SAT accommodation of extra time for Asperger's

[allreading]

I usually write about my younger son, who has dyslexia and ADHD. Today, however, I have a question about my older (11th grade) child, who is gifted but has mild Asperger's.

As part of his Asperger's, he has difficulty with both gross and fine motor skills and has very slow handwriting. In connection with his original (3rd grade) multidisciplinary autism evaluation, he had a psychoeducational evaluation with a private-practice school psychologist. That testing showed that he was in the bottom 5th percentile on handwriting speed. Back then, the school psychologist suggested that he be permitted to type, and my son's school said, "OK." My son, however, didn't want to type, so he continued to handwrite everything. For years, he did well, because the handwriting demands were limited, and he's a smart kid. For the last few years, however, as handwriting and executive function demands (e.g., if there are 4 short-answer questions, 2 essay questions, and 25 multiple-choice questions, how much time do I allocate to each?) on tests have increased, he has really started to struggle. Last year, he repeatedly told me, "Mom, I knew the material. I just couldn't get it on paper in time." Notwithstanding this, however, he still objected strenuously when I suggested we ask for extra time. Finally, he had one too many bad grades on tests to which he knew the answers, and he agreed that I could ask for extra time for him. So, beginning at the end of last year, his private school permitted him extra time on tests, contingent, it said, on the College Board this fall allowing him to do the same on its tests. (I thought that was odd. The College Board asks if the SCHOOL is allowing accommodations. Seems circular to me.)

We are now filling out the Student Eligiblity Form to apply for extra time on the PSAT. The school, on its part of the form, must identify the involved disability. I was stunned to see that one of the choices is "Autism (not Asperger's)", BUT there is no option for Asperger's! Does the College Board not know that most individuals with Asperger's have difficulty with fine motor skills like handwriting? Has it decided that handwriting difficulties associated with Asperger's won't qualify a student for extra time?

The other available "disability" options on the school part of the form are: "LD (e.g., dyslexia, visual/auditory/language processing)," ADHD, Hearing, Visual, Physical, Other Impaired, No Diagnosed Disability.

I understand the College Board has become increasingly hostile to LDs and requests for accommodations, ever since it lost the federal lawsuit which challenged its "flagging" of scores achieved with accommodations. Has it now decided that - notwithstanding the DSM-IV-TR definition of Asperger's as an ASD - that Asperger's somehow is NOT on the autism spectrum?

Should my child's school identify my son's handwriting difficulty as an LD (dysgraphia, maybe?) or as a "physical" disability or as "other impaired"?

What has been your experience with similar requests for students with a similar disability?

Also, will the College Board insist on "current" testing for a condition arising as a result of an autism spectrum disorder? (As if autism would suddenly go away .....!) Seems a needless expense when college expenses loom large on the horizon.

Thanks, all, for the benefit of your experience with the College Board.

[bros]

Oh god. Getting accomodations for the SAT was hell for me. Good luck.

Make sure you read every line and don't check a single wrong box.

They insist on current testing for everything. Go to a neurologist can ask them to test your kid for Dysgraphia. Does he have hand pain when he writes? Well that is a pretty uncommon side effect, but yeah.

Send the College board every piece of documentation that you can get.

We could only get me a large block answer sheet and typing on essays.

THey wouldn't give me Extended TIme. THe msot they give is 150% time.

When I took the SATs, I was in a room by myself.

I'm dysgraphic with ADD.

[jw]

"The other available disability options on the school part of the form are: LD (e.g., dyslexia, visual/auditory/language processing; ADHD, Hearing, Visual, Physical, Other Impaired, No Diagnosed Disability."

Boy, I would be tempted to check all of the above (except no diagnosed disability). Have you tried to make a "blind call" (without giving your name) to the College Board to ask how they treat kid's with Aspergers? Also, you might want to post over the the OASIS Asperger's message board because there should be lots of people filling out this form. I wish I could be more helpful, but just wanted to tell you good luck!! jw

[jw]

Hi! I was able to find the directions for the form on the college board website. here is what it says about the disability category:

If the student’s disability is not listed (e.g., psychiatric
disability, Tourette’s syndrome, OCD, Asperger’s
syndrome), grid “Other” and specify the disability. If “Other”
is the only disability indicated, provide documentation
of the student’s disability and need for accommodations.
Do not use “Other” if there is another appropriate entry (e.g.,
include ADD diagnoses under ADHD, cerebral palsy under
physical, and “reading disability” and dysgraphia under LD).


