Edge Foundation Blog

Going to college when you have ADHD is challenging.  It’s nice to see that people are starting to talk about it. Two recent articles, 18 Critical Factors For Successful Post-Secondary Transition by Joan Azarava, and Learning Disabilities: Stepping Up to the Challenge in the New York Times, both give good advice about how to make the move to living away from home and adapting to the rigors of a more challenging academic environment.

ADHD students don’t need tutors as much as they need coaches

What struck us at the Edge Foundation, however, is that neither article mentioned personal coaching.  High school students have built-in structure and accountability living under their parent’s watchful eye.  In the free-wheeling life of college, however, students face a set of very predictable challenges.  Challenges that going to the tutoring center or getting extended time on their tests will not address.

As Edge Foundation founding board member, Dr. Patricia Quinn points out,  ”While most colleges provide services for students with disabilities, these programs often are not a good match for students with ADHD. While some students with ADHD may need tutoring because they have gaps in their academic skills, or note takers because they have trouble listening in a large lecture, these services do not address the basic problems students with ADHD experience in forming routines and developing a schedule to keep up with their work.” Coaching Students with ADHD: Issues and Answers (Quinn, Ratey, and Maitland, 2000)

For most college students with ADHD the problems are not so much in knowing what to do, but in getting it done. As one student said, “I know how to plan. My problem is very simple; I just don’t follow my plans. I need help making sure that I do what I say I am going to do instead of procrastinating and getting sidetracked by other things.”

ADHD college survival skills are not taught in the learning center

Ms. Azarva rightfully points out the need for students to learn how to persevere, delay gratification, and set up organizational systems that work for them. “The sooner you work on these three things, the easier college will be.”

However, these are exactly the things students with ADHD are weakest in. These skills are not taught at the learning center. These skills are best taught by a personal coach who thoroughly understands ADHD.

Most colleges don’t offer personal coaches

There are over 4000 colleges and universities in the U.S. Of these, only a few dozen offer personal coaching to their students. Yet more and more are finding that personal coaching is the critical piece that’s been missing for their ADHD students. One Director of Student Services found that he and his staff were spending most of their time helping students with ADHD manage themselves and their academics. When he learned about the effectiveness of ADHD coaching techniques, he did his research, got a grant, and put his entire staff through training. That community college is one of the very few colleges or universities nationwide that provide personal coaching for their students with ADHD. If you work with an Edge Coach, your options of where to go to college and have access to coaching open up considerably.

Find a ADHD coach now, so you are ready to go in the fall

One of the nice things about Edge Coaches is they all work on the phone. This takes transportation right out of the equation. You can start working with your coach over the summer and, because you don’t meet in an office, you can “take your coach with you” when you go off to school. You get to your appointments just by picking up the phone, so there’s no commute and you can easily fit your appointments into your schedule. And, by virtue of a phone/email relationship, you stay in much closer touch with your coach than you would if you had to go to an office. This extra contact can make all the difference in being able to stay on top of things.

Think about getting started even before you leave for college. Those first few weeks are guaranteed to be overwhelming, and your coach can help you stay on track. The numbers show that in college it’s surprisingly easy for students with ADHD to fall behind. Getting your first term grades and finding you’ve tanked is a Christmas present no one wants to get. So, start thinking now about getting ready for the fall.  Look into getting an Edge Coach to help you keep it all together.

Editor’s note:  This week we are introducing a new column, Stories from the Edge:  Real stories about how an ADHD coach helps.  Today’s post is written by Kelsey Peterson, a junior at Parson’s School of Design.

I knew from a young age that I had a learning disability.  Growing up with a dad who also had a learning disability was the best wish I could have asked for.  Ever since I was diagnosed, my dad stepped in and took control of getting me the best help he could to help me overcome my disability and stay on track with my classmates. 

My friends have always been very important to me.

