Accommodations for ADHD

It's June and the academic year is coming to a close for high school CEGEP students. For young adults with attention difficulties, the weight of final papers and exams can feel overwhelming. Adding to this burden is the last minute cramming brought on by chronic procrastination. Those who plan to continue their education this in September may well decide that this is the time to request a formal diagnostic assessment for Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder.

A diagnosis of ADHD can be made based on clinical criteria alone by a healthcare professional who is licensed to provide this service. Often this process consists of a clinical interview and self-report of symptoms. However, a more comprehensive diagnostic assessment is typically required for granting academic accommodations at the post-secondary level to students with ADHD.

Comprehensive assessment requires demonstration of functional disability associated with the diagnosis of ADHD. It includes objective measurement of cognitive abilities with the aim of identifying specific weaknesses in attention and executive functioning. Accommodations are designed to target the functional disability associated with ADHD, not the diagnosis per se.

ADHD does not affect everyone the same way: Its functional impact depends on personal and environmental factors. For example, students coming from secondary schools with highly structured teaching approaches may find themselves at a loss when moving to the more self-structured learning environment of CEGEP or university. ADHD may have a greater impact on students who are enrolled in post-secondary programs that rely heavily on lengthy writing assignments. The types of accommodations requested to mitigate the impact of ADHD on academic performance should be selected while taking these individual factors into account.

If you are considering requesting academic accommodations for the next academic year, you are likely to have more success in obtaining - and benefiting from - accommodations if you have first completed a comprehensive diagnostic assessment for ADHD. The report emerging from this evaluation will include specific recommendations for treatment and accommodation options that best suit your personal situation.