Seeking expert guidance with college planning?
I'm here to partner with students who manage learning disabilities and/or related disorders.
I'm here to partner with students who manage learning disabilities and/or related disorders.
As a speech-language pathologist and educational consultant, I choose to work with neurodivergent students on the college planning and application process. I also enjoy training adults in this niche area. I began my career in education 20 years ago, and my previous work with students ranging in age from two to eighteen years informs my current work. My specialty is helping students with diverse learning profiles transition to college with confidence. Primarily, I work with students diagnosed with ADHD, Autism Spectrum Disorder, Dyslexia, Dysgraphia, Dyscalculia, Language Processing Disorder, Auditory Processing Disorder and Nonverbal Learning Disorder, among others.
MORE ABOUT MY BACKGROUND…
I earned my master's degree in Communication Disorders from Ithaca College. I am a Nationally Certified Speech-Language Pathologist (SLP) with 15 years of direct clinical pediatric experience. While at Maalot Baltimore, I worked as a Clinical Instructor teaching undergraduate courses in both Speech and Language Development and in the Diagnosis and Treatment of Childhood Language Disorders. As a Clinical Faculty member at both the University of Washington and Towson University, I have facilitated the clinical competencies of undergraduate and graduate students in the management of diagnostic and treatment remediation for pediatric clients.
After 3 years working for colleges, I pivoted to further my own education. I earned a Certificate in College Counseling with Distinction from UCLA. Establishing a private practice positioned me to empower students to find their own voices and use them to self-advocate and actualize their dreams!
An Independent Educational Consultant, aka (IEC), provides students and families with a broad range of strategic resources for the College Planning process. An IEC is not tied to any specific High School or College and has first-hand knowledge of Higher Educational opportunities. An IEC has the time and availability to individualize service delivery according to the needs of each student and family.
Advantages of Working with an IEC...
Paying for a 4-6 year College Education is the biggest investment you will ever make in your offspring! Partnering with a seasoned IEC who knows all of the current trends in Higher Education, can lead you through a well organized and efficient college planning process. We can help you navigate the journey in order to avoid pitfalls and make the wisest investment in your student's higher education.
Aurora University
Bard College at Simon's Rock
Beacon College
Brevard College
Champlain College
Clemson University
College of Charleston
Davis & Elkins College
Dean College
Dickinson College
Drexel University
Embry Riddle
Fairleigh Dickinson University
George Mason University
Guilford College
Indiana University of Pennsylvania
Johnson & Wales University
Keene State College
Kutztown University of Pennsylvania
Lafayette College
Landmark College
Lehigh University
McDaniel College
Ohio Wesleyan University
Pacific Lutheran University
Purdue University
Rochester Institute of Technology
Syracuse University
University of Alabama
University of Arizona
University of California Santa Cruz
University of Delaware
University of Denver
University of Hartford (Hilyer)
University of Maryland
University of South Florida
University of Tennessee - Chattanooga
University of Minnesota - Twin Cities
University of Utah
University of Washing - Bothell
Washington State University
West Virginia Wesleyan College
Western Michigan University
Worcester Polytechnic Institute
“My daughter is very intelligent and attends the best high school in the county. However, her ADHD often gets in the way of her maximizing her potential at school. After working with April Miller a handful of times, she was something like: transformed. After one such meeting, she marched in her room and closed the door. Three hour later, she emerged, her brown eyes sparkling, and invited me in. Her room had been completely reimagined and reorganized. My daughter was inspired and the dark cloud of fear and pressure she had been carrying for years had completely left her. I was flabbergasted as a professional psychotherapist and a dedicated mom, to see that my own teen could shift so dramatically from a handful of meetings. In her conversations with Apri Miller she simply found a few possible paths grounded in reality. This is something she hadn’t dared to dream could even exist. April put real world data in her hands and showed how it all pointed to a plethora of potential career opportunities. For the first time she was not only not afraid of her future, she became an active participant in reaching for it, with excitement and confidence. As a mom, I could not have dreamed of a better outcome!”
- Parent from Orange County, California
"We really enjoyed our time with April and felt she had a lot of great advice and resources we had not considered. In particular, the questions that she prompted us to ask Admissions Officers about essays and demonstrated interest really highlighted her knowledge regarding how colleges evaluate applicants. We also thought it was very helpful to have a third party get our teen to think about what is important to her in terms of career goals and in finding a "right fit" college. We were initially unsure about the value of working with an Independent College Consultant, but April's warm and encouraging style made several discussion topics much more palatable for our daughter. Thank you for the follow-up e-mail that included the multitude of resources that you shared during our videoconference. We all feel more confident moving forward within this process now."
