Case study
Simon is easily distracted. Not only during class, but also when working with other students, or in conversation with a teacher. He finds it difficult not to keep introducing different topics during such a conversation. Or to keep his attention on the conversation and not get distracted when he sees someone walking by, or hears a noise. Apart from Simon’s difficulty in focusing, planning is hard for him. When should he start studying for that test? And how does he divide a big practical assignment into bite-sized chunks?
Simon regularly walks in late to class. He often falls asleep late and therefore has trouble getting up on time. Simon regularly gets the impression that teachers and fellow students think he is lazy and unmotivated. He is anything but that!
What do we understand by ADHD and ADD?
ADHD stands for Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. In short, it means that a person:
- So busy in their head that there is little room left for (school) work.
- Someone does not always realise what is said to them, or what is expected of them.
- Someone oversteps other people’s boundaries because there is no more room in the head for sensing and fulfilling the wishes and feelings of others.
- It also happens that because someone is so preoccupied with managing all the stimuli that they no longer have a good sense of what the rest of the body is doing. With consequences such as tripping, dropping things, and not realising you are hungry.
- Or someone themselves going crazy with all the fuss in the head and unintentionally venting (short fuse).
- Further, many people with ADHD (and also ADD) are ‘trigger-happy’. Something only has to happen and they shoot into action, quickly and often unthinkingly.
ADD
ADD is a variant that lacks the H of Hyperactivity. The difference between ADHD and ADD is that in ADD, the busyness in the head is not as visible in a person’s behaviour (clumsy, busy, quick behaviour). Someone is very busy in the head, but it is not so noticeable on the ‘outside’. In official diagnostics, ADD is something completely different from ADHD. In practice, you may notice that the behaviour is different, but on the inside it is the same. However, ADD is much less likely to be noticed.
The fundamental characteristics of ADHD and ADD can be summarised in three groups of symptoms:
- Attention problems
Having a short attention span; being easily distracted and bored; procrastinating; frequently switching from one activity to another without really finishing something; difficulty distinguishing main issues from side issues; getting lost in details; poor ability to plan and organise; poor ability to prioritise; alternating between being quickly distracted with over-concentration or hyper-focus; and/or only being able to pay attention to things you find really interesting. - Hyperactivity
Experiencing and often having to express motor restlessness; a common feeling of inner turmoil; acting busy and talking a lot; always having to be busy with something; having difficulty relaxing, and always being “on”. - Impulsivity
Act first and think later; interrupt others frequently; be impatient; spend money impulsively; start and end relationships and work impulsively; make decisions that are incomprehensible to those around you.
Source: DRUKS my (un)quiet life with ad(h)d. Francien Regelink, Blossom Books publisher, 2020.
Extra information
- Students with ADHD and ADD sometimes put a lot of time and effort into disguising their disorder. They have made all sorts of adjustments that make their ‘challenges’ less noticeable. This means that these students do not get the help they need. When a student makes adjustments on a daily basis to hide ADHD or ADD, it takes a lot of energy.
- Add to that, students with ADHD and ADD are often irritability-sensitive, and in a large college like HU, there is a lot of information coming at them.
- In addition, the more sources of information (STIP, Canvas, Study Manuals, etc.), the more inconvenienced students with ADHD and ADD are by this.
- Students regularly experience that there is a stigma attached to the label ADHD and ADD. Not infrequently, someone with ADHD is told that they make too much noise, are too present and/or are irritating.
How can you offer support as a counsellor?
- Try to be non-judgmental and understanding of the student.
- Inquire about what the student needs to study comfortably.
- Ask the student how you can help him/her be present, and on time.
- Offer methods to bring structure to a day or a week, so that the student can (again) get a better grip and overview.
- Plan discussions with (presumably) irritability-sensitive students in a quiet room. Irritability does not only occur in ADHD and ADD. Excitability can also play a role in other neurodiversities, such as high sensitivity and autism.
Follow-up case study
Simon’s supervisor invites him to a progress meeting in a quiet room. He first asks Simon about how he is doing and lets him calmly tell him all kinds of things. Simon explains that he has been diagnosed with ADHD. When they talk about Simon’s attitude in class and the fact that he regularly comes late, the supervisor does not get angry, and he does not accuse Simon of being disinterested or lazy. Together, they look at what Simon needs. Making a weekly schedule turns out to be very useful. The supervisor helps Simon weekly for the first month. After that, Simon picks things up more independently. The counsellor tips Simon about the Student Support Centre’s training course ‘Studying with AD(H)D’. He also points out support groups for students with AD(H)D that Simon can participate in.
Further information
https://adhdcentraal.nl/
https://husite.nl/hu-helpt/student-support-centre/ for up-to-date information on the Studying with ad(h)d training and support groups
https://impulsenwoortblind.nl/
‘Druks, my (un)quiet life with AD(H)D‘, Francien Regelink. Blossom Books Bold.