I wonder if you son could qualify on two grounds - Asperger's and dysgraphia. Do you have time to get an updated handwriting evaluation? Showing that he is in the bottom f% in handwriting speed is pretty compelling evidence! Good luck, jw

P.S. Here is the liink to the instructions:

www.collegeboard.com/prod_downloads/ssd/eligibility_form_instructions.pdf

[allreading]

Thanks, everyone. I appreciate the link to the College Board instructions. I should have, but didn't, think to look there. (The form arrived in the mail today, Friday, and the school wants it back Monday, so I'm doing this on a short time frame.) I will also post on the OASIS website. Thank you for your experiences and ideas.

[bros]

Go to an OT or something, try to get the Beery Butanika (I think that is spelled right) test. And try to get the Wold Sentence Copying test.

[healthy11]

It sounds like you've already gotten the explanation to use "Other" for Asperger's, but I've got a LOT more information and suggestions re: SAT/ACT accommodations, if you need them later on....
Although it's not commonly approved, another poster here, Shawbridge, was able to get his son double-time on SAT testing...
Here's a previous Schwab thread, that lists some other information and connects to more discussions about SAT/ACT accommodations: www.schwablearning.org/message_boards/view_discussion.aspx?thread=24859

For what it's worth, your documentation for the College Board can be up to 5 years old. It is the "norm" to be denied accommodations the first time you submit a request, so prepare to appeal. I know a person on the SAT appeals board, and she said letters from teachers, showing a history of use of the type of accommodations you're asking for, is the most persuasive thing. That may be hard to get in your son's case, if he's been handwriting things and now wants to keyboard, but at least he should be able to get extended time....

[allreading]

You guys are great. Thanks for all the help, seasoned advice, and encouragement!

[SharonF]

allreading--

The PSAT is good practice for parents, not just kids.

My advice is to use this as your training ground. Get the doctor's written diagnoses, chart notes, doctor's written recommendations to the school, and anything else in your son's medical or educational files that explain the his fine motor difficulties. Put it together before your son enters 11th grade.

Also--make absolutely sure that your son not only has a keyboarding accommodation on his IEP/504...but that there is written evidence in your son's educational file that he is USING that accommodation. The SAT will reject requests for accoms if the school cannot prove that the student is currently using them on a regular basis in various classes.

Both of my kids got all the SAT/ACT accoms we requested on the first try, without any appeals.

My ds got extended time on both the SAT and ACT with just a copy of his IEP and the school's recommendation. He said he didn't need extra time on the SAT but really, really needed it on the ACT.

My dd got extended time and keyboarding on SAT. The keyboarding was granted because we submitted substantial paperwork proving her need: results and summaries of the doctors' tests over the years (neuropsych's tests such as Grooved Pegboard and various VMIs, ped-neuro's tests including nerve conduction and EMG), private clinic ped-OT and public school OT evals and reports over the years, and her IEP.

As a parent, you fill out the form requesting accoms, you submit your documentation, then your high school Disabilities Coordinator adds the IEP and completes the submittal. It was a darned thick file for my daughter, but it worked!

The ped-neuro diagnosed my dd with Focal Dystonia in 7th grade. Honestly, he believes dd's hand pain when writing and extremely small handwriting are part of her Nonverbal Learning Disability (Spectrum.) He chose to formally diagnose it Focal Dystonia because the symptoms fit and, as he put it, "the school will take it more seriously this way." He wrote a letter to the school explaining Focal Dystonia and how to accommodate for it. His approach was definitely the right way to go.

dd got extended time on the ACT but we didn't request keyboarding on the ACT because the paperwork was too much. We ran out of time filling out the request forms. But now I'm kicking myself a little.

Her ACT score was much better than her SAT. However, her ACT would have been even higher if she would have keyboarded her written expression on that test. Her written expression on the ACT (no keyboarding) was the lowest, by far, of all of her scores. Her written expression on the SAT (with keyboarding) was 100-points higher than either her math or her reading.

In short: it is definitely possible to get a keyboarding accom--but get the paperwork together now.

[socalgal]

I'm with Sharon: DD got accommodations the first time. It is key that your student uses the same accommodations for tests in school and it sounds as if your son should definitely consider moving to a keyboard. He'll have the same difficulties in college testing.