- Parent from Redmond, Washington
My daughter took a summer leadership program with April Miller. April communicated well with us about our daughter’s progress. A complete profile about our daughter’s personality and interests was obtained. April is a compassionate guide and has already lead our daughter to engage more fully in her activities. This year April is guiding us through the college planning process. Even though my husband and I went to college and graduate school, April has soo much new information to share with us! It’s great having her as a partner in this process.
- Parent from Baltimore, Maryland
"April Miller is a miracle worker whose passion is helping teens with learning differences through the college planning and application process. She changed the trajectory for our son in ways we could not have imagined. She quickly earned our confidence and suggested a two-year plan that was a Godsend. She then took us through a logical process to get us from where we were (which was nowhere), to where we are now: after completing a transition program, our son will be attending a “reach” college that is a perfect fit for his interests and aptitudes! April led us with sensitivity, enthusiasm, wisdom, and humor; from start to finish I felt incredibly supported. April always had a great idea, a sympathetic ear, a constructive plan, a follow-up email with links and resources. She always had time for us. She is passionate and incredibly well informed - both about the college application process and the needs of teens with learning differences. Finding the right college for teens with learning differences is complicated. You don’t know what you don’t know. There is a LOT to know and a lot of steps; you can have no better guide through this process than April Miller. You and your child will need to do your parts, but let April do the heavy lifting. I cannot say enough good things about her. The reviews reporting “Worth every penny” “changed our lives” “excellent” “compassionate” “walking encyclopedia” - all are true!"
-Jenny Randolph, Parent 2023
"My name is Wriley and I have benefited greatly from April Miller’s programs. At the beginning of high school, I took part in her summer course on leadership, which encouraged me to join clubs in school. I ended up joining Environmental Club and becoming Team Captain of the academic trivia club. In eleventh grade, April gave me a template for writing requests for letters of recommendation and guided me through sending the requests. Her template and guidance were nothing short of magical. Additionally, she helped me to get a diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorder. We have known each other for years, and last year, when I and my family began to realise that I was displaying signs of ASD, she helped us set-up a professional evaluation. That evaluation included an IQ test, and April guided me through applying to the Mensa High IQ society. April guided me through my college search, recommending colleges that could work, based on my and my parent’s criteria, tasking us with college-specific research that enabled me to narrow down the list from over twenty to nine. She supported me as I filled in the Common App and gave me direction for my Personal Statement and a myriad of supplemental essays.
Thanks to April, I will be attending Drexel University for Environmental Engineering. I have been accepted into the Honor’s College. Drexel has the Center For Autism and Neurodiversity, which will provide me with Executive Functioning Support.
In the summer before starting college, I had an internship through NASA’s Neurodiversity Network, which April sent me the application for. April Miller has supported me throughout high school. Her programs have been extremely beneficial and have set me up for success!"
- Student from Baltimore, MD
"April is amazing! She is a walking database of knowledge on educational needs and resources for students with learning disabilities and neurodiversity. But what stood out more about April is her voracity to help people. She is always forthcoming and excited to share information and her experiences. She guided me through the initial process steps in college admissions counseling for my neurodivergent student and his family. I appreciate the detailed information that April provided in planning and preparing for the meetings. I am immensely grateful for her assistance as I was beginning my career as a college counselor."
- IEC from Seattle, Washington
My 15 year old is bored of quarantining just as most quaranteenagers are. But, she has an ace up her sleeve: several months before the pandemic was declared, she had worked with April Miller and got pointed in a few good directions. Now, though she is irritable and sick of not being able to hang out in person with her squad, she has the option of working on her possible future path plans while the rest of the world is on pause. What a true gift it is to have a sense of certainty just now, when the whole world is turned upside down. April Miller gave my 15 year old concrete tools and helped her identify what she values and will need/want in her best life career. At a time of all this uncertainty, we are so grateful to April Miller for supplying my quaranteenager with several blueprints, and also the keys, to all the future doors on her quest for satisfaction and self-efficacy in that vague world out the window.
- Parent from Irvine, California
Membership is akin to licensure in our unregulated profession!
The mission is to promote professional growth, access, advocacy, and outreach to help all students realize their post-secondary education goals.
Certification requires that an applicant has evidence for the completion of the following: 1. A Masters Degree Program accredited by the CAA, 2. A Passing Score on the National Praxis Examination, and 3. A 9-month Clinical Fellowship. A professional SLP who has earned a CCC must complete 30 hours of CEUs during every 3 year maintenance interval to remain certified.
Copyright © 2024 LD College Expert - All Rights Reserved.
Powered by GoDaddy Website Builder
We use cookies to analyze website traffic and optimize your website experience. By accepting our use of cookies, your data will be aggregated with all other user data.