Most public schools, and many private schools, have programs in place that are designed to identify students who have ADHD. The same programs often include ways to help the student to focus on completing school work, and arriving at class on time. Colleges and Universities, on the other hand, do not usually offer the same kind of help for students who have ADHD. Fortunately, the Edge Foundation can provide that kind of assistance.
Often, the first time a child is diagnosed with ADHD, that child is in the later years of elementary school. It is also becoming increasingly common for older kids to be identified as having ADHD. It tends to run in families, and is not something that a person will somehow grow out of as the person ages. There are plenty of adults who have ADHD, some of whom have no idea that there is a name that describes the reason why they have the difficulties that they encounter on a daily basis.
Teenagers who have ADHD experience a high degree of distractibility, and may have times when they are hyperactive. They often have poor concentration skills, and are more impulsive than their peers who do not have ADHD. It’s possible that a teenager with ADHD will be irritable more frequently than other teens, and may also have problems with insomnia.
Adults with ADHD also experience impulsiveness, can have difficulty controlling their anger, and will have a low frustration tolerance. Other symptoms include chronic lateness and forgetfulness, poor organizational skills, difficulty concentrating while reading, and a tendency towards procrastination.
Considering all of this, it is easy to see why a college student who has ADHD will struggle with his or her classes. One of the biggest hurdles that all young adults face when they first leave home to attend college is the sudden lack of structure. Not every college class takes attendance, and most do not provide any feedback to students about how well or poorly they are doing until the final grades are handed out. No one is going to remind a college student to study, to complete his homework, or to remember to bring it to class and turn it in.
The Edge Foundation provides individual coaches to help student who have ADHD succeed in school. They can help the student find ways to become more organized, and to remember important things (like what time a class starts, or when a project is due). The coach becomes an advocate for that student. The student can turn to the coach whenever he or she is struggling with something, and the coach is there to help that student strategize. Coaches can even help students who have ADHD to take better care of themselves, and improve their relationships with family, friends, and even their teachers.
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