[allreading]

You're right, of course.

The challenge, though, is getting a child with Asperger's, who DOESN'T like change, to start using a keyboard for tests or notetaking. My son refused to use the AlphaSmart I bought him in third grade. He does use a computer at home now. I know college kids often carry around laptops, but my son loses EVERYTHING. If he did that, the laptop would last about one day before it disappeared.

It would even help my son if he would develop his own personal shorthand for classroom note-taking...for instance, if he's studying "cold fusion" in science class, he could use "CF" as shorthand for that two-word phrase. I've suggested he try developing such a method, but no go on that, either. Sigh.

On a related subject:
I read somewhere (here?) that the College Board only allows a student with LDs to use a computer if the SpellCheck and GrammarCheck are disabled. So, let's see....the College Board used to flag the results of SATs taken with accommodations, which allowed colleges to know which students had LDs. The courts put a stop to that. Yet the College Board still demands that all the misspellings from a dyslexic child appear in that child's essays, distracting the reader from the content of the essays, and suggesting possible LDs? Why? Does the College Board still think that a dyslexic's misspellings are indicative of a lack of ability or intelligence? If not, why not permit Spellcheck for a child with dyslexia?

Sally Shaywitz says we use reading (and spelling, I would add) as a proxy for intelligence. I suspect that if the typical college admissions officer were to receive a thoughtful essay which, however, was replete with misspellings, he or she would never get past the misspellings but would instead simply conclude that the writer wasn't too intelligent. I used to think that way before I had a child (younger son) with dyslexia. Having two intelligent children, each with his own "issues," has been a humbling and enlightening experience, and has totally changed how I view learning disabilities.

[healthy11]

AllReading, I'm afraid to say your assessment of a typical college admissions officer diminishing the value of an essay with misspellings is correct.

One of the colleges that my son applied to was "anal" about their essay requirements, and even gave a special seminar to families at one open house, about how to write a persuasive essay. The admissions rep boasted about having earned her journalism degree from the university a few years prior (which to me said, she couldn't get a "real" job in the outside world) and she gave example of the "dreadful" submissions that applicant had submitted recently....
One nursing candidate reported having "200 hours as a volunteer candy STRIPPER" instead of striper. The #!#@$!! admissions rep treated it like such a joke, apparently dismissing the fact that the applicant probably had tons of other positive qualities like empathy and compassion for people, etc.

Ironically, this school was my husband's alma mater, and he wrote them a scathing letter afterwards, pointing out how he graduated summa cum laude with an engineering degree, and yet he probably would never have been admitted if he had to provide the rigorous essays that are now required. It's a shame that spelling does reflect so directly on intelligence, when they really seem so unrelated....

[SharonF]

allreading--

You are correct. The College Board requires that students who keyboard their answer to the SAT Written Expression test not be allowed to use Spellcheck, Grammarcheck and any similar tools.

You are also correct that SAT/ACT essays seem to put as much weight on correct spelling as they do on content and depth of thought. The good news is that most colleges (at least now) do not count the writing score when determining who is accepted and who qualifies for merit-based scholarships. The writing score is supplemental.

We parents of kids with learning differences quickly conclude there is WAY too much emphasis on testing (NCLB, NAEP, SAT, ACT...). And many studies show that GPAs and SATs alone are not good predictors of college success. news.msu.edu/story/1039/ www.american.com/archive/2007/july-august-magazine-contents/abolish-the-sat Quoting from that second article: "The SAT’s independent role in predicting freshman grade point turned out to be so small that knowing the SAT score added next to nothing to an admissions officer’s ability to forecast how an applicant will do in college—the reason to give the test in the first place."

Colleges that don't use the SAT or ACT for admission over-rely on the applicant's essay. Again, is a well-crafted essay really a foolproof indicator of how well each student will do in college or how that student will enrich the campus?

Even worse, there is substantial evidence that many gifted students grow up to be unhappy adults. To be sure, many students who score lowest on standardized tests tend to earn low wages and are unhappy with life. But some of the most intellectually-gifted people are also the least satisfied with life. As Ernest Hemingway wrote, "Happiness in intelligent people is the rarest thing I know." And Hemingway took his own life.

Our society emphasizes the wrong things. GPAs and SATs are not predictors of happiness or contentment. They are not indicators of a person's value to others or to the Creator. We parents are wise to keep such artificial "measures" in their proper perspective.

