While the Common App has made the college application process more efficient, students are now facing greater expectations for their accomplishments. This increased pressure can be particularly challenging for students with IEPs and 504s, causing them to feel more stressed than usual and leaving parents struggling to help them navigate through the workload. One clear illustration of this difficulty is the task of writing the personal essay.

When researching "college essay for children with learning disabilities," you might come across numerous articles discussing the termination of IEPs post high school, or the prevalent use of 504 plans as the primary form of accommodation in colleges. Some articles deliberate on whether disclosing the disability in the essay is necessary. While this information is valuable, what about the high school student striving to enhance their application? For individuals with learning disabilities, crafting a compelling college essay that mirrors their attributes and principles can be daunting due to the requisite executive functioning skills.

Most of the time, students' struggle with academic tasks is not due to a lack of intelligence, but rather a lack of understanding how to effectively utilize their cognitive abilities. Some individuals excel as visual learners and thrive under the guidance of a mentor who illustrates concepts with vivid imagery. Kinesthetic learners may find note-taking, rearranging, or using notebooks and whiteboards beneficial. Meanwhile, auditory learners may require detailed verbal explanations from educators to navigate through assignments. In reality, each student possesses a blend of these learning styles, with one typically being more prominent, which is where working with a professional writing tutor can really make a difference.

Having personal experience with learning disabilities, I can relate to all of these challenges. I had two children with learning disabilities who did not respond to my prompting when it came to their schoolwork. I had to seek external help, just like you may be considering now, because our children usually listen better to the same message sent by another adult. Furthermore, I myself was a student with undiagnosed learning disabilities. It is why I am so passionate about helping students unlock their potential. Write Away Tutoring is here to support your child in crafting their college application essay, so that you can fight for them, not with them.

Ashley Fuchs is a professional college essay writing coach at Write Away Tutoring. Contact her today to ask more about getting started.