Learning Outside The Lines: Two Ivy League Students with Learning Disabilities and ADHD Give You the Tools for Academic Success and Educational Revolution

I love this book. I'm a dyslexic speech-language pathologist and often reference this book when working with students or suggest parents buy a copy.

I don't care how many F*** the writer put down on this book. This book has life! It reminded me of who I am. A person who are Dyslexic who has ADHD who suffer like hell in school being bullied and treated unfairly. Those years in a grammar school was the worst days of my life, elementary school were no better. Just a number of handful teachers that I remembered that really cared and took me under their wings. Dad went bankrupt several times. We cannot pay for school. I continue school after waiting for three years only to stop again because dad's finance gone under, again!Life was bloody hard . Mom beats me like a dog in order to get those stupidity out of my system but no it never worked.Whenever there's test at school she would make me study for hours and hours until 3 am or 5 am when she saw me closing my eyes because I was so tired and sleepy she would slap my face to wake me up. And you may ask "you've work so hard, does it worked" Hell no! I do read, my mouth was making noise , but all those word that I read does not and never register in my mind NEVER.Home was like Hell to me, School was nothing better.How can I not rebel ? My system is screaming inside me in order to survive!!My mom kept on calling me crazy. I went to bed with her voice hovering over my head I can hear her say "you're crazy" and at a time I thought if I did not make a proclamation to myself saying" I am not crazy and will never be " I know for sure that I will have a nervous break down. I can't sleep for may nights. My heart felt as if it would leap over my chest.Life was HELL Truly Hell .When I was 16 I read a book by a pastor in order to criticise him and insult him I want to curse him and tell him how stupid he was and what a liar it is and what a waste of time worshipping the God of Dillusion. Instead I drop on both of my knees and pray the prayer of repentace. I receive Jesus as my Lord and Savior.I make a pat to myself to read the bible and to read it well. I started with the new testament. Reading was easy. understanding it need time and practice. I read and digest one line per one line slowly...and repeating it again until I really get the meaning of it.Not to promote on religeon or anything but this is the turning point of change for my mentality. All those years sounding out words without knowing what I was reading suddenly became easy. Used to get grades much lower than D and now beating straight A student became easy.But it did not happen over night. It takes several years for me to become what I am today.I am still hyperactive. I can multi task so many things that others has no capability in matching. I however has totally lost the "Deficit Disorder" as I am Hyper Focus.But Life was hard as an ADHD person . Life was really hard. My son who is 10. Did not start speaking untill he was 6 and that was just a few words.I was the one who taught him to read and write. Not the school!Definately not the school! He got bullied all the time and he is such a gentle kid and I felt so sorry for him. All those books about helping ADHD had suggest nothing but 'don't forget to take your DAMN medication' but this book inspires me.This book reminds me of my past with the honesty that the writer himself has poured over his heart and soul into this book and I thank you.

This book offers good insight into the experience of students struggling with serious learning disabilities. But it also offers a wide range of tips on how to do well in college that would be beneficial to any student (with or without diagnosed learning disabilities). In particular, the authors talk about why you should get to know your professors and how many great resources colleges have to help you succeed (research librarians, writing centers, etc.). The writing is engagingly irreverent and a breeze to read. My only caveat is this: As an English professor, I was uneasy about the author's admission that he had all of his college papers reviewed by and edited by his mother. It appears that she corrected spelling and grammar, both of which are difficult for the writer because of an acute disability. But how much did correcting grammar become improving style, correcting word choice, editing out wordiness, and so forth--all skills we strive to teach in writing classes? And, as a professor, I worry about whether parents--who may not be academically trained but have spent their lives advocating for their child--really understand the proper boundaries for their help. Jonathan Mooney's mother may well understand, but what about the student sitting next to him? Is it OK to fax your problem sets in economics or calculus to your parents as well and have them correct them before you turn them in? Should a student who can produce very good work with the help of a dedicated professional editor earn the same grade as a student who learns to edit his or her own work effectively? I wished this question had been more fully addressed--perhaps even with an interview with his mother.Overall, though, this book is important reading for students and educators alike.

I ordered this book, along with many others, for a project I am working on with adhd students. I was suposed to skip to the pertinent parts... but I stared reading and never put it down! I too was recently diagnosed with adhd (at 28), I am a grad student and I always managed to get good enough grades...but I struggled with directives (what do you mean I have to respect a certain number of pages?), I would get lost in my subject when I wrote papers, performance anxiety to start writting, last minute adrenaline rush was the only was to concentrate... this book just spoke to me directly! I was always told I was really smart BUT... I'm the kid who shows up for a statistics exam without a calculator!! And when I was told I was going to be part of this program to help kids with adhd get organised and study more effectively (ME???) I figured there had to be a book or two out there. This book is funny, engaging, honest... and soo helpfull I think it will save my academic career!! No exageration! (Pardon my spelling, I'm french! ;)) It's filled with concrete trick and doesn't pretend to hold THE recipe for success, just here are a few thing that have worked for us, try out a few and keep what works for you! Thank you to the authers! Parents... read this book and you will understand what you child feels like when it's time to sit down and work! I know it has helped me as a student and it will help many others!

good for uni