Hi, I’m Edie Brown. I’d like to share what makes me happy. Today’s blog? It’s about helping dozens of college students with ADHD manage writing assignments. 

All we needed to start was an effective and flexible plan of action. We’ve transformed our practice to incorporate both digital and analog processes. I was blessed to incorporate the honest struggles of “my kids” and college professionals around the U.S. Here’s what we came up with. 

How hard is it to admit that you struggle at something? It seems easy for everyone except for you. That’s what it’s like for most of my college students with ADHD when it comes to writing assignments. Starting is a struggle; while finishing on time seems almost impossible.

Carol was the first college student with ADHD whom I consulted for at Lindamood-Bell. She had gotten good grades in high school but was failing in college. She dropped out. Mason was my second. He dropped out too. I felt like a complete failure.

Moving into classroom teaching, I discovered that organizational skills were the foundation of successful writing. This is especially true at the college level. Over the decades, I had honest conversations with professors and college students with ADHD on their challenges and failures.

I’ll never forget them.

Time out of hand, papers everywhere.  Assignments are late or undone.  There are definite ways to make a change.  The question is:  What are they?

College students with ADHD often have a severe impact on their studies.  Inattentiveness leads to a disorganized writing process.  They struggle to keep ideas in their mind long enough to remember what they want to say.  Difficulty maintaining focus on their train of thought results in challenges so they don’t veer off course.

Unstructured thought results in difficulties in organizing content.  Multitasking is a skill lacking in most people.  This is especially true for people with ADHD.  

Writing tasks require the manipulation of ideas and details.  Simultaneously, they must keep in mind the big picture they’re trying to communicate.  With the time and frustration taken to complete assignments, there is virtually no time (or energy) to create success.

Writing at the university level can be a wonderful way to express creative ideas.  The challenge for students with ADHD is that they are 5 times more likely to have writing problems.  Getting their ideas and thoughts on paper can be a real struggle.

• Face greater responsibilities.
• Have less structured time.
• Encounter new social situations.
• Difficulty with limited language skills.
• Take longer getting started on writing assignments.

The writing process involves planning, analyzing, and organizing thoughts.  Editing incorporates prioritizing and sequencing information.  The same is true for both high school and college.  Having difficulties organizing thoughts is the major challenge.  

Several studies have found that college students with ADHD struggle to organize their thoughts.  An executive functioning disorder can exasperate this.  Starting with a simple system gives them the freedom to manipulate ideas. 

Mind-mapping – A semantic mind map for an essay may include major nouns, verbs, and outlines.

Advanced Outline – Begin with Introduction and Conclusion as placeholders.

Cornell Notes – Asking questions, then answering them.

Sticky Note Outline/Brainstorm Board – Create small easy-to-manage pieces.

Adding to the challenges for students with ADHD are difficulties with working memory.  They need strategies to remember what they’re writing about.  Sequencing is important in deciding what they want to do next.  High school skills can benefit how to apply grammar, capitalization, and punctuation rules.  Having specific tools helps in the long run.

• Read and highlight in different colors.
• Make notes and doodle them.
• Look up relevant samples.
• Use mnemonics to create funny ways to remember information.
• Provide 2 to 2.5 hours of study time per credit hour.

The differences between high school and college writing start at the beginning.  Students with ADHD can pull off good grades at the secondary level.  However, the odds are that these same strategies won’t work in college.  They should use accommodations to support their efforts, especially extra time to complete assignments.

The middle of the college stage requires executive functioning skills.  This pattern of chronic difficulties in executing daily tasks is common in people with ADHD.  Targeted strategies can help.

• Have some idea about what you want to write about.
• Figure out how many hours you’ll need to work.
• Block out hours on a schedule.
• With a deadline in mind, sit down and do it.
• Go digital by starting the process on a computer (mind-mapping, outlining)

Look for help from your professor.  Start with ways to begin and how to proceed.  Use an essay template as an example to show how to write and revise it.

Classmates are a great resource when starting and completing assignments.  Both can share language and perspectives.  Consider social skills throughout the interaction.  Approach calmly, asking instead of demanding.  Beginning conversations are important.  It’s in the how.

Not everything works every time.  Mix it up and see what happens.  Taking multiple breaks and getting enough sleep are a good start.

Things can seem darkest before the dawn.  Don’t let the challenges that ADHD presents stop your college progress.  Asking for help sets the groundwork for future success.

Think of college like a job…one that YOU pay for.

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