ADHD and College Success

Transcription

1 ADHDand College Success Everythingyouneed toknowaboutadhd, college,andliving yourdreams! EdgeFoundation

2 Abstract: CollegeisacriticaltimeforstudentswithADHD.It susuallythe firsttimestudentsarechallengedtodoitallontheirown. Simplystrivingtobeorganizedandmotivatedisn tthesolution tocollegesuccess.insteadfindingnewstrategiesthatwork withadhdstrengthsisthekey.thispaperincludesdozensof tipsandstrategiesyoucanstartusingtoday! TableofContents ADHDandcollege:achallengeyoucanhandle 3 Doyouhavethe4studentqualitiesforsuccess? 3 SelfMasteryisthekeytoachievingyourdreams 3 Collegegivesyounewfreedomsandnewresponsibilities 4 AnADHDcoachhelpskeepyouontrack 4 AnADHDcoachworkswithyoutofindsolutions 5 AnADHDcoachreally getsit 5 ADHDSuccessTipsandSkills 6 Getupontime 6 Stayonschedule 6 Keeporganized 6 Workwithprocrastination,notagainstit 7 Beaccountable 7 Studysmarternotharder 7 Scheduleyourstudytime 8 Planaheadtokeepontrack 8 Keepanxietyundercontrol 8 Getagoodnight ssleep 9 Keepspendingundercontrol 9 Usefidgetingtosayfocused 10 Makehyper focusworkforyou 10 MeettheEdgeFoundation 11 Ourmission 11 Doesthissoundlike you? Idomyhomeworkbutforgetto handitin. Ihavetroublestayingfocusedon thethingsiknowi should be doing. SometimesclassissoboringIcan hardlystandit. IkeeppromisingmyselfIwon t procrastinate,butikeepfinding myselfdoingitatthelastminute, again. Sometimesanassignmentseemsso huge,ijustcan tfigureouthowto getstartedonit.andevenwheni dogetmotivatedtobegin,ifeellike Inevergetanythingfinished. IknowI llfeelbetterwhenigoto bedontime,butijustcan tsleep untili mtotallyexhausted. I mlatewaymoreoftenthaniwant tobe.it ssohardtogetoutofthe doorontime. Youcanchange! E d g e F o u n d a t i o n

3 ADHDandcollege:achallengeyoucanhandle Doyougetananxiousfeelingwhenyouthinkaboutschool?Goingto collegeisanadjustmentforanyone,butwhenyouhaveadhd,the challengesarethatmuchgreater.however,collegeisachallengeyou canhandleifyougoarmedwiththeknowledgeofafewextrathings youcandotomakesureyourcollegeexperienceiseverythingyou hopeitwillbe. Doyouhavethe4studentqualitiesforsuccess? Successfulstudentsusuallyhavefourqualitiesthathelpthem achievetheirgoals: 1. Stickingwiththingsevenwhenthegoinggetstough(a.k.a. perseverance), 2. Abilitytodelaygratificationandfocusonthebigpicture, 3. Timemanagementandorganizationalskills,and 4. Strikingtherightbalancebetweenfunandwork. Areyoufeelingdiscouragedalready?Nosurprise.Theseparticular skillsdon tcomeeasilytostudentswithadhd.organizational problems,impulsivityandtimemanagementissuesareactuallythe hallmarksoflivingwithadhd.youthink, IfIjustgetthisspecial planner,i llneverforgetanythingagain. Oryoupromiseyourself, NexttimeI mgoingtostartworkingonmyclassreadingatthe beginningoftheterminsteadofcrammingrightbeforefinals. It sso easytothink, IfIjustmakemyselfdothis it llbefine. Butwhatif wetoldyouthatmakingyourselfdoitisthetotallywrongapproach? Whatifmakingyourselfbemotivatedororganized isn tthesolution,butfiguringouthowtomaster yourselfis? SelfMasteryisthekeytoachievingyourdreams Selfmastery:identifyingandusingthetoolsandskillsthatworkwith yourpersonalstrengthstoachieveyourgoalsandbesuccessful. Collegeisoftenthetimewhereyouneedanewsetofskills or maybejustatuneup tocopewithadhd.it sthetimeoflifewhere youlearntomasteryourself.whynow?inyourlifebeforecollege, highschoolandyourparentstogethergaveyoubuilt instructureand accountability.butincollegeyouhavealotofunstructuredtimeand youaretotallyinchargeofmakingallofyourowndecisions. Ialwaysthoughtthat Iwasnevergoingto beabletoget organized.mycoach showedmeiwas wrong. Areyoureadytolearnmore? Clickheretosign uptodayand takethefirststeptogetting yourlifeunderyourcontrol,and findingyouredge! E d g e F o u n d a t i o n

