College Readiness: Differences Between First-Year Undergraduates With and Without ADHD

Abstract

Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is characterized by inattentive, hyperactive, and impulsive behaviors. Impairment in individuals diagnosed with ADHD is significant; one such domain of impairment is achieving a college education. College students with ADHD tend to have lower grade point averages, take longer to graduate, and have higher dropout rates than individuals without ADHD. Those with ADHD may be inadequately prepared for college. College readiness can be broken into self-determination, academic skills, and daily living skills, all of which are possible areas of deficit for individuals with ADHD, given their common characteristics. In the current study, we examined differences in college readiness in undergraduates with and without ADHD. In general, students with ADHD were found to be less prepared for college than those without ADHD, and specific areas of unpreparedness were identified. The findings support the need for intervention for students with ADHD before or early in their college careers. Further research on specific skill deficits and ameliorative steps is needed.

ADHD Symptoms as a Stressor Leading to Depressive Symptoms among University Students: The Mediating Role of Perceived Stress between ADHD and Depression

“…Considering the relationship between low academic performance and self-efficacy in line with the studies in the literature, it is thought that various problems may be observed in the academic life of the students [ 47 , 55 ]. There are also debates in the literature about adult ADHD and university dropouts [ 56 , 57 ]. In this respect, it may be useful for counseling professionals to focus on increasing the feelings of adequacy and self-efficacy levels of the students besides the practices to increase attention and concentration while interventions are conducted for students having attention deficit problems.…”

Underexplored outcomes of learning disabilities and neurodivergence in STEM graduate and post-graduate research

“…Neurodivergence and learning disabilities are continuously discussed in the context of non-academic workplaces (Davis and Braun, 1998;Shaywitz et al, 2021), as well as in undergraduate students (Pope et al, 2007;Pfeifer et al, 2020Pfeifer et al, , 2021Canu et al, 2021). The increased awareness of such issues has yielded specific adaptations, such as Harvard offering eligible students demonstrations of assistive software, including dictation, text-tospeech, note-taking, and other applications.…”

“…Professional success can be impacted by neurodiversity, inside and outside of STEM It is established that medical professionals, undergraduate students (Pope et al, 2007;Canu et al, 2021), employees at all levels (Davis and Braun, 1998;Mao et al, 2011;Fuermaier et al, 2021), and drivers (Narad et al, 2018;Randell et al, 2020;Sani et al, 2020) can be affected by neurodiversity. Most studies indicate a poor outcome for neurodiverse individuals, such as decreased success/impaired performances (Davis and Braun, 1998;Pope et al, 2007;Mao et al, 2011;Fuermaier et al, 2021).…”

Attention Is Not the Solution: Experiences of University Students With ADHD With Remote Learning

“…Subsequently, the reduced flexibility may have increased difficulties during the switch. While neurotypical students may struggle with the shift to distance learning, neurodiverse students may be at a much higher risk since they were already facing more difficulties before the switch (Canu et al, 2021). However, since remote learning also offers many new opportunities, it can also be expected that students benefit from remote learning.…”