AD/HD and/or LD

Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (AD/HD)

And/Or Learning Disabled

(Click on headings) 

GENERAL DISCUSSION

PARENTS

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (AD/HD)

    College Survival Hints

    General Survival Hints

    The Internet - AD/HD

Learning Disabled (LD)

    The Internet - LD

COLLEGE CALL CHECKLIST

GENERAL DISCUSSION

Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (AD/HD) and Learning Disabled (LD) are separate issues, however the questions that need to be asked are very similar. You will have to use the information you know about yourself to fill in the details of your own needs and capabilities. In this section, there will be discussions that overlap and will have the notation AD/HD or LD. Other discussions will be marked separately.

**************There are college search books for learning disabled teens. For these search books, AD/HD services are covered under the title of learning disabled (even though your child may not have any LD problems). These books rate colleges on how receptive they are to assisting teens with AD/HD.****************

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder has been known by many names over the years. Its definition according to the American Psychiatric Association is: “AD/HD is a disorder that can include a list of nine specific symptoms of inattention and nine symptoms of hyperactivity/impulsivity.” These characteristics can lead an AD/HD person to know what to do, but not be able to carry that knowledge to completion through an appropriate action.

At this point in time, there are four types of AD/HD. These characteristics are at levels that are inconsistent with the age of the teen. These characteristics may include appearance of not listening, making careless mistakes, difficulties with organization skills, losing necessary items, forgetfulness, distractibility, impulsivity, being quiet or sitting for extended time periods, talking excessively, interrupting conversations and exhibits difficulty in waiting. [The variety of characteristics can lead to social adjustment problems or impairments of all types of relationships including family, school, college and work.]

 [With the March 1999 clarification of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), AD/HD is now officially covered by this legislation. This has allowed widening of the range of services offered by schools to AD/HD students.]

 Treatments often encompass a balance of well-monitored medication, behavior modification therapy, counseling, and correct educational responses. This multi-pronged treatment is a 24-hour a day, 7-days a week year-round situation. Becoming successful in following directions and being able to study, controlling actions, activity levels and impulses; advance your teen on the path to success not only in school, but as a person and ultimately a successful adult.

********************If you are receiving prescribed medication, keep really close track of it. A lot of public school systems are requiring medication given out during school hours be administered by the school nurse. But once you are in college that won’t be the case. Unfortunately, there are some who have decided to use medication typically prescribed for AD/HD as a recreational drug. Keep track of your meds and keep them somewhere they aren’t likely to be discovered by someone who is casually scooping out your room. If you find some missing, report the loss.******************

College Survival Hints
The first year of college is an enormous adjustment for any teen. A teen with a high degree of AD/HD with an incomplete survival tool kit, may make the adjustment almost impossible. Depending upon your degree of disability, your personality and your level of success in high school, you may want to consider going to college locally and staying at home for the first year. This interim step may provide you the rest of the skills and tricks of the trade to achieve your long-term goals.

 In college, you will need to learn to communicate your needs to your professors, resident assistants and your peers.

·          A single dorm room instead of being in a double or a triple might help concentration levels. Later, a single apartment might help eliminate the distractions and temptations of the 24-hour per day activity of dorm life.

Sometimes the harder you try to concentrate on a conversation or a lecture, the more it seems like you have tuned everyone out. Ask your professor if you can tape the lectures.

·Arrange for a note-taker to augment your own notes, if necessary.

If needed, arrange for different test taking situations such as in a separate room, taken orally or on a computer, with dictionary, or without time restrictions.

Ask for a detailed course syllabus that lists clear expectations and dates.

Take advantage of all academic counseling and peer tutoring.

General Survival Hints

  ·        Learn to be your own advocate so you can explain your strengths
           and explain what help it will take for you to succeed.

·          Keep paper to a minimum

·          Find a way to organize daily paper that comes into your life – if you can’t seem to organize it, find a way to contain it.

·          Try and keep your home/dorm study area organized – now that is organized for you, maybe not for someone else

·          Make up or find funny systems to keep your life under control

·          One-stop shop – less likely to forget things

·          Work with your resource teacher

·          Make use of technology to help you organize and achieve

·          Your brain tends to run in a thousand ways at once so you need to structure your college life to minimize the distractions.

·          Since it may take you longer to get through assignments, not overloading your schedule might also help.

·          Limit your extracurricular activities due to time constraints and that they can act as a constant distraction.

·          Work on your note-taking skills.

·          Work on your timely and constructive participation in classroom discussions.

·          Work on your organizational skills and tricks so that you can keep track of important assignments, papers, projects, etc.

·          Keep a calendar or planner. Get in the habit of writing everything
            down.

·          Work on turning all assignments in – completed and on time.

·          Find a mentor.

·          Learn your internal signals for when you are heading for being stressed-out or becoming depressed. Learn the tricks that help you during those times. And when the tricks don’t work anymore, ask for help. Don’t go down for the count alone in your room.

·          Seek help in searching for a degree and a career that make use of your strengths and ones which you weaknesses will not be detrimental to your success.

·          Join a national organization that will provide you with information and support during your school career.

   The Internet - AD/HD

AD-IN  Attention Deficit Information Network, Inc.

Attention Deficit Disorder Association 
            www.adda.org