4 Collegegivesyounewfreedomsandnewresponsibilities Wanttostayuplatepartying?Noproblem.It sabeautifuldayand youwanttoskipclassestogoplay.noproblem.youareheadofyour sorority ssocialcommitteeandinthemarchingbandandhaveajob soyoucankeepyourfinancialaid.noproblem.thatis,untilyouare justtootiredorsimplyrunoutoftimetofinishthebigpaperthat s due. There snoone,exceptyourself,totellyouwhatyoushoulddoand whereyourresponsibilitieslie.withoutself mastery,it seasytolet poortimemanagementandorganizationalskillsdragyoudown;it s easytomissthatrightbalancebetweenfunandwork;anditseasy findyourselflivingoutyournightmareofshowinguptoanimportant testtotallyunprepared. FormostcollegestudentswithADHDtheproblemisnotsomuchin knowingwhattodo,butingettingitdone.asonestudentsaid, I knowhowtoplan.myproblemisverysimple;ijustdon tfollowmy plans.ineedhelpmakingsurethatidowhatisayiamgoingtodo insteadofgettingsidetracked. AnADHDcoachhelpsyougetintoyourgrooveandkeepsyou ontrack OnethingyoucanalwaysrelyonwithADHDisthatitisconsistently inconsistent.thatmeanstherearedayswheneverythinggoes great,andotherdaysyoucan tseemtogetoutofyourownway. Doyourfriendsorfamilygetfrustratedandsaythingslike, Ifyou re sosmart,whycan tyoujusthandleit? Andwhenforwhatever reasonyoudon t,theysayyouarelazy,orunmotivated,ornotliving uptoyourpotential?andmaybeyoubegintobelievethem? Butwhatifit snotbecauseyouaren ttrying?afterallyouare probablyalreadytryingprettyhard oratleastthoughtyouwere. Whatiftheproblemishavingabrainthatjustworks differently?whatif,insteadofjusttryingharder,you needadifferentapproach,adifferentgroove,to managingtheseeverydayresponsibilities? Iknowhowtoplan. Myproblemisvery simple;ijustdon t followmyplans E d g e F o u n d a t i o n

5 AnADHDcoachworkswithyoutofindsolutions ThisiswhereanADHDcoachcanhelp.ADHDcoachesknowthatthe sameapproachdoesn tworkforeveryone.astheoldsayinggoes,if theshoedoesn tfit,don tblamethefoot!adhdcoachesworkwith peoplejustlikeyou,everyday,andhelpthemfindsolutionsthat workforthem notfortheirparentsorfriends.anadhdcoachwill helpyou: Beaccountable Studysmarternotharder Assessyourtime Prioritize Sticktoyourplan! AnADHDcoachreally getsit ADHDcoachesbringamazinglifeexperiencetotheircoaching.They haveapassionforworkingwithyoungpeoplewhomighthave ADHD.ManycoacheshaveADHDthemselves,orlovesomeonewho does,orboth,sotheyreallygetit.theyknowwhatworks,andwhat doesn t.andtheywon ttrytomakeyoufitintoanorganizational systemthatisn trightforyou! OneofthenicethingsaboutanADHDcoachistheyallworkonthe phone.thistakestransportationoutoftheequation.youcanstart workingwithyourcoachrightnow,andbecauseyoudon tmeetin anoffice,youcantakeyourcoachwithyouwhereveryougo. Yougettoyourappointmentsjustbypickingupthephone. Becausethere snocommute,youcaneasilyfityour appointmentsintoyourschedule. And,byvirtueofaphone/ relationship,youstayin muchclosertouchwithyourcoachthanyouwouldifyouhad togotoanoffice. Plus,theburdenofstayingintouchisshared.Itisn tjustup toyou. Thisextracontactcanmakeallthedifferenceinbeingabletostayon topofthings. Thenumbersshowthatincollegeit ssurprisinglyeasyforstudents withadhdtofallbehind.ifwe veconvincedyoutolookintogetting anadhdcoachtohelpyoukeepitalltogether,wehopeyou ll consideronetrainedbytheedgefoundation.allofourcoacheshave mettherigorousstandardssetbytheedgefoundationand completedtrainingforworkingwithstudentsandyoungadultswith ADHD.Signuptoday! IlovethatIcancall mycoachfrom whereverworksbest formethatday.and the follow up shesendshelpsme rememberwhatwe coveredinourtalk. Areyoureadytolearnmore? Clickheretosign uptodayand takethefirststeptogetting yourlifeunderyourcontrol, andfindingyouredge! E d g e F o u n d a t i o n