[socalgal]

To bring a bit of perspective (having read 100's of essays for entrance to a college-level honors program): I've personally found that essays are very good indicators of academic ability. Given the fact that applicants have total control over the finished product -- they make the decision to use whatever tools are necessary to produce a document that is free of spelling and grammer errors -- a poorly written essay is a good demonstration of a student's skill set (or lack thereof).

I'm not convinenced that many gifted students grow up to be unhappy adults -- I would suggest that economist Richard Easterlin's research may provide greater insight into the questions of "happiness."

Ultimately, there is no "foolproof" indicator for college or life success however, essays offer admissions officers with important information to base their decisions.

Healthy: Nurses must be extremely detail-oriented individuals -- otherwise they make mistakes (such as administering wrong medication or harmful doses) that cost lives. An inability to submit an essay without spelling errors can indicate a candidate who will not be a successful professional.

Additionally, I take exception to your comments that those of us who work within the nation's colleges and universities are unable to get a job in the "real world." It is simply not the truth and frankly, is offensive.

[SharonF]

Thanks socalgal. It's important to have your perspective.

Before my kids were diagnosed with learning differences, I would have agreed with you 100%. I was a straight-A student, valedictorian, and used to think that good grades were always the result of hard work. I am certain you have read excellent essays by extremely capable young men and women who went on to become fine college students, assets to their campuses, and leaders in their communities.

I agree that poorly written essays often reflect poorly-developed (or nonexistant) writing skills and often relfect poorly-developed organizational skills. As a writer, I understand the complexity and nuances of good writing.

But what about young men and women who are 1) lousy/inconsistent test takers and 2) less than excellent writers? If they don't get a high enough SAT test score and don't respond well to the college-provided prompt, does that automatically mean they should not have an opportunity to attend college?

Not everyone needs to go to college. Only 25% to 30% of today's jobs require a college degree.

But neither of my kids is interested in a blue-collar career. My son, with both expressive and receptive language processing issues, is now in college to become a high school science teacher. My daughter (ADHD, NLD, CAPD) is a year away from going to college to major in sports medicine/athletic training.

Let's be honest. Very few middle and high schools really teach how to write well. They force kids to write overly-structured five paragraph essays that are stilted and feel coerced. As I helped edit my daughter's huge research paper due in 11th grade, I realized just how little she understands about good writing...or what makes writing good. A year ago, my son needed an INCREDIBLE amount of help to write his college application essays. Even then, most were mediocre. (Yes, he used spellcheck. His problems were with the development of ideas, vocabulary, varying his sentence structure, and monitoring the pacing and flow of the essay. I felt it was wrong if I essentially wrote the essays for him, so I guided him through the roughest waters and let him write the rest.)

I have concluded that writing, like athletic ability, is largely innate. Coaches could try to teach me how to be a quarterback. But I am clumsy and uncoordinated. Even after a year of trying to throw a 75-yard spiral, I would not be as good as someone who was born with a great passing arm.

Students all need to learn basic writing fundamentals. But even with those fundamentals, not all students will become strong writers. Just like I won't become a pro athlete. Not all students will master the craft of writing to produce fine application essays. And many of those same students who are weak writers also do not get great SAT scores. They are often hands-on people, not paper/pencil people.

I ask as just a mom who wants her young adult children to be successful and attend college if that is their desire: what are your recommendations?

[socalgal]

Aug 26, 2008 15:59:50 GMT -5 SharonF said:

Thanks socalgal.
Let's be honest. Very few middle and high schools really teach how to write well. They force kids to write overly-structured five paragraph essays that are stilted and feel coerced. As I helped edit my daughter's huge research paper due in 11th grade, I realized just how little she understands about good writing...or what makes writing good. A year ago, my son needed an INCREDIBLE amount of help to write his college application essays. Even then, most were mediocre. (Yes, he used spellcheck. His problems were with the development of ideas, vocabulary, varying his sentence structure, and monitoring the pacing and flow of the essay. I felt it was wrong if I essentially wrote the essays for him, so I guided him through the roughest waters and let him write the rest.)

I ask as just a mom who wants her young adult children to be successful and attend college if that is their desire: what are your recommendations?

I totally agree with you regarding the lack of teaching and that not everyone is a talented writer.

Here are my recommendations (and even as a professional writer, I use all of these):
1. No matter how hard it is to begin a document -- just do it! Get it started early -- don't procrastinate.

