Expert: MARK A. HOWELL - 8/31/2009

Question
1. What jobs do you have for people w/ learning disabilities or differences?  My son has been in the navy for 7 months. He has not passed any of his test?  He initially enrolled to study dental assistant.  Most of the teaching is done by internet or online reading.  He is bored and can not stay awake doing sessions.  He needs visuals and hands on learning.  Going thru school became tramatic for me. He is disorganized, looses things, but very bright.  He is gifted in visual arts and drawing. He has had web design and tv production in school.  Anyway finding information and help in school was disasterous. The more I asked for help in school, the more he was stigmatized and excluded.  Know one told me how to really help him.  I know from experience that the more he touches, sees things, does things he excels. He fights for is indepedence; and he wants to do things on his own, but sometimes he misses the deadline.

Right now he is undesignated and going to meet his ship, and we do not know where his final destination will be.  They did not tell him?  Although he did not pass many of his test.  He compensated by working  with the marines, mps, cleaning units, and other work details around the base.  He seems to like to lead crews.

2. We did not disclose this l/d to the military.  We are not certain what it is ourselves and neither were the experts that I consulted.  I summed it up that we have to work harder than everybody else.  Can he use computer technology to assist him w/ learning?

3.Where does he go to find his career path in the Navy. He needs hands on math, computers, graphics, photography, with visual discrimination, or ship operations.  Will there be someone to mentor him so he can get this training. He is an interesting character, he just needs to find his special niche and this time we don't know where it is?

4.  I am concerned that he may not make his rank because of the testing and the way that the classes are taught online.  Will the navy offer accomodations such as computer visuals and hands on learning?

I know I am rabbling, but please let me know your opinion.  

Answer
Rose,
I understand your worry, that's what mothers do.  But please don't.  Being undesignated is not a bad thing for him.  This means he's not locked into a career field yet.  Once a person has a designated career field it's darn near impossible to get out of.  Being in finance when you really wanted to be in electronics can make life miserable.

I'm glad to hear his first assignment is to a ship and not shore duty.  Because life onboard a ship is very structured, he'll have seasoned sailors teaching him what to do every step of the way.  He'll quickly prove to his supervisors that he's a better hands-on person than a desk jockey.  Because life onboard a ship is very structured, he'll have seasoned sailors teaching him what to do every step of the way.  You can't afford to make mistakes onboard a ship because the lives of he and his fellow sailors depend upon everyone doing their job precisely.  He'll routinely work 12-14 hour days because when all you do is work, eat, sleep, and repeat, young sailors are less apt to get into trouble when they have no idle time and the Navy knows that.

As for testing and making rank, I'm afraid there's not much he can do there.  Most training is computer-based nowadays, but because it's coupled with his hands-on shipboard training, very few sailors fail.  Also, the Navy gives him multiple times to test.

I know it's easy for me to sit here and tell you not to worry, but I really think he'll do OK.  If he's any kind of "people-person" he'll make friends with an experienced sailor who will "adopt" him and show him the ropes.  It happens all the time.

In a few months please let me know how he's doing.  I'll bet you'll be amazed at how much he's learned and grown.
Best wishes,
Colonel H