ADHD and moving to further education

Now that you have made the decision to continue with formal education you will need to be able to advocate and take responsibility for your learning. To advocate means that you will have to find out for yourself what resources are available for you at your college or university and speak up and discuss what your needs are. Your mum and dad will no longer be able to speak on your behalf as they may have done through your school years.

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You need to have information readily available for student support services on campus so they can assist you. So here are some things to think about:

  • Decide whether you are going disclose your learning disability
  • Get documentation about your learning needs organised in case you decide to disclose
  • Find out what services might be available

There are many general things that you also need to consider and do when organising your transition to college or university:

  • Where is the campus and how will I get there
  • Download a map of the campus buildings
  • Locate the buildings where your classes will be held
  • Check out what other facilities are on campus eg. cafes, banks, medical facilities
  • Find out where your lecturers offices are located so you can find them if you need to have further chats with them

Universities and colleges have orientation days which are similar to the transition days you will have had at school. These days have a social component to them to let you know what services, groups etc are available. You will be aware by now of how your ADHD affects your ability to interact with others. If your inattentiveness, impulsivity and hyperactivity are still an issue you will need to be aware of this and develop strategies to manage these issues. The social aspect of these days may mean that alcohol will be available. If you are taking medication to help manage your ADHD symptoms, you need to aware of the affects that alcohol will have on you and how you can keep yourself safe.

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