Parenting ADHD Through College

Establishing One’s College Identity: A Fresh Start It may come as a surprise that a student who uses accommodations during high school successfully and expresses the intent to use them in college, may and often does, change course once they’re on a college campus. Even if they begin to struggle, it’s not unusual for new college students with learning differences such as ADHD to avoid using accommodations or accessing campus support, particularly during their freshman year. 1   As a parent, it can be frustrating to become aware that your new undergrad is sliding off track into some academic difficulty but hasn’t informed their professors about accommodations they may have and seems resistant to accessing campus support options. Some parents may find themselves grappling with WHY?  It’s important to keep in mind that acknowledging a learning difference can create a sense of stigma. The disability label can act as a substantial barrier for students, particularly when they are new...

The World of Learners Wheel Learning is a complex process that’s impacted by many fluid factors. It involves considerably more than academic skills. To keep in mind how these different elements may be influencing your student as they progress through the college transition, consider The World of Learners Wheel below. This visual model developed by D. Osterholt & S. Dennis 1 illustrates the relationship among 4 different areas or Domains of Learning that can drive and impede our students’ academic performance. The inner circle reflects possible areas of challenge or barriers to learning. The middle circle contains strategies that can be applied as students work to move toward more positive student traits depicted in the outer ring.  https://domainsoflearning.wordpress.com/the-world-of-learners/ In order to address academic skills effectively, we FIRST need to consider what’s going on in the other three areas in terms of motivation, self-regulation and social/emotional influence...

  When Executive Function Challenges Are Present: As our students transition to college, there are common challenges that we tend to expect. These may range from our kids feeling homesick if they’re residing on campus, to feeling overwhelmed at times as they learn to navigate their new environment, whether in person or online. They’re challenges that we as parents are likely to discuss with each other, exchanging stories, advice and support through shared experience. Similarly, our students are likely to have received some preparatory advice concerning common freshman experiences. Perhaps, they even received college survival tip books as high school graduation gifts. Among the types of challenges that are less widely discussed at the college level, are those that stem from learning differences such as executive function issues. Our executive function skills involve mental control and self-regulation. They are the “cognitive processes that regulate an individual’s ability to sustain...

Supporting From The Sidelines How Did We Get Here? A young adult I know and love deeply, wrote the following poem when she was 10. This expresses more beautifully than I ever could, what started me on this journey and why I remain on this path... As a parent and spouse of diverse learners with ADHD, I share the quest of many parents who search for related information to help their children successfully navigate formal education. As my first child completed graduate school and my second child began the transition to college, I embarked on my own adventure back into graduate education and professional development to learn about the latest research in this field and cutting edge strategies. I share the information on this page with you as I would if we were literally standing next to each other, supporting our students from the sidelines as they navigate their way through the college transition and all this stage of life entails. I extend my warmest regards to you and your family and hope...