Tuesday, October 21, 2008

Academic Impairment of College Students with ADHD

The following is an excerpt from my 2007 Dissertation study. The study referenced by Reaser, Prevatt, & Petscher is actually my own ('Reaser' is my maiden name):

Academic Impairment of College Students with ADHD

Few studies have investigated the nature of academic dysfunction experienced by college students with ADHD in relation to symptoms of the disorder. In these few, college students diagnosed with ADHD have reported problems with study skills, as well as note taking, summarizing, outlining, and test taking (Zwart & Kallemeyn, 2001). Reaser, Prevatt, & Petscher (2007) found that college students with ADHD report significant difficulty in the areas of time management, concentration, selecting main ideas, test strategies, motivation, anxiety, information processing, and self testing, as related to their peers. Similarly, Javorsky and Gussin (1994) reviewed studies suggesting that college students classified as having ADHD often exhibit problems with study strategies, note taking, summarizing and outlining, and test taking. Heiligenstein and Keeling (1995) found that the self-reported histories of college students classified as having ADHD revealed low academic achievement, as well.

Other documented problems that contribute to academic failure for college students with ADHD include negative attributional style (internal, stable, and global causes) and internal restlessness (Tominey, 1996; Weyandt, Iwaszuk, & Fulton et al., 2003). Wallace, Winsler and NeSmith (1999) found that students with ADHD demonstrated motivational impairments characterized by a preference for easy work, less enjoyment of learning, less persistence, and a greater reliance on external than on internal standards to judge their performance. Based on surveys of disability service coordinators, McDonald-Richard (1995) reported that academic performance by students with ADHD was hindered due to problems in self-regulation, task persistence, and attention.

Heiligenstein, Guenther, Levy, Savino, & Fulwiler (1999) compared a small number of students (n = 26) who were first classified as having ADHD in college with students without ADHD (n = 28) who presented with career concerns at the university counseling center. Students classified as having ADHD reported poorer functioning than the comparison group on several academic variables. The students classified as having ADHD had lower mean grade point averages, (ADHD M = 2.5; comparison M = 3.2) and were also more likely to be on academic probation. In the same study, on the Inventory of Common Problems, a self-report rating scale for college students, the ADHD group reported significantly more academic problems than the comparison group. Moreover, students classified as having ADHD did not differ significantly from the comparison group on questions relating to anxiety, depression, interpersonal relationships, physical health, substance use, and lethality (e.g., suicidal ideation). From these findings, Heiligenstein et al. suggested that understanding the pattern and development of academic impairment in ADHD is particularly important because the majority of their participants did not have academic problems that were apparent during childhood. Consequently, they hypothesized that the onset of academic impairment and subsequent classification of ADHD may be related more to external factors (e.g., academic difficulty at a particular university, loss of family structure that supported academic success, absence of individual education services) than to the presence of ADHD symptoms per se.


References

Heiligenstein, E., Guenther, G., Levy, A., Savino, F., & Fulwiler, J. (1999). Psychological and academic functioning in college students with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. Journal of American College Health, 47, 181-185.

Heilegenstein, E. & Keeling, R. P. (1995). Presentation of unrecognized attention deficit
hyperactivity disorder in college students. Journal of American College Health, 43, 226-228.

Javorsky, J., & Gussin, B. (1994). Serving college students with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder: An overview and program guidelines. Journal College Student Development, 35, 170-177.

McDonald Richard, Mary. (1998). Students with attention deficit disorders in postsecondary education: Issues in Identification and Accommodation. A Comprehensive Guide to Attention Deficit Disorder in Adults, (pp. 285-306). New York: Brunner/Mazel publishers.

Reaser, A., Prevatt, F., & Petscher, Y. (2007). The learning and study strategies of college students with ADHD. Psychology in the Schools, 44(6), 627-638.

Tominey, M. F. (1996). Attributional Style as a Predictor of Academic Success for Students with Learning Disabilities and/or Attention Deficit Disorder in Postsecondary Education. Paper presented at the International Conference of the Learning Disabilities Association (Chicago, IL, Feb. 19-22, 1997).

Wallace, B. A., Winsler, A., & NeSmith, P. (1999). Factors associated with success for college students with ADHD: Are standard accommodations helping? Paper presented at the Annual Meeting of the American Educational Research Association (Montreal, Quebec, Canada, April 19-23, 1999).

Weyandt, L. L., Iwaszuk, W., Fulton, K., Ollerton, M., Beatty, N., Fouts, H., et al. (2003). The Internal Restlessness Scale: Performance of college students with and without ADHD. Journal of Learning Disabilities, 36, 382-389.

Zwart, L.M. & Kallemeyn, L. M. (2001). Peer-based coaching for college students with ADHD and learning disabilities. Journal of Postsecondary Education and Disability, 15(1), 1-15.

Friday, October 17, 2008

Mental Health And Our Economy

While I plan on posting a lot of facts and data about ADHD/psycho-educational coaching and how it differs from traditional psychotherapy, I wanted to begin by extending some personal thoughts about one thing that is on everyone's minds these days--the state of our economy--and my passion--mental health.

Regardless of political viewpoint, I think we can all agree that our happiness on this earth comes down to one thing--how we feel. How we feel about ourselves, our loved ones, our society...our future. It's our perception of how we are succeeding in life and how the ones we love are succeeding in their lives, that causes us to either wake up with a smile or cry under the covers all day.

In times of financial hardship, it may seem that things like paying for mental health services and furthering our education need to take a backseat. How are we supposed to worry about getting happy and getting better organized when the milk carton is half empty, right?

In my opinion, it is when times are the worst that people need things like psycho-educational coaching or good old talk therapy the most. Coaching has helped many people not only learn better skills in organization, motivation, and time management, to help them compete in a competitive job market or manage their finances, but it has also changed people's perceptions and how they feel about themselves. When you are attempting to learn new skills your confidence grows, and that milk carton that before was half empty becomes...half full!

In my 2007 dissertation study on coaching, the number one thing my participants stated that they had gained from the experience was "realization, awareness, and understanding". Right behind that was "increased focus and control" and "increased organization", followed by...you guessed it..."more positive."

I know it's hard to look beyond the day to day, but we only have one shot at this life. So why not make it the happiest, most fulfilling life we can lead? Whether you see a therapist or coach, or even hash your problems out with a good friend over coffee, take care of your mental health and continue to develop your life skills. Even in the worst of financial times, if you or your child had a physical illness you would go to the doctor, right? Well, the same goes for what you can't see.

Take care.