Über die Autorinnen und Autoren

Anne Ford's previous books are the acclaimed memoir Laughing Allegra, about raising her severely learning-disabled daughter, and On Their Own: Creating an Independent Future for Your Adult Child with Learning Disabilities and ADHD. She served as Chairman of the Board of the National Center for Learning Disabilities from 1989 to 2001. The daughter of Henry Ford II, she lives in New York City and lectures widely on LD and ADHD issues.

John Richard-Thompson, an award-winning playwright and novelist, collaborates with Anne Ford on her books.

Von der hinteren Coverseite

An indispensable guide to the special challenges faced by parents of learning-disabled children as they enter adulthood, by the author of Laughing Allegra, a leading activist and parent of an adult child with LD.

In 2003 Anne Ford (great-granddaughter of Henry Ford) published Laughing Allegra, about the struggles of raising her learning-disabled daughter, and received a flood of letters from parents of children with LD, ADD, and ADHD, many expressing concerns about what to do as their children age.

On Their Own is an invaluable road map to ease these parents' fears and answer their questions, especially the one that haunts them daily: Will or can their child be on their own, and how? In a candid, sympathetic style, laced with real-life stories, the book covers such topics as:

• Social skills and dating
• Staying healthy
• Sibling relationships
• Interaction with employers and co-workers
• Job hunting
• Finding the right college or trade school
• Estate planning

Also included are a comprehensive resource guide and exclusive interviews with prominent professionals who have surmounted their learning disabilities: CEO's Sir Richard Branson, John Chambers, David Neeleman, and Charles Schwab, and former governor Gaston Caperton.

Auszug. © Genehmigter Nachdruck. Alle Rechte vorbehalten.

On Their Own

Newmarket Press

Contents

Foreword by Sally Shaywitz, M. D....................................................................viiIntroduction: "Now What Do I Do?"...................................................................xiiiPART I The Adult with Learning DisabilitiesChapter 1. "So What Is It?".........................................................................3Chapter 2. Signs and Symptoms.......................................................................9Chapter 3. Allegra: A Portrait of My Daughter.......................................................17PART II RelationshipsChapter 4. The Parent-Child Bond: Learning to Let Go................................................27Chapter 5. Brothers and Sisters.....................................................................39Chapter 6. Friends..................................................................................48Chapter 7. Dating...................................................................................64Chapter 8. Marriage and Parenting...................................................................72PART III After High-School Graduation Day: The College Student with LD and ADHDChapter 9. Is College an Option?....................................................................81Chapter 10. Before Graduation Day: Transitions from High School.....................................85Chapter 11. The Fearful Student: Finding Your Child's Interests.....................................93Chapter 12. LD, ADHD, and the SAT...................................................................98Chapter 13. How to Find the Right College...........................................................104Chapter 14. Financial Aid...........................................................................112Chapter 15. The GED: A Second Chance................................................................119Chapter 16. The College Student with LD or ADHD.....................................................123Chapter 17. The Helicopter Parent...................................................................130PART IV On the Job: Employing the Adult with LD and ADHDChapter 18. Defining Success........................................................................135Chapter 19. Business 101............................................................................143Chapter 20. "Show Me Spark!": Corporate America and the Adult with LD...............................158Chapter 21. Motivation..............................................................................165PART V Managing on Their Own: Life Concerns for the Adult with LD and ADHDChapter 22. Staying Healthy.........................................................................177Chapter 23. Medication and ADHD.....................................................................200Chapter 24. The Fine Print..........................................................................208Chapter 25. Estate Planning.........................................................................214PART VI Interviews: Advice for Parents from Prominent People with LDIntroduction by Betsy Morris........................................................................225Sir Richard Branson, Chairman and CEO, Virgin Group.................................................228Gaston Caperton, President, College Board, former Governor of West Virginia.........................236John Chambers, President and CEO, Cisco Systems.....................................................245David Neeleman, Founder and CEO, JetBlue Airways....................................................257Charles Schwab, Founder, Chairman, and CEO, Charles Schwab & Co.....................................264Epilogue............................................................................................274Acknowledgments.....................................................................................279Resource Guide......................................................................................281Index...............................................................................................297

Chapter One

Recently I was called in for jury duty in New York City. There is no better way to find a cross section of people from all walks of life-different income levels, education levels, interests, different everything. It is true democracy in action, and it is often the only time such varied communities overlap. During one of the interminable breaks while waiting to see who would be called up to serve on a jury, a few of us sat around and began to talk about our lives. One man was a retired certified public accountant, a woman was a secretary in a law firm, and another was a young mother raising three small children at home. When they asked what I did, I told them of my advocacy work on behalf of learning disabilities, and immediately the conversation swerved into that lane.

First of all, as everyone with an LD child knows, it is nearly impossible to go anywhere without meeting someone who has a child or a relative with LD, or a friend who has a child with LD. Jury duty, airplanes, grocery stores, dinner parties, it doesn't matter where, chances are good that someone there knows or is related to someone with LD. From this we can assume it is a widespread condition and one that touches all levels of society. So why is it that this condition is met with a form of mass confusion?

"So what is it?" the retired accountant asked me. "I mean, I've heard the term 'learning disabilities' before, but what is it? Mental retardation? Autism?"

"It's neither one," I said. "It's a neurological disorder. Think of it as the brain being wired a little differently than most."

"It's dyslexia," said the young mother. "My son has it. He mixes up letters when he reads." From the way she said this, I knew that her son had a mild form of dyslexia, and that to ask her about issues such as independent living or classroom accommodations would result in an uncomprehending stare. I tried to make the point that not all LD is the same, and there are wide ranges of severity.

"So is it like mental retardation?" the man asked again, and once again I said, "No. Sometimes, in fact usually, you can't tell if someone has LD or not."

"Is it autism?" he asked.

"No, it's not autism, either."

"So what is it?"

I went into greater detail, this time talking about the really difficult challenges presented by social skills, and this time the man said, "You know, I have a friend whose daughter has all the things you said. She stands too close when she talks, she always talks in the same tone of voice, really loud ... and even though she went to school, she just can't seem to get things. And I ask my friend all the time, 'So what is it?' and he doesn't know. But it sounds like what you're talking about."

"Yeah, I also have a friend," said the secretary. "Her son is, what, maybe twenty-three or four now, and he's the same way. Still lives at home, and he's lost job after job ... but my friend never said he has dyslexia or anything. Maybe ADD." This added thought brought in a new twist to the story. "Is ADD the same as learning disabilities?"

"Not the same," I said, "though many people with LD also have ADD."

"So if he has ADD he doesn't have...