Graduation Prospects of College Students with Specific Learning Disorder and Students with Mental Health Related Disabilities

Abstract

This study's goal was to compare aspects related to academic persistence of two groups of college students with non-visible disabilities: 110 Canadian two and four-year college students -55 with mental health related disabilities and 55 with Specific Learning Disorder (LD). Results show that students with mental health related disabilities were less likely to intend to graduate than students with LD. Students with mental health disabilities were also older, more likely to be female, to have worse personal circumstances and to feel more socially isolated on campus. They were also less likely to be enrolled in their first choice program or to be registered for campus disability related services than students with LD. Different variables predicted intention to graduate for the two groups. This is a key finding in helping students in these two groups successfully graduate, as they may have different academic, social, personal and accommodation needs. Recommendations are made about how to intervene to improve the academic persistence of students with mental health related disabilities. These include minimizing the fear of stigmatization and adopting a model where accommodations are based on students' unique needs rather than their diagnoses.

The University Experiences of Students with Learning Disabilities

“…Additionally, students who self-reported LD had completed more academic units than those who reported ND. All of these differences are consistent with the long and circuitous matriculation that characterizes many students with LD (Jorgensen et al, 2007). On average, undergraduates who report some type of disability are 4 years older (Horn and Nevill, 2006), and they take twice as long to complete their degree than those who reported no disability (Wolanin, 2005).…”

“…A third, related factor is that LD is a hidden disability and, as such, the challenges faced by students with LD are often unnoticed or misunderstood (Janiga & Costenbader, 2002;Wolf, 2001). It is not surprising, then, that postsecondary students with LD take longer to earn a degree (Jorgensen et al, 2007) and are more likely to leave postsecondary schooling without earning a degree (Newman et al, 2011) than other students.…”

Traumatic Brain Injury: Persistent Misconceptions and Knowledge Gaps Among Educators

“…For Canadian students, a level playing field may be imperative and, thus, they might be willing, in spite of fear of social stigma, to identify themselves more readily in order to obtain accommodations. Yet, our data (Jorgensen, Budd, Fichten, Nguyen, & Havel, 2016) suggest that this group of students has the worst academic outcomes among students with disabilities. The literature (e.g., St-Onge, Tremblay, & Garneau, 2009) also indicates that a variety of accommodations are needed for these students as well.…”

Students with LD at Postsecondary: Supporting Success and the Role of Student Characteristics and Integration

“…Yet there are mixed findings when it comes to grades as the primary indicator of success, for students in general and for students with LD specifically. Some researchers suggest that students with LD tend to have lower GPAs than their peers without LD (McGregor et al, 2016), whereas others report no difference between students with LD and peers without LD in terms of grades (Jorgensen et al, 2005). Regardless of the mean differences when it comes to grades, it is also possible that students with LD and their peers without LD have a broader definition of what it means to them to be successful in their postsecondary pursuits rather than just focusing on grades.…”