember asking the guy who was acing an awfully tough freshman Honors Bio course taught by a doctor who was teaching it as if it were a med school course just how he was acing it… he said that he didn’t just try to memorize the stuff, he made sure it all made sense. Lots of work, but more efficient than cramming it all in.

JJ,
Thanks for the reply!

Beleive it or not, Duke was not on his list - Chapel Hill is a “dream choice” for him. He is thinking about NC State - which is though to get into, but they will look more strongly at high school performance and other activities…he has a shot there. He is also considering a couple of private schools - No, not Wake Forest. I really think that his college goals are realistic - we’ll see.

He and I will check out your suggested readings…My main concern is keeping him on track for the very reason that you point out. There ARE a lot of medical profession choices. I am hoping that his college career progresses, he will find the field that suits him best….I just want him to be a successful as possible and part of that is taking strength from others who have been there.

Also, he will be a young college freshman and I want to help him stay as focused as possible….of course my impact is out the window this time next year since he will be living on campus!

Thanks again - you gave me several things to think about!
Vicky

Thanks Sue J,
I know that the major he has chosen will require a tremendous amount of recall and that is what concerns both of us. The strategy that you mentioned is a great suggestion and makes a lot of sense. In fact, that is probably what he does a lot, just not deliberately. He learns concepts much easier that strict memorization. I too beleive that he is too young to give up on a goal even if it ends up being out of reach later on. He needs to make that decision as time goes on and I hope that he has the support to transition to a suitable career.

It’s like I have told him time and again….Figure out what you enjoy and what you are good at and go for it!

I - like most parents - just want to make that path as smooth as possible!

Thanks again,
Vicky

The Eaton-Coull group has an excellent video on the transition to college, w/ a bunch of real folks with LDs and/or attention issues of varying degrees. http://www.eclg.com/home.htm

Thanks Sue…..I appreciate the info and will check it out!

Read “Driven to Distraction” by Edward Hollowell. I think I have spelled his name correctly. He is a doctor who wrote that book and others. He is also ADHD and went through medical school. Now, he helps others! Another great source is “Hunters not Farmers”. Postive teaching for positive students!!!!!!!