2. Use spellcheck and grammercheck -- but never imagine that these tools will catch all mistakes.

3. Print out drafts of your document and read them outloud -- this works very well after you've taken a 10 to 24 hour break from writing.

4. When you think it is done -- ask at least one other person to read your work, better is two. Give it to them double-spaced so they can make suggested edits easily. Almost every document can be improved in this way.

5. For longer documents, use an outline and refer back to it as you are writing -- this helps you to make sure that you have covered all of the points that are important to you.

6. Keep in mind that for every hour you spend writing, you'll spend 3 to 5 hours in research and preparation activities.

7. Read (or listen to) good writing -- fiction and non-fiction.

8. Good writers practice regularly to maintain their skills.

Helpful?

[SharonF]

SoCalGal--

Your advice is solid. Thank you for taking the time to share it!

As an avid reader, I have found that the best way to learn to write well is to read the works of those who are good writers. However, I married a wonderful man who is the slowest reader I have ever seen. He is extremely multi-sensory. And our kids inherited his cognitive style.

Neither of my kids will read anything unless it is mandated for a grade. (Okay, they'll check the scores in the sports section of the newspaper, but not read the articles.) They do not share my passionate love of words. In fact, they cannot understand why anyone would love reading or writing.

For them, writing is extremely tedious and difficult. I agree with your recommendation that 3-5 hours of research needed for each hour of writing. For them, doing extended research only exacerbates the torture. They don't like reading. They like writing even less.

I don't believe either of my kids has experienced the thrill that comes from wording a sentence "just right." Or grabbing the best, most descriptive word from their mind's word bank. They approach writing the way I approach exercise--with dread and loathing, feeling that it is all effort with no reward. Not even an intrinsic reward.

I truly understand why colleges prefer students with high SAT/ACT scores, high GPAs, or students who can already write well before arriving on campus. In general, those students are the easiest to teach! But in my opinion, colleges should not only look for the students who are easiest to teach. Their mission should extend to those students who bring other, valuable gifts to higher learning, to the workforce, and to society.

As I said, I was a straight A student. But my dd worked much, much harder for her D-minus in Algebra II last year than I ever worked for all those As I got in my AP classes. My easy A's did not make me a better person. If anything, those easy A's made me condescending and less empathetic. I think colleges and workforces should prefer hardworking, determined students who understand what it is like to struggle but do not give up. However, tenacity is not always apparent by just looking at a person's GPA or an SAT.

While my dd's years of courage and determination might make for a great college application essay, she is not one to brag. And she certainly doesn't want anyone to know that she has learning difficulties. Even if I could persuade her to tell a complete stranger how she has persevered and succeeded despite her LDs, she probably would struggle to find the right words and phrasing to say it well.

It's so tempting to "over guide" both of my kids when they write important papers. Writing is such a joy for me. It is such a pain for them. But I have learned not to help them too much. It only makes them dependent on me and less confident in their own ability. I'll print out your eight suggestions and encourage my dd to get started on her college essays on Labor Day.

[allreading]

Fascinating discussion. There is truth in each perspective. I do agree with SoCalGal that, when there is no learning disability involved, the ability to write and spell may indeed be a rough indicator of intelligence. The same, however, is not true when a learning disability is involved.

Like SharonF, academics came easily to me. Growing up, I read easily and often, DID find joy in crafting "the perfect sentence," and always nailed standardized testing. In fact, that testing paid for most of my undergraduate education.

I married an intelligent, perceptive, professional man who enjoyed reading, and who was a graduate of two respected universities. Because he seldom handwrote anything, I only noticed in passing that his spelling was atrocious and his handwriting worse. It never would have occurred to me that he could have been dyslexic. (To this day, he won't admit it.) It certainly never occurred to me that I could have a child who was dyslexic or had any other disability.

It rocked my world when I found out that my one of my boys had dyslexia and ADHD, and the other had Asperger's. I learned first about my younger son's dyslexia and ADHD, and was stunned. So THIS was why this smart boy who, at age six, could take apart and fix my garage door opener, couldn't remember how to spell his last name. This was why this charming, adorable, social child would turn belligerent and anti-social when he had to read. This was why we spent hours doing the kindergarten work that his classmates spent minutes doing.

