Anyone have experience with ADHD at college/university?

[emm142]

Hi everyone, just wondered if anyone could help with this.

My brother's starting university in September (he got the grades for his first choice - yay!) and right now we're considering what sort of accomodations could help with his ADHD.

So far we've thought that he could probably get permission to record his lectures on a dictophone and receive copies of the presentations used. Also he'll probably be able to sit exams alone, to decrease distractability.

Just wondered if anyone has any experience with sending their child with AD(H)D to university/college. One of the main concerns for my brother is that he will probably struggle to get to lectures etc. at all - he really has issues with keeping to timetabled events. This is going to be the first time he's totally in charge of his own schedule, so my parents are understandably concerned.

If anyone could share what helped them, that would be great. TIA!

[deafmack]

I don't know what kind of legal protections there are for people with disabilities in the UK but I think if there is an office with disabilities on campus I would contact them first. Also I think having a person who works with students how have ADHD would be beneficial in helping your brother be organized, etc. I would think the other problem he would have is being easily distracted sights and sounds around him. I definitely would ask for the right to take tests without other distractions, etc. I have to say your brother had to work awfully hard to enter college. Congratulations to him for his hard work and sucess on being granted admission to the college/university of his choice.

[emm142]

Originally Posted by deafmack

I don't know what kind of legal protections there are for people with disabilities in the UK but I think if there is an office with disabilities on campus I would contact them first. Also I think having a person who works with students how have ADHD would be beneficial in helping your brother be organized, etc. I would think the other problem he would have is being easily distracted sights and sounds around him. I definitely would ask for the right to take tests without other distractions, etc. I have to say your brother had to work awfully hard to enter college. Congratulations to him for his hard work and sucess on being granted admission to the college/university of his choice.

Thanks - I think my brother has been helped a lot so far by my parents (making sure he does homework, etc.). Not sure how well he will cope when he doesn't have so much of that.

Just to clarify the original question, there is a disabilities office and he will be going there to request accomodations. I'm particularly interested in the specific accomodations which may have helped some people. My brother is only recently dxd so had no accomodations through school, and therefore doesn't really know the sort of things which might help. He got through school on the basis of being really smart and having an incredible memory, rather than because he spent time studying. Because university will be more based on constant assessment and he will need to remember deadlines etc., he will need accomodations despite the fact that he coped without them in school.

[misscaitp]

The accommodations I could think of at the college level are:

- Seperate space for exams
- Extended time for exams
- Use of laptop for notes and organizational tools (useful if there is a professor who doesn't allow computers)
- Extra peer tutoring at a scheduled time each week
- Meeting with an advisor or peer tutor to organize the week and the assignments

I don't think they could do much about him not getting to class, as they'll probably see that as his responsibility at that level.

[OSUMom]

Being able to register before the masses might be one option when registering. This can be helpful if only course time options left otherwise are at night when if he takes medicine the medicine would be out of his system.

Also - there could availability of prof lectures notes being received ahead of time with each prof as to not have to write those key things down and miss all else that is said in lecture. Though this isn't something my son had direct experience with I know it's an option and it was set up with each course professor at the beginning of each semester - could not be set up in the middle.

[purplewowies]

My college lists these accommodations for ADHD/learning disabilities:

Adaptive Computer Technology - We have a computer lab on campus where books can be scanned into a computerized/accessible format for screen readers, etc. if someone has trouble reading

Notetaking - A person in class taking notes.

Priority Class Scheduling - Everybody with disabilities gets to register before everyone else and/or automatically gets in if they register before the deadline (the second is how it worked last year).

Recording Lectures - A recording device. I have access to this accommodation, and I record classes in OneNote so it matches up with typed notes.

Test Accommodations - Extra time (1.5-2 times), reduced distractions (there are others, like scribes and word processors and readers, but those two are the ones most people use)

Tutoring - Every student at the university can utilize tutoring/study sessions in the Learning Center on our campus. They only list this as an accommodation because it can be extremely helpful and some people don't know about it.