6 ADHDSuccessTipsandSkills Wonderwhatacoachcandoforyou?Checkoutthese strategiesandtipsthatedgecoachesusewith students,likeyou,everydaytohelpstayontrack. Getupontime Settwoalarmsandputoneacrosstheroomsoyouhaveto getoutofbedtoturnitoff Orputthesecondalarmwhereyouknowitwillbotheryour roommatessoyouaremoremotivatedtogetoutofbedand turnitoffintime! Setyouralarmtogooffearliersoyoucantakeyourtimein themorning. Stayonschedule Ifyouknowyougetdistractedbychecking or Facebook,makeitarulethatyoucan tdoituntilafter classesareover. Figureouthowmuchtimeyouneedtodress,eatandget organizedandthenusealarmstoremindyoutostayon schedule. Tryusingasetofmusicasatimer.Ifyouhave30minutesto getready,timeyourselfusingdifferentsongs.sowhenthe musicmovesonattheendofasong,youneedtohave movedontothenextstep. Setupalarmsonyourphoneoraprogrammablereminder watchthatgetsyoumovingontime. Putbigclocksinyourroomstobevisiblyremindedabout timepassing. Keeporganized Createa launchpad byyourexitdoor.collectallofthe thingsyou llneedinthemorningthenightbefore(likeyour backpack,keys,phone,homework,books)andputthemon thelaunchpad. Leaveyourselfanoteatthelaunchpadsointhemorningyou canrememberwhat simportantforthatday. Sureit salotofideas.youcantrythemoutonyour own,oryoucangetthesupportandassuranceofan Edgecoachtoguideyouasyoufigureoutwhatworks bestforyou. I vediscoveredwhat worksbestformeis togetupearlyand doasmuchasican thenaftersixjust havefunandrelax E d g e F o u n d a t i o n

7 Workwithprocrastination,notagainstit Sometimesit sokaytoprocrastinatesoyouhavethe pressureofthedeadlinetokeepyoumotivated.but Justbesuretogiveyourselflittledeadlinesthroughoutabig projecttomakethefinalpushmoredoable. Ifyouhavetowriteapaper,breakitintotheimportant steps:figuringouttheconcept,findingresearchsources, readingandnotetaking,andfinallywriting. Whenit sniceout,plantoworkatnightwhenthecalltobe outdoorsandplayingisn tsocompelling. Doamoderateamountofvigorousoutdoorexercisefirst, thenstudy. Planforspringfeverbytakingaheavyloadinthewinterand alighterloadinthespring. Beaccountable Getastudybuddyandmakeanagreementthatyou lleach getsomuchdoneduringasetperiodoftime.knowing you vemadeacommitmenttosomeoneelsereallyhelps.it s thepowerofaccountability. Whateveryoudo,donottakeanincomplete.Dowhatever youhavetodotofinishacourse.oryoumayneverfinishit atall. Studysmarternotharder Tokeepboredomatbay,highlightthetextyoureadwith differentcolorsordoodleyournotes. Makeaudionotesorseeifyourbookhasanaudioversion andlistenasyoucommutetoschool. Usemnemonicstocreatefunnywaystorememberstuff. Trystandingupwhileyoureadorreadyourassignment aloudtoyourselfusingacharactervoice. Getastudybuddy. Knowwhichclasseswillcutyouslacksoyoucanputenergy intotheonesthatwon t. Knowwhenyou vehitthepointofdiminishingreturns.if you veworkedfor5hoursandknowthat senoughtogetan Aminusonthepaperanditwilltake5morehourstogetan A,butthere sotherworkthatneedstobedone,moveon! AnEdgecoachhelpskeepyouaccountableuntil you vefiguredoutasystemthatworksforyou. Iknowhowtoplan. Myproblemisvery simple;ijustdon t followmyplans. Areyoureadytolearnmore? Clickheretosign uptodayand takethefirststeptogetting yourlifeunderyourcontrol, andfindingyouredge! E d g e F o u n d a t i o n