For me, my younger son's psychometric testing results were sheer relief. Yes, indeed, they confirmed his dyslexia and - surprise! - his ADHD, but they also confirmed that he was, as I had always believed, very bright. It's ironic. I had always liked and trusted tests, and it took a battery of tests to confirm for me, in a way I could trust, that having an LD was ENTIRELY unrelated to intelligence. My son, it turned out, was gifted, even if he couldn't spell well, even if his handwriting was labored, even if he needed MSL instruction to be able to read, even if he needed ADHD medication to focus and sustain attention.

Often, the CEOs of corporations, the surgeons with skilled hands, the musicians who write the sounds that move our souls, the diplomatics who save our world from war .... are men and women who were not the world's best test-takers but who have an intelligence that cannot be denied. Would any college admissions officer conclude from Sir Richard's Branson's tortured spelling that he was not intelligent? Of course not. His wildly successful business ventures prove otherwise.

Having come to this knowledge painfully and slowly, I, perhaps unfairly, resent those who have not yet acquired that knowledge, and who still assume that if you don't spell or write well, you are not intelligent. I particularly resent it when they stand at the gateway to opportunity for my child. If I am honest with myself, I admit that I still feel shame that I once shared their belief that you could only be intelligent if you spelled well, read well, and wrote well. My child has taught me otherwise.

[healthy11]

allreading, I can assure you that you're not alone in your feelings. Those of us with "2e" kids have particular challenges in "educating the educators" about the gifts that lie within our children, since they tend to only "see" the weaknesses. At least you've taken the knowledge that you've gained through your son, and are trying to help and inform others now. I think quite a few of us here at Millermom share that mission.

[socalgal]

Aug 26, 2008 22:03:56 GMT -5 allreading said:

Fascinating discussion. There is truth in each perspective. I do agree with SoCalGal that, when there is no learning disability involved, the ability to write and spell may indeed be a rough indicator of intelligence. The same, however, is not true when a learning disability is involved.

I used the words "skill set" not intelligence for a reason -- LD students have a far more challenging path but it is up to them to use accommodations and tools that allow them to communicate.

I'm not a big believer in the SAT or ACT -- but application essays are different. Isn't this the exact reason why our parent's community pushes so hard for assistive technology and accommodations?

Its not just about students who are easier to teach -- its also about students who are prepared and mature for a very different educational environment.

LD students who make use of every tool available to them -- like Dragonspeak and spellcheck, for example, are students who are far more likely to complete a college degree within six years. And retention is big reason for admissions decisions -- every higher education instition in the US must report it's graduation rates (within six years) to the federal government in order to offer federal financial aid funds.

I get how it feels -- my daughter, no matter how hard she works, will never be an Olympic skater -- it isn't going to happen. She's talented but nowhere near enough to be competitive. Frankly, I'm not holding out for a skating scholarship either. And our society makes a great deal about these abilities as well.

[allreading]

Ah, SoCalGal, I may have misunderstood your earlier post. My apologies. I think we agree.

I had initially written of the College Board's refusal to permit SpellCheck on SAT essays. You replied with regard to application essays, where, of course, SpellCheck can and should be used. I agree that it is valid to examine the care with which such an application essay is written, including whether the writer took the time to use SpellCheck. Of course, as we know, SpellCheck is not perfect, and a dyslexic applicant may not be any better than SpellCheck at distinguishing "their" from "there."

The most important part of an application essay will always be the content. Is there a mind thinking, and a heart beating, in the words on the page? Is there a unique perspective? a creative approach? a novel turn of the phrase? The challenge for parents is to encourage and teach our children to let their personalities shine through their essays. For our children with LDs, for whom writing has always been painful, there will be little joy in the task, and they may be particularly reluctant to attempt the unusual, for fear that they will be worse at the quirky or innovative than they are with the garden-variety. It's just a challenge.....

[healthy11]

Given my son's recent experience with college applications, I can only say that I'm amazed at the number of other students whom we've run into, who've echoed his sentiments about concentrating on applying to universities that didn't require essays. (I understand my son's perspective, since he's got LD's, but the majority of his peers don't, yet they were doing much the same!) Perhaps it's because most of his friends are more math/science/engineering types, rather than liberal arts majors?

[socalgal]

Healthy: Could be but I'm also seeing a definite dislike of any extended writing assignments among undergraduates -- more and more arrive in college-level classes without ever having had to write a 5 to 10 page term paper in high school.