The majority of parents of college-bound students are understandably concerned about what the transition will be like for both their children and themselves. Perhaps you’re a parent reading this, and you have high hopes for your child to go off to college and have a successful journey, both academically and socially. But if you’re a parent of a child with ADHD, you may have other concerns and worries. This article addresses how to deal with those.
As a college professor for over 30 years, I have witnessed the proliferation of this diagnosis among my students. Sometimes it is a formal diagnosis by a physician, and other times students have self-diagnosed, knowing that they have some learning differences. In my new book, I address over a hundred issues to help the full range of students, and here I will specifically focus on how to best support your student with ADHD.
1. Understand what the college experience actually is.
It’s important to remember and to convey to your child that above all, college is a process for figuring out how to learn, how to think, and how to manage life. That means that this is an ongoing process that can’t be fully figured out and determined before college as much as we might want to do that.
Parents are often hoping for quick fixes, especially for the summer between high school graduation and the beginning of college. And while it’s a good time to do certain preparatory things to feel ready, it’s the experience of being in college that will help students figure out some of the things that work best for them.
2. Procrastination is common in college, and it’s certainly very common among students with ADHD.
However, research shows that procrastination is often because of a fear of failure as well as a fear of success, yet the good news is that procrastination generally lessens as we get older.
3. The single, most important thing that students can do is to invest in a calendar system that can work for and with them.
And by invest, I really mean psychologically. There are plenty of online tools for this, though experience tells me that the act of writing it down is essential. Just as research shows that taking handwritten notes during a lecture is most effective, it is also the case that paper calendars and lists can ensure that nothing is out of sight and out of mind.
The act of writing something down can make it more indelible in our memory. People with ADHD often function better when they can see something and be reminded of it.
4. It’s really important to go through each syllabus thoroughly.
See what each professor is expecting in the class, and enter due dates into a calendar as well as dates by which certain projects need to be started. This can be done in a fun way with colored markers to signify different courses.
5. Students often benefit from also making a master list of everything that they need to do with due dates (soonest to farthest out), so that they can see this in both list and calendar form.
Project management works best when things are broken up into smaller, manageable chunks with goals and dates.
6. Students with ADHD benefit from having classes scheduled every day or almost every day.
This means there is a constant touchstone, and there aren’t fully open days with seemingly aimless time. For most people, knowing that they have the entire day can feel both wonderful and freeing but also overwhelming once in it. Students might find that they actually get more done in the hour or two between things than they do when they have five wide-open hours in front of them.
7. Know your campus resources.
Students can benefit from campus centers that provide more information, tools, and resources for dealing with these issues, as well as ways to connect with others who have dealt with these issues. This includes offices like the academic success center, tutoring center, and counseling center, many of which host workshops on time management, stress reduction, study habits, effective reading, etc.
8. Students benefit from a well-designed schedule, but one that also has some room for the spontaneity that helps them be who they are.
Things like regular exercise, nutritious meals, time in nature, reduced screen time, and good sleep support all of this.
9. It’s important to help support students in ways that don’t let the diagnosis define them.
In recent years, students have become so open about mental health issues that they are also talking about this in a way that enables them to take it on as their main identity.
10. The reality is that we live in a society that has an oversaturation of information and so many different things pulling on our attention and energy.
All of that generates a lot of outside noise and internal noise. Grounding practices that help to center the body and mind can be useful for people with ADHD or for anyone really, including yoga and meditation.
11. Students are often well served by being open with their professors about any issues they have.
There are many professors who themselves struggle with ADHD, anxiety, depression, etc., and they may even feel comfortable sharing what does and doesn’t work for them.
12. Have an open conversation about the extent to which your student plans to make use of the Office for Students with Disabilities.
Be sure to have all documentation that will be required if accommodations are going to be utilized. Consider role-playing situations for how best to self-advocate.