8 Scheduleyourstudytime Study2hoursperweekforeachcoursecredit.Spendatleast 2hoursadayreading startingonthefirstdayofclass! Thinkofcollegeasyourjobandspendatleast40hoursper weekonclassesandclasswork. Blockoutthehoursyouplantostudyinyourschedule and showup justlikeyouwouldforajob. Applytheprincipalofexerciseintervalstostudying.Instead ofalternatingsprintingandwalking,alternatestudyandplay. Setatimerandworkhardfor30or60minutesthenplayfor thenextintervalofminutes.thendoitagain.justbesure youquitplayingasreadilyasyouquitworking! Planaheadtokeepontrack PlanforyourweekonSundaynightorMondaymorning.And planforyourweekendonfriday. Revieweachmorningwhatyouwanttoaccomplishtomake sureyoukeepinmindwhatyouwanttoaccomplish. Writeyourtopthreeprioritiesonanotecardtokeepwith you.pullitoutatlunchanddinnertomakesureyouareon tracktoaccomplishingtheday sagenda. WithmyADHDcoach Ilearnedtime management soi couldgetallmy homeworkdoneand havefunwithmy friends. Andwhileyou rebusytakingcareofyourclasswork, don tforgettotakecareofyourself,too! Keepanxietyundercontrol DidyouknowthathalfofalladultswithADHDwillexperienceanxiety disordersduringtheirlifetimes?herearesomeeasy,everydaythings youcandotohelpcontrolanxiety,withouttakinganotherpill,which youcanstartrightnow! Exerciseregularly it sbeenproventodramaticallyreduce thesymptomsofanxiety. Eatright skippingmealsandingestingtoomuchcaffeineor sugarcanactuallytriggerananxietyattack. Getenoughsleep. Practicerelaxation whenyouarestressing,dosomething distractingandfun.fillyourmindwithachallengingtaskand youwon thaveroomtothinkaboutyouranxiety. Trymindfulnessmeditation it sbeenproventoreduce symptomsofbothanxietyandadhd.checkthewebfor instructions E d g e F o u n d a t i o n

9 Getagoodnight ssleep ADHDstudentsneedtotaketheirsleepseriously.Studentswith ADHDareoftenevenmoresleepdeprivedthantheirpeers.Sleep deprivationbothmimicsandmakesadhdsymptomsworse.soifyou haveadhdtakingchargeofyoursleephabitsisevenmore important. Don tnapduringtheday. Avoidcaffeine,nicotine,andalcoholbeforebed. Exerciseregularly,butearlierintheday. Don teatalotbeforebedtime. Establisharelaxingbedtimeroutine.TurnofftheDS,TV, InternetorWiiatleastanhourbeforeyourbedtime. Associateyourbedwithsleep.Don tdootherthingslike read,check ,textorwatchtvinbed. Makesurethatthesleepenvironmentispleasantand relaxing.thebedshouldbecomfortable,theroomshould notbetoohotorcold,ortoobright. Don tsleepwithyourpet.theycanwakeyouupatnight makingithardtofallbackasleep. ByworkingwithyourADHDinsteadofagainstit,you canlearntouseyournaturalstrengthstoyour advantage. Keepspendingundercontrol Makeabudget:Decidehowmuchyouhavetospendnow beforeyoustartshopping. Makealist:Writedownwhatyouplantobuybeforeyougo shopping. Prioritize:Adduphowmuchtheitemsonyourlistcost.If yourlistcostsmorethanyouhave,decidewhatthingsyou canwaittobuysoyoustaywithinyourbudget. Keepitincash:Takeonlythecashyouplantospendwhen yougoshopping.thatmeansleavingyourdebitandcredit cardsathome.putyourspendingmoneyinseparate compartmentinyourwallet.whenthemoneyisgone,you aredoneshopping.period.don tbetemptedtouselayaway planstobuythingsyoucan tafford. Avoidthemall:Ifyoustayawayfromwherethingsarebeing sold,youwon tbeastemptedtobuythem! Thankyoufor offeringsucha wonderfulservice! Ihaveasonwith ADHD.Hehada coachhisfirst semesterofcollege andshehelpedhim developstrategies thatheusedasa springboardtoa successfulfreshman year E d g e F o u n d a t i o n

