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Are you seeking professional guidance with college planning?
If you are a student with a diagnosis of a Learning Disability and/or related disorder, or a parent, WELCOME!
If you are a student with a diagnosis of a Learning Disability and/or related disorder, or a parent, WELCOME!
My name is April Miller, and I am a Hybrid Professional with over 20 years of experience in education. I began my career as a Speech-Language Pathologist and then pivoted into becoming an Independent Educational Consultant, (IEC), in order to guide Neurodivergent students and their families through the college planning and application process. I have come full circle in my career; when I was in graduate school 25 years ago, I pioneered a Mentoring Program for undergraduate students with Learning Disabilities to be paired with upperclass peers with the same LD for support in transitioning to college. This program still exists today!
I specialize in working with students diagnosed with: ADHD, Autism Spectrum Disorder, Dyslexia, Dysgraphia, Dyscalculia, Language Processing Disorder, Auditory Processing Disorder and Nonverbal Learning Disabilities, among others. Please read more about my background and work experience and also check out my offerings. Reach out if you would like to explore working together. I hope to hear from you soon!
MORE ABOUT MY BACKGROUND...
My educational background includes a Master's Degree in Communication Disorders earned from Ithaca College, and a Certificate in College Counseling awarded from UCLA with Distinction. I am a Nationally Certified Speech-Language Pathologist (SLP), with direct clinical pediatric experience working with diverse clients from birth to 18 years old. As a Clinical Faculty member at both the University of Washington in Seattle and Towson University in Baltimore, I have facilitated the clinical competencies of undergraduate and graduate students in the management of diagnostic and treatment remediation for pediatric clients. As a Clinical Instructor at Maalot Baltimore, I taught undergraduate courses in both Speech and Language Development and in the Diagnosis and Treatment of Childhood Language Disorders.
I am the owner and Lead IEC in my consulting practice, and I am also a Co-Founder of the LDND Foundation. My passion and purpose is to empower students to find your own voice, use it to self-advocate and actualize your 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. Covid-19 and the impacts of the pandemic have significantly altered the College Admissions Landscape. We can help you navigate the journey in order to avoid pitfalls and make the wisest investment in your student's higher education.
Jennifer grew up in Montgomery County, attending Holton-Arms School, where she was captain of the “It’s Academic!” team, and scored 800 on the Verbal portion of the SAT (one of 27 students to do so out of a million tested that year). She graduated magna cum laude from Princeton, and then got her Ph.D. in English from Harvard, where she also worked as a Teaching Fellow in writing, 18th century literature, feminist literary theory, and the history and structure of language. After earning her doctorate, she turned down a professorship to go live in England, where she became a speechwriter, producing talks on everything from women and world peace to endangered oceans that have been delivered at the White House, before Congress, at the UN, and at universities and conferences around the world. Jennifer is not quite as serious as she sounds, however. In addition to speeches, she is writing a series of mystery novels. She has kids of her own with very different learning styles, one at Princeton, the other an independent video game designer. She likes memes, Marvel movies, cool science, theater, and digital art.
Aurora University
Bard College at Simon's Rock
Davis & Elkins College
Drexel University
George Mason University
Guilford College
Kutztown University of Pennsylvania
Lafayette College
Landmark College
Lehigh University
McDaniel College
Ohio Wesleyan University
Purdue University
Rochester Institute of Technology
Syracuse University
University of Arizona
University of Delaware
University of Denver
University of Maryland
University of Tennessee - Chatanooga
West Virginia Wesleyan College
Worcester Polytechnic Institute
"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 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
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
Only 7% of those who inquire about membership are ultimately accepted. 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.
Sign-up a free 30 minute Consultation on my calendar by clicking the link below:
https://calendly.com/aprilmillerldcollegeexpert/30-minute-free-consultation?back=1&month=2022-03
Connecticut, United States
Open today | 01:00 pm – 04:00 pm |
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