How to Help your College Child with ADHD Thrive

Kimberly Hirsch

October 2, 2022

6 Minutes

Raising a child with ADHD can be challenging. Moving your child into college to live independently without your support can be even more complicated.

You’ve spent the past 18 years helping him figure out how he learns best, what helps him to focus, and what his strengths are. Perhaps you’ve met with teachers, doctors, school psychologists, and others working together to create a perfect individualized education plan for him or even just a 504 plan.

You’ve used special tools and strategies and implemented accommodations and modifications to help him succeed. From homework, projects, sports, and even friendships, you’ve guided him to be the best version of himself-- and for that, you owe yourself some serious kudos.

Sure, you struggled at times, like all parents (with or without ADHD kids). Arguing too much when your lessons in time management went unheard or questioning your parenting when anxiety and emotions ran highest.

But sending him off to college is a whole different ballgame.

Aside from being a mom, I also am a certified Elementary General and Special Education Teacher who’s worked with kids with varying degrees of ADHD over the years. I have seen it ALL: inattentiveness, hyperactivity, impulsivity, and forgetfulness among other symptoms both in my students and in my own children.

High School vs. College

The transition from childhood to adulthood has its demands but add ADHD into the mix, and stress levels can skyrocket. A new schedule, new friends, higher level classes, all in a brand-new environment. And all without daily reminders from mom and dad or teachers to keep him from derailing.

As a parent, it is much easier to support your child when he is living at home. It is easier to control him doing his homework with the TV on or staying up too late on the weekdays. It is easier to remind him to mark tests and projects in his planner when he is still sleeping under your roof. It’s also easier to control nutrition when you’re the one shopping for groceries (That’s right! ADHD and Nutrition can go hand in hand. Read up more about that right here.)

Let’s Talk Legalities

First and foremost, what legal rights does your college student with ADHD have? The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) is a law designed for children. It protects children with disabilities and allows them to receive an Individualized Education Plan (IEP) or a 504 plan to be successful in the classroom. However, in college, this no longer applies. Kids that once had a structured plan for education monitored by their teachers and parents cannot carry that over to college.

But there is no need to worry. A little knowledge, proactivity, and advocacy can go a long way. Let’s talk about what it takes to be successful in college with ADHD and how advocacy can mean the difference between thriving and failure.

Accommodations and Modifications

Being an advocate for your child doesn’t need to end now that he’s in college. It does, however, get trickier.

Accommodations:

There isn’t going to be a team of people in college sitting in a yearly IEP meeting to discuss your child’s learning and ways to make him more successful in class. Accommodations at the college level are usually focused on his ability to access the same education as his non-ADHD peers.

Think of it as if a student with a broken leg were trying to access the same education. They would need a crutch or perhaps a ramp for their wheelchair in order to get to their seat to listen to the lecture. They wouldn’t get different content or a lighter load of work, just the ability to access the same learning as everyone else.

For students with a hearing impairment, that could be closer seating or the professor wearing an amplification device, for example. Another student might be allowed to have an emotional support animal accompany him to class. Yet another student might request assistive technology for taking notes.

The key is figuring out what accommodations will help and then requesting those at the university. If ever there was a case of “the squeaky wheel gets the grease,” this is it. If he doesn’t ask, he will never get what he needs. Fortunately, he’s had a pretty great role model, in you, growing up to know what advocacy looks like and how to get support for himself.

Most universities will require documentation from your child’s doctor or psychologist. A team will be set up on campus to make and evaluate the validity of his request. Chances are, you’re both familiar with what accommodations work best for him, but being in a whole new environment could spark some additional hurdles. These are pretty common and reasonable accommodations for college students with ADHD. This is another great list about ADHD accommodations for students in college.

You can do the hard work of getting the necessary documentation, contacting the disabilities team on campus, and letting them know which accommodations are necessary for your child.

You can empower your child to do those things for himself. The latter will encourage him to self-advocate which will only make him more successful in the years to come.

Modifications:

Modifications in high school can change the curriculum for a student. Using different books, cutting the amount of learning in half, shortening assignments, rewording directions, and using simpler language are all examples of modifications that he may have received in high school.

Modifications usually don’t exist at the college level. Colleges generally aren’t going to change a course or curriculum like in high school. While it can’t hurt to ask (if there were certain modifications from high school that were helpful), it is unlikely that a modification to a college curriculum will be granted.

The on-campus disabilities team may be able to steer him in the direction of some helpful on-campus resources available, despite the lack of modifications available.

Help him Get Set Up for Success

If you’re like me, you’ve spent way too much time on Google learning about ADHD and what you can do to support your child. And you know that people with ADHD struggle with their executive functions, which, in a nutshell, boils down to:

Being organized
Managing time effectively
Staying focused
Controlling emotions

…and so much more. While you can encourage him to apply for some great accommodations, there are some habits and tools that can support him without the need for documentation or approval:

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A great planner- Teach him organization early on by relying on a planner.
A great support team- Talk to him about finding roommates who will support him, and not bring him down. There are lots of services that can pair him with a like-minded roommate.
Mental health- One good thing that came from the pandemic was the shift towards improving mental health. Your child’s ADHD can never be under control if he is struggling with mental health. Check in with him regularly and help him understand the available resources. Telehealth is a popular and increasingly common way to seek care for mental health. Check with your insurance and get him set up. Here is a great article on how to take care of your mental health in college.
Supplements- ADHD is often linked to brain health. Consider having a primary care or functional medicine doctor run a simple neurological test to see if he may benefit from adding a few supplements to his wellness regime. When we did this for our son, we realized he was deficient in some pretty important vitamins. A simple Vitamin B complex supplement improved his mood leading to better mental health, alertness, and focus. Here are one doctor's recommendations for supplements that can improve ADHD in children and adults.
Medications- Medication to control ADHD symptoms is common and often a great solution. Telehealth appointments, as mentioned earlier, can be a great way to refill prescriptions. The problem for many college students can be abuse and misuse. Invest in a lockbox for ADHD medications if you don't already have one. Be open with your child about the dangers of medication abuse and know the red flags and warning signs that there may be a problem.

Final Thoughts

ADHD may not be anything new for you or your child but being a college student with ADHD most likely is. What you thought you knew about the condition before can take on a whole new meaning as an adult. It's important to recognize, figure out what works best, and have the courage to self-advocate. It can mean the difference between thriving and failing in college.

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