10 Usefidgetingtosayfocused AboredADHDbrainisasluggishbrain.Whencomparedtothe generalpopulation,itisprettyclearpeoplewithadhdjustrequirea higherbaselevelofstimulationtostaycomfortablyalertand focused. Thegreatthingaboutfidgetingisthatit sperfectlynatural. Everyonedoesit.Thetrickistodoitintentionally.Ifyoudoit right,youcanmanageyouradhdsymptomsinawaythat s totallyunnoticeabletoeveryoneelse. It simportanttofidgetrespectfully:doingitinawaythat worksforyoubutthatdoesn tbotherthepeoplearound you.forexample,clickingyourpenrepeatedlyduringaclass mightnotbesocool,butfiddlingwithapaperclipunderthe tablewouldbesoundlessandinvisible. It simportanttorealizethatagoodfidgetshouldn t competewiththeprimarytasks.forinstance,ifyouneed youreyesforreading,listeningtomusicwillbeabetter fidgetthanwatchingthetv.ifyouneedtolisten,doodlingor pacingwillbeabetterfidgetthanbeingpluggedintoyour ipod. Medicationsdonot workforeverybody. Theyarenot the answer.pillsdonot teachskills,but coachesdo. Neil Peterson,Edge Foundationfounder. Makehyper focusworkforyou Doyouevergetsowrappedupinsomethingthatyouforget somethingelseyoureallyneededorwantedtodo?arrangeyourlife sothatthethingsyoutendtohyper focusonarethingsthatbring youclosertoyourgoals. Identifythetypesofactivitiesyoutendtohyper focuson. Don tstartanyhyper focusproneactivitiesclosetobedtime, orbeforedoingsomethingyou relikelytoprocrastinateon. Makeitapointtobeawareofyourmentalstateatalltimes. Weoftendon tevenrealizeitwhenwe rehyper focused. Beingawareofwhenyou reinitisthefirststeptowards gettingoutofit. Practicebeingfullypresent.Usemindfulnessexercisesto stayinthehereandnow. Usetimersandalarmstobecognizantofhowmuchtimehas elapsedsinceyoustartedtheactivity. Changeyourphysicalpositiontohelpbreakahyper focusas soonasyourecognizeit. Planmilestonesinyourprojects.Stopeverytimeyoureach one E d g e F o u n d a t i o n

11 MeettheEdgeFoundation So,areyoureadytotakethenextstep?Here sthe pagetovisittowatchavideoandsignuptolearn more: Ourmission TheFoundation smissionistohelpeverychild,adolescent,and youngadultwithattention Deficit/HyperactivityDisorder(also referredtoasadd,adhd,orad/hd)tofullyrealizetheirown potential,personalvision,andpassion. TheEdgeFoundationbelievesthatprofessionalcoaching,whilenota substituteforthetraditionalmulti modaltreatmentforadhd,isa criticalandhighlyeffectiveinterventioninthenontraditional learner sabilitytorealizehisorherpotential.atedgewewantevery studentwhohasadd,adhd,orwhohassimilarchallengestohave accesstoaspeciallytrainedpersonalcoach.coachingcangivea youngpersontheedgenecessarytoachievehisorherfullpotential inacademicandotherlifepursuits. HeadquarteredinSeattle,servingstudentsnationwide. EdgeFoundation 2017FairviewAvenueEast,SuiteI Seattle,WA Stillneedconvincing?Checkoutthisstudent sstory: Dad,thebestthing youeverdidforme wasgetmemyown coach. Daughterof EdgeFoundation founder,neilpeterson Getyourowncoach. Signuptoday! EdgeFoundation E d g e F o u n d a t i o n