Katherine Mercurio Gotthardt asked:
Arlyn, how would you help a student who wants to enter the military to
transition?  Are there specific requirements that LD students need to
consider (other than passing the physical)?  Does the military even accept
LD students?  Are there accommodations in the military?



Hi Katherine-
I don't have a definitive answer about LD in the military, but not long ago
I was at a meeting in Washington and there was a representative there from
Hanscom Air Force Base in MA. Since it was  a meeting about transition and
LD, I'm guessing her position is to provide some sort of support once
they're in.

I just did some Googling and came up with the fact that one does not have to
have a high school diploma to enlist, but a GED is necessary if there's no
diploma. Also, there's a test, called the ASVAB, one has to take. It's a
multiple choice test with 200 questions.One has three hours to complete ten
short tests. 

The ASVAB tests cover General Science, Arithmetic Reasoning, Word Knowledge,
Paragraph Comprehension, Numerical Operations, Coding Speed, Auto and Shop
Information, Mathematics Knowledge, Mechanical Comprehension and Electronics
Information.No one passes or fails the ASVAB. However, to be considered for
enlistment in the Army, one has to score at least a 31. Scores are provided
on a report called the ASVAB Student Results Sheet, with additional
information to help understand what they mean.

Seems to me, with your student you would set a goal  to narrow down which
branch of the services is of interest, then contact a rep to ask questions
about accommodations on the test AND in training for those who DO get in.
There are sample questions on the web, so you could have the student try
those and see whether it seems too daunting or actually approachable. If the
latter is the case, you could help the student prepare for the test.

Beyond that, I think it would make a lot of sense to set another goal of
interviewing a carefully chosen enlistee (perhaps one with an LD) about the
realities of life in the services, help your student identify which pieces
might be particularly challenging, and - back to my basic bottom-line
transition goals again - help him/her learn how to self-disclose and
self-advocate for any needed accommodations.

The structure of the services might be very helpful for some with LD. I'd be
interested in hearing from others on the list who have more experience with
students who've gone this route (or who've tried and failed).
Arlyn