Roy Roundtree Story on ESPN
Pretty good read. Michael Rothstein talks about how Roy got over his learning disability.
http://espn.go.com/colleges/michigan/story/_/id/8399683/roy-roundtree-overcomes-learning-disability
September 21st, 2012 at 10:25 AM ^
September 21st, 2012 at 10:57 AM ^
Needing a tutor for being a little behind in 5th grade, passing through an excellent university and now in grad school while balancing football? That...doesn't really sound like a learning disability.
September 21st, 2012 at 10:57 AM ^
They weren't exactly specific. It sounds like ADD since it mentioned he had trouble focusing and that he gets bored easily.
September 21st, 2012 at 11:02 AM ^
not every 10 year old kid who gets bored in english class and doesn't want to do schoolwork has ADD
September 21st, 2012 at 11:05 AM ^
In the title it says he had a disability. If that wasn't the main topic of the article, I wouldn't have thought ADD.
September 21st, 2012 at 11:21 AM ^
I thought the same thing. But it's ridiculous how many 8 year old kids get mislabeled as having "ADD," when in reality, them being a little behind their peers just represents 1) a normal variation in intelligence, or 2) not liking schoolwork --these are not learning disabilities. Dyslexia is a learning disability. Mental retardation is a learning disability.
Look at how many college kids have adderall. Do you actually think they all have Such debilitating ADD that they could not function without it? The true prevalence of ADHD is 2.5%, but you'd think it's 85% among college kids, because of the absurd overdiagnosis when a kid doesn't get straight A's.
September 21st, 2012 at 11:27 AM ^
Why are you taking this opportunity to criticize a mental disability? If you want to be educated as to the reality of ADD as an actual condition, I'm happy to oblige. This doesn't seem like the place though.
September 21st, 2012 at 11:32 AM ^
MGoBlog is the only place in the world where discussing learning disabilities should happen at least once per day.
September 21st, 2012 at 11:46 AM ^
Where am I critizing the disability? What I'm criticizing is the doctors who mislabel children with learning disabilities when there is really nothing wrong with them. I've seen kids with ACTUAL ADHD, and it is a truly terrible disability.
I've also had friends smarter than me being given boatloads of ritalin and adderall because they were anxious about passing a test and were having trouble studying for 12 hours at a time.
September 21st, 2012 at 2:40 PM ^
September 21st, 2012 at 4:44 PM ^
So almost all med and law school students don't pay attention in class or have learning disabilities?
September 21st, 2012 at 7:42 PM ^
September 21st, 2012 at 11:30 AM ^
If she wants to get involved,
Tell her to stay in St. Paul.
Tell her I'm not up to takin' calls,
Ask her for some Adderall.
September 21st, 2012 at 11:38 AM ^
So since ADD is overly diagnosed, it's not a learning disability? Please. This is a thread about a Michigan player improving himself for the better, and you are being bitter. Even if Roy didn't have ADD, he had a problem with school and he overcame it. Be happy for him.
September 21st, 2012 at 11:45 AM ^
It got more de-railed into a side argument than anything about Roy.
Maybe they were leaving something out, but I just didn't think that the initial article made his issues in school sound that bad...just a kid who got into some fights and had bad grades when he was 9 years old.
September 21st, 2012 at 10:00 PM ^
September 21st, 2012 at 1:16 PM ^
Not sure if you're aware of this, but most college kids on adderall aren't diagnosed with ADHD and don't get the pills legally through prescriptions..
September 21st, 2012 at 3:43 PM ^
September 21st, 2012 at 11:22 AM ^
I have no dog in this fight. I don't think any of us are in a position to say Roundtree didn't have a real learning disability and I don't want to get into an argument over whether or not doctors are over diagnosing people/children, but your comment requires I post this:
September 21st, 2012 at 4:09 PM ^
My son had an issue with processing speed; formally diagnosed in 2nd grade (after his teacher thought she saw a problem), met with a learning specialist at his school 2x a week for a couple of years, then she said he didn't need any help anymore. He still has the issue, he just knows how to deal with it.
Now, in middle school, he was placed in the math class that does two years of algebra in one year, and earned national commendation for his score on the National Latin Exam. Which sounds like the disgusting parental brag that it is, but I offer this as evidence that you can have a learning disability and still be able to tackle pretty tough intellectual pursuits.
The bummer is that some bright kids who have learning disabilities go undiagnosed because they profile academically as being completely on track with their same-age peers. But who knows what awesome things they could accomplish if their issues were addressed.
September 21st, 2012 at 11:08 AM ^
I think there was a story years back where he showed up at Michigan and they noticed he wasn't seeing well, so they sent him to an eye doctor who helped him out and the lights literally went on for him.
In any event, it's good to hear stories about kids that need help actually getting it and turning their lives around.
September 21st, 2012 at 11:14 AM ^
Actually, both Roundtree and Stonum had bad eye sight. In back-to-back off seasons, they figured out that the reason the WRs couldn't catch passes was because they couldn't see. I remember a lot of people wondering at the time how D-I football players made it on to the team without ever taking some kind of vision test.
Plus, this story was the inspiration for the ol' Wild Thing avatar.
September 21st, 2012 at 11:16 AM ^
you don't remember his presser with the glasses?
September 21st, 2012 at 11:45 AM ^
The glasses are cool, but the polo shirt with a tie is just egregious.
September 21st, 2012 at 12:07 PM ^
would've been perfect if it was a clip-on.
September 21st, 2012 at 12:08 PM ^
Terrance Robinson was also one of the receivers who ended up needing corrective lenses.
September 21st, 2012 at 12:03 PM ^
This story just adds to the many reasons why Roy has been one of my favorite players on the team the last couple years.
September 21st, 2012 at 12:59 PM ^
I have heard of some other players who got their learning issues diagnosed a lot later, like once they got on campus.
That's what really unfortunate about some of the school systems these kids came through. Issues don't get noticed, diagnosed, and addressed early on. I'll bet some of the coping mechanisms some of these kids came up with are phenomenal. But it's sad to think how much better they could have done. Also, really sad how many of them fall completely by the wayside.
September 21st, 2012 at 4:36 PM ^
To me anyway, this is something of an inspiring read. My son has problems with auditory processing that fall under the broader category of learning disabilities and already gets help and has made quite a bit of progress over the past few years. This story shows you how a family, friends, mentors and a school that is willing to do whatever they can to accommodate needs and ensure the success of a student will eventually see that student find their own way and succeed, as Roy Roundtree has, and come to a place such as the University Of Michigan.