ADHD Survival Guide by ADDitude Magazine


Visit ADDitude's ADHD College Survival Guide


John Muscarello had no trouble making the transition to college life, despite his severe attention deficit disorder (ADD ADHD).


That's because the 20-year-old cultivated good habits while attending high school in Glen Head, New York. "I had an assignment pad where I wrote everything down," he explains. "I also had a big calendar on my bedroom wall. I wrote down upcoming papers and dates, so I always knew what I had going on. I would get home from sports, take a shower, eat dinner, take a pill, and then do all my work."


In high school, John handed in papers before they were due. "Teachers would help me revise them," he says, "and I'd hand them in again, when everyone else did." And he cultivated close relationships with faculty members - a strategy he continues at Pennsylvania's York College by e-mailing his professors at the beginning of each semester to introduce himself and explain his academic "issues." He got this idea from his mother, Mary, who always made it a point to meet with her son's teachers to give them a heads-up.


Of course, laughs Mary, "The fact that we owned a pastry shop and brought stuff to school didn't hurt either."


Things were different for David Burkhart, a 28-year-old graduate student. He had done well at the prep school he attended, where students woke up, ate, studied, and went to bed at prescribed times. Given the order imposed on him, no one even suspected that David had ADD, as well as dysgraphia.


But David's life unraveled as he began his freshman year at Auburn University.
"I got to college and moved into my own apartment. For the first time in my life, I didn't have a bedtime," he says. "I had no clue how to eat or plan my day. I went from having one hour of free time a day to having three hours of class a day - and nobody cared if I didn't show up for those. I 'washed my clothes' by buying new stuff. I bought a new pair of slacks every week."


Within weeks, David had dropped all his classes. He tried to hide the truth from his parents, but his father, the chairman of Auburn's psychology department, and his mother soon found out. David's dad sent him to live with an uncle in Florida, where he spent four grueling months pouring asphalt and considering what he would do differently if he returned to college.

Popular posts from this blog

Teens Starting College: Transition Blues

Image
Mental illness continues to mystify the mainstream, and students already stressed and anxious about classes, relationships, jobs and activities end up suffering from the stigmas just as much as the conditions themselves. But they don’t have to nurture their pain in quiet. More and more individuals (students or not), their loved ones and organizations are speaking up in favor of psychological help in all its forms. The following list represents some of the most common conditions occurring on campuses globally, though by no means should it be considered a comprehensive glimpse at an issue far more broad and complex. Clinical Depression : At least 44% of college students have reported suffering from some degree of clinical depression — and the number only escalates from there as years tick past. Thanks to prevailing social stigmas regarding psychiatric help, only 23% of victims reported that they’d be comfortable discussing their treatment. Considering the amount of s...
Read more

How to Find NATSAP Schools for My Troubled Teen

Image
  Searching for  schools for troubled teens online  can be tedious and confusing. If this is your first time searching for therapeutic boarding schools for your troubled teenager, learning the terminology will be one of your first lessons. 5 Tips to Untangle the Troubled Teen Industry Terminology “ My teen needs a Military school to teach them a lesson!”  WRONG. Military schools  are a privilege and honor to attend, they are not for defiant, drug-using, depressed, or other behavioral issues students. They do   not   provide mental health services – and if your teen is using drugs, drinking, or vaping now – by attending an open campus, it is likely s/he will consider the use again. However, this time when he is caught (typically three strike you are out) and the parents will forfeit their tuition. This is the same for any of the behavioral issues they are asked to leave or expelled for – you will be risking your tuition as well as  setting your ch...
Read more

Teenage Mental Health Options

Image
Teenage mental health is a growing concern, since 2020 studies have revealed that adolescent depression and anxiety has doubled. This is also causing the rise of suicide ideation and   self-harm   as well as youth self-medicating.  Since 2001 we have helped  educate  parents regarding  mental health options   for troubled teens in addition to  therapeutic boarding schools . This is not a decision that is made lightly. Has your teenager’s behavior been  escalating  for  more than a year ? Are they becoming more withdrawn? Depressed or isolated? More common is the following: -Defiance (ADHD, ODD) -Anger, rage -Cell-phone addiction (self-destructs when the phone is removed) -School refusal (skipping classes) -Lacks motivation -Changing peer groups -Substance use (self-medicating) -Self-harm (relieves anxiety) -Change in eating habits -Poor hygiene   Your teenager may be suffering with mental health issues that need to be addressed...
Read more