Tips for College Success

All parents desire to support their young people in growing up be self-standing adults. When your child has ADHD, and possibly other co-existing conditions, that can be a challenge. Historically they have needed more support! As parents, we want to move away from the cycle of dependency and encourage self-sufficiency.

Students with ADHD experience unique educational challenges. Succeeding academically demands strong executive functioning skills, such as being able to organize, manage time, utilize a planner, initiate tasks, solve problems, and complete homework. Not only that, but they must also be able to listen to and follow directions, remember what is read, memorize information, and study for tests. A student may be intelligent, but still be underachieving. Students with ADHD experience a performance deficit that is often situational. ADHD traits follow two-thirds of young people into adulthood. According to the National Resource Center on ADHD, young adults with ADHD are at risk for lower academic achievement, social problems, and greater job difficulties.

The transition from high school to college is can pose significant challenges. Doing well in high school doesn't necessarily mean that a student will do well in college. Information comes at a student at three times the pace in college. If a student has struggled in high school, they will most certainly struggle in college, where there is much less external support and structure.

We know that ADHD impacts every phase of development, as well as every area of life. Therefore it is important to build skills, whether they be academic or whole life skills. These skills might include learning how to pursue a job, finding a place to live, managing money, taking care of one's laundry, getting along with roommates, eating properly, getting enough sleep, and managing their own medication. When young adults put supports in place, with a strength-based approach, they can experience success!

What Helps?

1. Get an official diagnosis, if you haven't already. It is hard to fight what you don't understand. Many people with ADHD have other coexisting conditions, such as depression or anxiety. Therefore, it is important to understand exactly what is going on.

2. Educate yourself and your college-bound student about ADHD. It is important that they understand where ADHD shows up in their life, and that they learn what to do about it. Both your understanding of ADHD and theirs will directly affect their ability to seek help when they need it.

3. Set structures in place that will provide support, once your child moves away from home. Some examples include learning how to build routines, manage money, do laundry, and make sure you don't run out of medication. Other helpful skills are being able to wake yourself up in the morning, allowing enough time to get to class, using a planner, knowing how to study, and learning how to balance academic and social lives. Elizabeth C. Hamblet has an excellent article called, "What Students with ADHD and Their Parents Should Know About College."

4. Look for colleges that have strong support for students with ADHD or learning challenges. Clinical psychologist Kathleen Nadeau has developed a list of questions that can guide you in making an informed decision in the excellent article called, "Assessing College Support Services for Students with ADHD.”

5. Encourage your child to sign up with Disability Services at your college. It is best to do this after you make your college choice. Colleges will require documentation that confirms the ADHD diagnosis. Paperwork may vary from school to school, whether it be a letter from a doctor or a form to fill out by the provider. You want to start this process as soon as possible so that accommodations, should your child require them, can be set in place prior to the start of the semester. Some schools will give students a card to keep in their wallet that states they are signed up with disability services and that also list accommodations.

6. Remind your child to know when to ask for help. Your son or daughter may need to talk with a professor or find a tutor in a specific subject area. Let them know that asking for help, early on, is always better than waiting until they are failing.

7. Consider hiring a certified ADHD coach who can meet with your child by phone or Skype. Coaches can provide transitional support for young people who are living on their own for the first time. Coaches are accountability partners who help the student creates a daily, customized plan for success. By working with a coach, students will be able to pinpoint where their ADHD symptoms present themselves and learn what to do about them. This can be empowering, especially when young people start feeling a sense of control over their lives.

8. Have a daily plan, a weekly plan, and a monthly plan. I recommend using a 4-5 month calendar in order to list long-term projects, papers, and test dates. This can be done at the beginning of the semester, as soon as students get a class syllabus. This really helps with pacing, especially when you have assignments in more than one class.

9. Consider having a single room versus having a roommate. Having a private room can support a student in staying focused and following through on assignments, with fewer distractions.

10. Consider having a reduced course load, for example of 12 credits. Sign up for classes that meet later in the day, as opposed to an 8 a.m. class.

11. Build a team for your young person. It might include a coach, a peer tutor, a psychiatrist, or a local support group. 

As parents, you want to see your child succeed. Some children just need a little more support than others. In time, with coaching, support, encouragement, your child with ADHD can soar.