ADD/ADHD not Just a Kid Problem

ADD/ADHD not Just a Kid Problem What do you know about ADD or ADHD? How can ADD/ADHD affect a student if they are not treated in time? "Attention deficit disorder (ADD) and Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) are condition listed as developmental disorder in the classification manual for psychiatric, psychological, and mental disorder." (Steinberg & Othmer 2) When people hear about ADD/ADHD they assume that only kids and teens have this problem, but there have been some cases that this diagnosis has been found when someone reaches adulthood. ADD/ADHD today is a really common disorder; on average 2 out of 20 adult students have ADD/ADHD and they do not know they have it. If this diagnosis is not treated at a young age, people that have ADD/ADHD and who are not aware they have it can struggle a lot, especially when they get into college. Most of the time collage students have trouble concentrating or paying attention in class and for a person that has ADD/ADHD they can struggle more during class. Symptoms such as failing to pay attention and follow instructions can cause problems in school and in many other areas of life. A person with ADD/ADHD has difficulty processing out all the information coming into their brain, so one of the issues students with ADD/ADHD is that they have a hard time focusing. How does that mind of an ADD/ADHD works? they have less active in areas of the brain that control attention, therefore student can easily be distracted during class or feel bored all the time without any particular reason, they tend to lose things, say or do what comes to mind without thinking, and interrupt when others are speaking. Not being able to cope with the work can affect the person's self esteem, especially if they haven't been diagnosed with ADD/ADHD and constantly think that it is their fault. By not knowing the right information about ADD/ADHD and not knowing how to handle it, the person may feel isolated since they don't know what is wrong with them. Therefore, they start to put themselves down by listening to what other people have to say about them and only take in the negative comments. In some cases students drop out of college because they do not know to cope with all this pressure. Therefore the students that have ADD/ ADHD need to change their ways of how they manage their school time. For example, being more organized in school such as: having different colored binders for each class to not get confused," find things that calm you, deep breathing, closing you eyes, squeezing a ball and take a lot of notes." (Watkins 117) Another way that can help to calm you is to take yoga classes and take advantage of the all resources the college has to offer such as tutoring or classes in time managed. As an architect student, I know how difficult college can be at times. Architecture can be one of the hardest careers to do, especially if you have ADD/ADHD. Architecture can be a challenging career that could make a person with ADD/ADHD want to rethink about following architecture. There are always going to be deadlines, the mind is constantly forced to work, and having other distractions can affect your health. For example, not having the right amount of sleep, not exercising, being on the computer all day, and bad habits in nutrition can all affects your health. "A student can have excellent grades and high SAT scores while attending high school and not realize that they have ADD/ADHD." (MacLean) A reason that the student may not notice the disorder is because while in high school parents, teachers and counselor are constantly looking out for the better interest of the student. For instance, parents will make sure that the students attend class and keep up with homework. The teachers will notice if the student is having trouble learning or focusing in school, therefore they will try to help the student overcome the problem by offering tutoring or counseling. When the student realizes that they have ADD/ADHD is when they start college and not longer have parents or teacher looking out for them. College can be very different than in high school, students have more freedom to do their work and if the student does not know how to manage their time or organize their class assignments they can have a hard time in college. Students that were treated on time for ADD/ADHD can still struggle in college, but they know how to manage their situation and it makes it easier for them to survive college. On the other hand, the students that were never diagnosed with the disorder or received any treatment may feel overwhelmed with college life. They do not understand their situation nor find someone that can understand; therefore they can feel depressed or frustrated and may isolate themselves from the population. There have been cases where students end up dropping out of college or are suspended by the college from enrolling because of their low grades and poor performances. All this can affect the student's self-esteem and lead them to think they do not have enough potential to be in college. Therefore, ADD/ADHD can be a big issue in college especially if the student has the disorder. "Students with ADD/ADHD should not think of the disorder as a disability, on the contrary they can see it as a gift and can be something positive, because people that have ADD/ADHD can be more creative and can come up with great ideas, (qtd. Rob Surratt)" (Farrington 115) therefore should not put themselves down. I can say that I may have the disorder, I have not been diagnosed but I can relate to many of the issues that students with ADD/ADHD have, as a result I take a special interest in the subject perhaps by knowing more about the matter, I can help myself and others that may be in the situation. Having ADD/ADHD is not something to be ashamed of; it is a common diagnostic that you need to learn how to live with. College students must manage homework, keep up with readings, study for finals, and meet deadlines, this can produce some stress in most of the student with ADD/ADHD and usually they cannot find a way to deal with these kinds of situations. For these reasons, college students with ADD/ADHD should take advantage of college sources, such as tutoring, classes in time managed, note taking, and other resources to help with their ADD/ADHD; as well as other resources such as meditation and something as simple as sitting at front of the class room and using color to organize class assignments.

Works Cited
Doksai Rick. "A Mindful Approach to Learning." The Futurist (Sep/Oct 2013) 8 -10 http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=a9h&AN=89156335&site=ehost-live. 25 Oct. 2013
Gander MacLean. "Failure to Launch" university business (Feb. 2010) 44 http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=a9h&AN=48320189&site=ehost-live. 25 Oct. 2013
Prints:
Stanley Klein, Cynthia Gangi, Moshe lex. "Memory and Self-knowledge in Young Adults withADHD." Self & Identity. Apr-Jun2011, Vol. 10 Issue 2, p213-230. 18p. 1 Chart. (print)
Watkins Heidi. "Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder" Farmington hills, Mi: GALE Cengage Learning, 2011. (print)
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Teens with ADHD Face Special Problem" Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. Ed. Watkins Heidi Farmington hills, Mi: GALE Cengage Learning, 2011. 9-21. print
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