ADHD Education Vs Accommodation: An exploration of personal experience
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Diagnosis, Barrier to Success
All I ever did with a diagnosis in high school was take advantage of the system, I used it as an excuse to manipulate my mom and make her do the homework I was behind on. Being told that I was different and being given medication gave me this sense of “uniqueness”. To be honest I found that when things got hard the diagnosis just let me throw up my hands and quit. I found time and time again that saying I had a diagnosis meant that people would just let me pass by. Now that I have grown a little older, and maybe more mature, I am finally looking at what the diagnosis means instead of what I can use it to get away with. I also understand that what I experienced is typical of students with ADHD. One of my biggest fears entering into college was that if I received accommodation, I would simply repeat my past mistakes. Luckily there is hope. Anne Stevens and colleagues, college professors of psychology, published a piece in the “Journal of American College health”. Through the cross comparison of data found in multiple academic databases the authors where able to make several observations about the effects of ADHD/LD on the success of students entering college, and what measures could be taken to increase student success rates. Results showed that though ultimately the success of the student lies with the student, students could be taught to use self-monitoring techniques and study habits that would help them get around any difficulties they have academically (2353). Some students with diagnosis of ADHD may need accommodations in college to be successful, but to thrive they must receive psychoeducation, be taught how to self-monitor behavior, and learn to reframe their diagnosis in a positive way.
Defining ADHD
In the Current Psychology journal Morgan Grotewiel and her colleges describe the typical symptoms of ADHD which can include; Lack of attention to detail, difficulty sustaining mental effort, losing things, distractibility, forgetfulness, trouble sustaining attention, trouble listening, difficulty persisting with a task, troubles with organization (13265.) “ADHD affects approximately 2.5% of adult’s worldwide” (Grotewiel 13265).
Psychoeducation
Without being taught about their diagnosis many college students with ADHD struggle with academic impairment, especially when compared to their non-diagnosis counterparts. It is imperative that these students learn about themselves, and what their diagnosis means, so that they can be successful. This is clearly evident when studies indicate that only 41% of students with diagnoses go on to graduate college (stevens et al 2342). Transitioning from high school to college can be a turbulent time for many. Family doctors Kristy Lamb and Lewis Wong write about the importance of that transitional phase in “Family Doctor: A Journal of the New York State Academy of Family Physicians”. Lamb and Wong tell how often it is that students think they have out grown their childhood and no longer need medication or support. They say that children with ADHD or mental health diagnosis are used to having a support network living at home with mom and dad, and that the freedom of college can exacerbate symptoms and leave students struggling if they don’t learn to self-advocate (Lamb and Wong). Up until this point in the students’ lives, they have had parental oversite at home to keep them on track. Its also important to note that students seem to have little knowledge on what the diagnosis means while entering the collegiate environment (Stevens et al). This lack of knowledge and understanding in the students can lead them to be shy about their diagnosis and tends to make them shut down. Clearly the solution lies in teaching the students about themselves as it is important for students to take responsibility for their own health (Lamb and Wong). I personally have found that being educated about who I am, and getting to see my own habits/character traits from a different perspective has been life changing. I no longer thing that I’m different or less than, I just have a better understanding of how my own brain works.
Learning to Self-Monitor
Because students with ADHD struggle with several symptoms it is imperative that they learn how to monitor their own behavior. Rashelle Nagata and others, published their research on a case study intervention of a student named “Taylor” in the American Journal of Occupational Therapy. They found that “higher education interventions for students living with mental health conditions address self-regulated learning and engagement in formal education (Nagata 1)”. Although some might say that this intervention was “accommodating” the student, what this intervention was able to show is that it is possible to get a student to be an active participant in the education process and to take charge of their own health. I myself received such an intervention in the form of a 7month stay at a therapeutic community. Staying at the “TC” taught me about myself. I learned how to emotionally regulate; how to adapt to changing environments, and how to effectively communicate my needs. This education has been invaluable to me and has been the catalyst to my success in college so far. One of the other key factors that students with ADHD have to contend with is being easily distracted, and they can often get overwhelmed by too many stimuli. Living on a college campus or dealing with life in general can be overwhelming for anyone with or without diagnosis. Stevens and group also found that students with ADHD who were taught to self-monitor behavior and taught appropriate study skills performed better than students who learned study skills alone. Emotional regulation skills are a necessity. Students with ADHD struggle to complete tasks and this can cause an increase in negative emotions. Without the ability to identify and process these emotions students GPA and performance where effected (2351). One of the biggest barriers I have faced so far in school is getting overwhelmed, frustrated, or shutting down and giving up. Being able to recognize my own emotions and regulate them has been invaluable. I no longer “feel” like the victim of my “feelings”.