Staying in my class with my friends was a huge motivation.  In order to not be held back in grade school, my dad helped me get outside tutoring and inside school assistance.  I knew I had to work twice as hard as my friends in school, but it was worth it to be able to sit in class with them. 

It was hard getting constantly tested and going to tutoring every day after school.  When I graduated from grade school I had to go to a special school for children with dyslexia.  I wasn’t happy about it because all my friends went to another school which I didn’t get accepted to. 

For a year at the dyslexia school I worked hard to be the best in my class and I met with my tutor every day.  At the end of that year I applied to Explorer West Middle School (where my friends were) and got accepted!  My hard work paid off, but it wasn’t over…

I still had to work extra hard to stay in 7th grade with my friends.  High school was the same but I got through with my friends.  When I got accepted to Parsons the New School of Design in New York City for college, I knew the hard work wouldn’t stop. 

My dad set me up with an ADHD coach to help me stay on track.

My coach helped me from getting  overwhelmed by the new school, the new city and the struggles that I was about to encounter.  With my ADHD coach I learned time management -  so I could get all my homework done and have fun with my friends.  My coach helped me plan my days and long term projects so they weren’t so daunting.  My freshman year of college I got all A’s and made friends for life.

Why I love the Edge Foundation.

When my dad was thinking about starting a new project and asked me for some suggestions, I thought back on all he had done for me.  From day one of my diagnoses he knew what to do -  he found the best help for me and helped me every step of the way without question.  I told him that I didn’t think all parents were as good as he was with dealing with children with disabilities and he should help other kids fulfill their full potentials.  He went on to found the Edge Foundation.

Looking ahead… Dyslexia and ADHD are not obstacles!

Now I’m a junior at Parsons and I’m majoring in architecture.  I love school and work with my coach to manage and overcome the struggles I still deal with as a person with dyslexia and ADD.  I plan to share some of what I’ve learned with you, so that you can see you aren’t working hard alone, and it does pay off!

Edge Foundation founder, Neil Peterson, publishes new book:  Embracing the Edge: Stories of Tenacity and Personal Power 

Self-proclaimed “serial entrepreneur” Neil Peterson founded five companies during his 40-plus year career, most notably Flexcar, the award-winning car-sharing company that recently merged with Zipcar.  Peterson’s resume is an impressive list of C-suite positions in both the public and private sectors that also includes heading public transportation agencies in Seattle, Oakland and Los Angeles. Numerous awards, including Time magazine’s “100 Newsmakers of Tomorrow” in Seattle, attest to his success. 

But over the years, Peterson says, “no one suspected I suffered from Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder until my two children were diagnosed with ADD and ADHD in their mid teens. It was then that I learned of my own affliction when our doctor explained that ADHD, a complex mental health disorder characterized by inattention, hyperactivity and impulsivity, is hereditary.”

 Embracing the Edge: Stories of Tenacity and Personal Power, Peterson’s newly published collection of personal inspirational stories, recounts how he overcame physical and learning disabilities, as well as life’s normal disappointments, to become a successful entrepreneur, corporate executive and public servant.

Included in this memoir is Peterson’s heart-stopping story about the five-person hiking party he led that survived being swept away by a rogue wave and trapped for many hours in a cave in June 2007 on the west coast of Vancouver Island. The story describes the ordeal with his two children, a nephew and a friend of fending off hypothermia and panic as they struggled to stay calm and focused while searching for an escape route.

In 2006, Peterson decided to do something to help the millions of students struggling with ADHD.  Having seen the benefits of personal coaching in his own life and those of his children as an effective intervention strategy and an important part of a multi-prong ADHD treatment approach, Peterson founded the Edge Foundation, an organization committed to providing professional coaches for students with ADHD to help them realize their potential and their passion, and to become tomorrow’s leaders and innovators.

All profits from the sale of Embracing the Edge will go toward carrying out the vision of The Edge Foundation.  To purchase a copy of the book visit the Edge Foundation store.