The distant mind; University offers assistance for students with ADHD and other disorders
With the stresses of academia and new social interactions, students at Utah State University can have a hard time. For some, including Nicole Hugie, that difficulty is increased by ADD.
Hugie, a junior in theatre arts, said she was first diagnosed with attention deficit disorder when she was in second grade. Since then, she said she has had the opportunity to learn how to deal with it and make the very best she can from it.
“Everybody has some area of difficulty. Mine has a name. I don’t look at it so much as a disability as just a challenge in my life,” she said. “Sometimes I need a little bit more help to get things done, but I can succeed at Utah State and in life.”
Learning Disabilities Specialist Christine Lord, of the Disability Resource Center on campus, said, “For some people, it is easy to make the transition to college life. For those who suffer from ADHD or learning disabilities, this can be a terrific struggle. There isn’t a support group that has to be with you. Sometimes these students have to find it themselves. Mainly that’s why we’re here.”
ADHD, or attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, affects about 163 people at USU, according to statistics from the DRC.
“The hardest part with ADHD is it’s hard to diagnose,” Lord said. “There are so many other symptoms that accompany this disorder that there are many more who actually suffer.”
The number could actually be almost 450 people afflicted in one way or another by ADHD, Lord said.
There are many signs and behaviors that accompany those with ADHD.
According to the ADHD handbook Lord uses the three most commonly observed behaviors include hyperactivity, impulsivity and distractibility,
There are at least six other behaviors plus numerous other disabilities that accompany ADHD, she said.
“There is so much that can afflict a student. We’re looking at kids who have trouble with behavior and sleep disturbances to students who struggle with anxiety or depression,” Lord said. “Couple that with ADHD and you start to see how coming to school might be hard.”
“I was misdiagnosed when I was younger and it was hard. When I came to the university, they helped me to know exactly where my struggles fit in and started to provide help,” Hugie said.
The ADHD handbook lists statistics of conditions that could accompany those with the disorder.
-50 percent of those who suffer from the disorder also struggle with learning disabilities
-40 percent have with oppositional defiant disorder
-Conduct disorder, anxiety, and depression all run the same average of 35 percent
-20 percent suffer from being bipolar while 7 percent have issues with tics/tourettes.
The Disability Resource Center was established to facilitate students who have physical, mental or psychological disorders.
“We want to help everyone that comes through our door, so we provide a multitude of services to make a student’s experience here at Utah State a better one,” Lord said.
Some of these provisions include providing a testing center that has a quiet and serene atmosphere to take or complete a test or having books uploaded into an iPod so students can listen while they read.
“The DRC is great because it provides me with the chance to succeed. In addition to my teachers, they help by creating an environment that allows me to learn and to learn well,” Hugie said.
Lord said, “Unlike the school system, we don’t change the course material for the student. Teachers are our biggest support and help make it possible for students to succeed in their classes.”
The DRC provides a list of suggestions to teachers to help make their classes more accessible. This list includes providing a detailed course syllabus, spelling out expectations and giving assignments both orally and in handouts.
The government has stepped in to make it possible for those who suffer from disabilities to receive everything available that a person without a disability has access to as well.
From the LDOnline Web site, “The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and Section 504 of the Vocational Rehabilitation Act make certain that individuals cannot be denied access to an education, employment or housing solely on the basis of a disability.”
ADA was passed in 1990 and updated both the Architectural Barriers Act of 1968 and the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, according to the U.S. Department of Justice Web site.
To begin receiving services from the university, Lord said a student must provide documentation that a particular disability is afflicting them academically. The cost of an assessment and documentation is $700-$900, but Lord recommended that students use the university, which helps subsidize the whole evaluation for $100.
Attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder often has a negative connotation in society. It is often portrayed as the result of poor parenting or too much TV. In reality, the cause is often unknown.
The Children and Adults with ADD/ADHD Web site states an important reason for diagnosing and treating this disorder:
“For some, the diagnosis and education that follows an evaluation can be a profoundly healing experience. Proper diagnosis can help adults put difficulties in perspective and better understand the reasons for many lifelong symptoms.”
Hugie aggrees.
“Growing up, it seemed like there were so many people against me. Kids in school often told me how stupid I was or how I would never amount to anything. I even had teachers say I would never go to college,” she said.
Fortunatly Hugie had support to get her through. “My family and teachers have supported and believed in me. My husband is a special strength to me now,” she said.
There are also positive traits that are often associated with ADHD as well.
“The ADD/ADHD Checklist” by Sandra Rief identifies at least 36 different traits. Being energetic, spontaneous, good-hearted, helpful and sensitive to the needs of others are just a few listed.
“I care a lot about others. I have almost a second sense to when they don’t feel well or happy. If this is a side effect of ADD, then I don’t ever want to lose it,” Hugie said.
“There really isn’t much difference between people who have ADHD and those who don’t. They are students who want to have a good time at college and gain an education,” Lord said.
“Our goal for these students is to help them to graduate. That is just about everyone’s goal. We provide them with some accommodations and help them acquire skills so they can succeed at the university level.”
-nebulter@cc.usu.edu