Reframing the Symptoms
Students with ADHD must learn to reframe ADHD no longer seeing it as a “disorder but as a difference (Grotewiel et al 13273). With practice and education, it is possible that a student can learn to use their symptoms to achieve a positive outcome. Grotewiel and colleagues looked at experiences of “Hyperfocus” and “flow” In students. Hyperfocus is typically seen as a negative experience when a patient “loses” themselves in a task and in time without the ability to “pull” themselves back out, generally forgetting about self-care or even eating. On the other hand, “Flow” is seen to be a positive experience where “a person becomes so engrossed in an activity that the activity becomes a reward itself” (13266). I personally have experienced Hyperfocus many times, for example when writing papers and I get stuck on little details or words and can’t switch tasks and before I know it I have spent precious hours frustrated over small details. I think that it is important to have awareness and understanding of this because in my own experience I have been able to use it to my advantage. As long as manage my time by setting alarms, remain self-disciplined, and remember to take care of myself physically I find that I am able to balance many life tasks by switching from one to the next regularly. What this allows me to do is to use my diagnosis and symptoms as a “life hack”. Flow on the other hand “is universally considered a positive psychological state, and it has been shown to be associated with heightened creativity, persistence, and learning and academic achievement (qtd. Grotewiel 13266). When I recognize I’m getting frustrated and that I’m in a state of “Hyperfocus” I now have the ability to pause, take a deep breath and switch tasks if necessary.
Conclusion
Receiving accommodations is a great start and goes a long way to making sure students feel supported, and at home in the college atmosphere. In my own experience, and the experience of many students, having extra time on assignments was not enough. I needed to learn about myself, learn about my diagnosis, and regain some confidence in myself. After my experiences in high school, I simply thought that I was a “bad” student and that there was no way I could ever have a good experience in school. After taking the time to learn about myself and learning to harness my own ability I now have a totally different outlook on what ADHD means for me and what it could possibly mean for other students if they can learn about themselves too. Many people may consider accommodations an excuse to not do the work, and some students may still take advantage of the system and abuse accommodations. But for people like me, who took the time to learn about themselves, this is no longer the case. Learning about my diagnosis, how to monitor my emotions, and gaining a different perspective has changed my life and my academic future.
Works Cited
Grotewiel, Morgan M., et al. “Experiences of Hyperfocus and Flow in College Students with and without Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD).” Current Psychology, vol. 42, no. 16, June 2023, pp. 13265–75. EBSCOhost, https://doi-org.westernwyoming.idm.oclc.org/10.1007/s12144-021-02539-0.
Lamb, Kristy, and Lewis Wong. “Preparing Teens with ADHD, Anxiety, and Depression for College, Work, and Ownership of Their Health Care.” Family Doctor: A Journal of the New York State Academy of Family Physicians, vol. 10, no. 3, Jan. 2022, pp. 31–32. EBSCOhost, research.ebsco.com/linkprocessor/plink?id=246af56a-705e-3fef-ab99-108e9b3d0eb9.
Stevens, Anne E., et al. “Promoting Academic Success in College Students with ADHD and LD: A Systematic Literature Review to Identify Intervention Targets.” Journal of American College Health, vol. 70, no. 8, Nov. 2022, pp. 2342–55. EBSCOhost, https://doi.org/10.1080/07448481.2020.1862127.
Nagata, Rashelle, et al. “Occupational Therapy Interventions for College Students With Learning Differences.” American Journal of Occupational Therapy, vol. 76, no. 6, Nov. 2022, pp. 1–5. EBSCOhost, https://doi-org.westernwyoming.idm.oclc.org/10.5014/ajot.2022.050057.
