I just got diagnosed with this...

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CaliGal777

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2+ Year Member
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Hi there,

I just got diagnosed with a intellectual disability diagnosis where the psychologist has requested accommodations for me including visual aids, extra time on assignments/quizzes/exams, continually speaking with a learning strategist, movement breaks, reduced testing distraction to test in a quiet low stimuli environment, etc.

My psychiatrist and psychologist both approve of these accommodations, and now want to get me medicated a well known stimulant. In grad school, I got decent grades, but I was always behind, stressed where my chronic illness would get worse and my immune system would become a crapshoot (more than it already is) and Id end up in the ER with a pneumonia of some kind. This rendered me to get many medical leaves over the years.

Although my psychologist wants more testing to completely rule out ADHD, she has said I have an executive function disorder that has only gotten worse due to my chronic medical condition from the frontal lobe where inattentiveness, loose focus, procrastination, difficulty completing tastes, planning, organizing my daily tasks.

There is documented evidence over the years that kids who have had my lifelong chronic illness end up having these intellectual issues as adults and get masked over the years.

I also have other accommodations in process to help my chronic illness including requesting certain parking spots near academic buildings. I should mention my medical team has cleared me for school with the requested accommodations.

My fear is when I present this to my school, will they kick me out or say I cannot do the program?
 
Hi there,

I just got diagnosed with a intellectual disability diagnosis where the psychologist has requested accommodations for me including visual aids, extra time on assignments/quizzes/exams, continually speaking with a learning strategist, movement breaks, reduced testing distraction to test in a quiet low stimuli environment, etc.

My psychiatrist and psychologist both approve of these accommodations, and now want to get me medicated a well known stimulant. In grad school, I got decent grades, but I was always behind, stressed where my chronic illness would get worse and my immune system would become a crapshoot (more than it already is) and Id end up in the ER with a pneumonia of some kind. This rendered me to get many medical leaves over the years.

Although my psychologist wants more testing to completely rule out ADHD, she has said I have an executive function disorder that has only gotten worse due to my chronic medical condition from the frontal lobe where inattentiveness, loose focus, procrastination, difficulty completing tastes, planning, organizing my daily tasks.

There is documented evidence over the years that kids who have had my lifelong chronic illness end up having these intellectual issues as adults and get masked over the years.

I also have other accommodations in process to help my chronic illness including requesting certain parking spots near academic buildings. I should mention my medical team has cleared me for school with the requested accommodations.

My fear is when I present this to my school, will they kick me out or say I cannot do the program?
You would fall under Title IX protections. If the school tries to deny you accommodation you can sue the pants off them and never work a day in your life.
Having said that, I was in a somewhat similar position and you'll need to handle this like a politician- meaning don't overshare stuff like "in the long term I'll just get worse"
Might even be worth consulting an attorney first.
 
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Correct me if I’m wrong but didn’t you previously attend an MD school then reapply and get into DO? I may be confusing you with another user, if so I apologize.
You are correct, but the OP had to leave their MD school due to health reasons. Hence, they made it eventually into a DO school.

OP, very sorry to hear of your troubles! Once a medical school admits you is incumbent upon them to accommodate you as much as possible. Are there limitations? Of course.

But in your case, these are actually very reasonable accommodations. My own school has given these to students who have had ADD/ADHD, for example.

You will need to talk to your school's office of student services.

And also look into what will happen with boards. I have a vague recollection that either NBOME, or NBME are not fond of giving accommodations
 
Hi there,

I just got diagnosed with a intellectual disability diagnosis where the psychologist has requested accommodations for me including visual aids, extra time on assignments/quizzes/exams, continually speaking with a learning strategist, movement breaks, reduced testing distraction to test in a quiet low stimuli environment, etc.

My psychiatrist and psychologist both approve of these accommodations, and now want to get me medicated a well known stimulant. In grad school, I got decent grades, but I was always behind, stressed where my chronic illness would get worse and my immune system would become a crapshoot (more than it already is) and Id end up in the ER with a pneumonia of some kind. This rendered me to get many medical leaves over the years.

Although my psychologist wants more testing to completely rule out ADHD, she has said I have an executive function disorder that has only gotten worse due to my chronic medical condition from the frontal lobe where inattentiveness, loose focus, procrastination, difficulty completing tastes, planning, organizing my daily tasks.

There is documented evidence over the years that kids who have had my lifelong chronic illness end up having these intellectual issues as adults and get masked over the years.

I also have other accommodations in process to help my chronic illness including requesting certain parking spots near academic buildings. I should mention my medical team has cleared me for school with the requested accommodations.

My fear is when I present this to my school, will they kick me out or say I cannot do the program?

Those are all reasonable accommodations for preclinical years.

Do you think you can handle residency without accommodations? Making them in residency is much more difficult.
 
Echoing what Goro says, accommodations for boards are hard to come by but it can be done. You'll need a ton of documentation with specific criteria on what you need and why.
There should be someone at your school who can guide on the process. Main thing is to start working on it NOW. Takes a lot of time to get all the i's dotted and t"s crossed.
 
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I concur with the statement about Title IX protecting you from discrimination, and every school is required to have a Title IX coordination to whom you can direct questions and grievances, though hopefully you won't have to. I would get a hold of your school's Student Handbook/Academic Bulletin and read through the technical standards and be sure you can defend your ability to perform all these tasks. You seem extremely well-spoken and aware of your situation, so just continue to advocate for yourself and remember that your faculty is comprised of doctors who should be well aware in the irony of expecting a student to go against the advice of their physicians. Good luck!
 
Hi there,

I just got diagnosed with a intellectual disability diagnosis where the psychologist has requested accommodations for me including visual aids, extra time on assignments/quizzes/exams, continually speaking with a learning strategist, movement breaks, reduced testing distraction to test in a quiet low stimuli environment, etc.

My psychiatrist and psychologist both approve of these accommodations, and now want to get me medicated a well known stimulant. In grad school, I got decent grades, but I was always behind, stressed where my chronic illness would get worse and my immune system would become a crapshoot (more than it already is) and Id end up in the ER with a pneumonia of some kind. This rendered me to get many medical leaves over the years.

Although my psychologist wants more testing to completely rule out ADHD, she has said I have an executive function disorder that has only gotten worse due to my chronic medical condition from the frontal lobe where inattentiveness, loose focus, procrastination, difficulty completing tastes, planning, organizing my daily tasks.

There is documented evidence over the years that kids who have had my lifelong chronic illness end up having these intellectual issues as adults and get masked over the years.

I also have other accommodations in process to help my chronic illness including requesting certain parking spots near academic buildings. I should mention my medical team has cleared me for school with the requested accommodations.

My fear is when I present this to my school, will they kick me out or say I cannot do the program?

you can not be kicked out for requesting accomodations. At my med school, when I was a student, accomodations were quite common and there was a seperate test taking room for these students.