Hi Mark:

Are you taking any medication for your ADHD? Have you worked with the school on any accommodations (like extended testing periods or special note-takers)? If not, I would suggest starting with a treatment plan and a conversation with the student services office at your school. I would also suggest using ADDitude's new ADHD College Survival Guide, which has tons of great articles about successful study strategies, how to set up accommodations, organization tips, etc.: http://www.additudemag.com/guide/college.html

I hope that helps!

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Dear Mark, First of all, thank you for your time and efforts given in the 3-year tour of duty in our US armed services. We citizens appreciate it more than you know.

Secondly, as for your attention challenges, please know that there are some strategies you can use right now to help improve the results of your reading, studying, and test taking. I am providing some strategies here below that I hope will help you:

Politely request or allow for the student to:

---Be seated in close proximity to the teacher or instructor. ---Have a second set of books for working at home. ---Use graph paper or other tools like the Reading Focus Card while doing math. These can help promote accurate placeholder work. ---Have course and book content available via audiotape. ---Underline or highlight important key words in a set of directions BEFORE beginning an assignment or task. ---Fold a worksheet so that only a small amount of text or information is visible at one time. ---Have the opportunity to move to optional work areas with less distraction. ---Have access to a copy of a peer’s notes, especially after a lecture.

For more strategies, please visit http://readingfocuscard.com/strategies.html or feel free to wend me an e-mail at joan@brennaninnovators.com.

Joan, middle school educator and parent of 4 sons

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Here are some things that helped when I was in school. I hope they are helpful. Best of luck to you.

1. Find a place to study that works. I've never been able to study where I live (too many distractions) but at various times I've studied in locations as diverse as a carrel in the law library (silent) or a table at the university cafeteria (steady diffuse noise). I always carried a "portable office" in my backpack--zipper bag with stapler, tape, pens, pencils, calculator--anything I might need for the process.

2. Tape record lectures (ask your professor for permission first). I'm an auditory learner and my wandering mind always made academic reading a challenge. By taping my lectures I could virtually memorize every lecture. I would listen to them while commuting and then listen again as I filled in gaps in my class notes. Time consuming, but for me, very effective.

3. Sit center front in class. I always found it easier to stay focused if the lecture wasn't "filtered" through the rest of the class. It's also easier to make eye contact with the professor, ask questions, etc.

4. For me, having supplies that "felt good" made a difference. I liked taking notes on loose leaf paper on a clip board with a mechanical pencil. This was before the days of laptops in class, of course. But when your pen writes smoothly it may be less distracting if tactile things make a difference.

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The tips here from "vosobo" are excellent! I recommend all of them as well.

Perhaps this link to an ADD/ADHD recommended reading list that is "college specific" will be helpful:

http://add.about.com/od/adhdresources/a/bookscollege.htm

Again, keep up the efforts!

Joan

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Do not self prophies because before you know it you will create what you don't want to create. I also take a 5 week courses and I have my accomindations in place. I have anywhere from 3-7 papers each course plus group projects. Remeber this interest you so it may be easier to focus You will and must create the outcome in your mind that you want and beginning with postive chatter in your head. If you keep telling yourself you won't succeed you won't. If you say I will do this you will.

Create the enviroment you need to be able to focus and do your work. I personally must have music on. If you need it quiet turn everything off. make sure the temperature is comfortable not too hot or cold. Ask for help , don't be afraid to do this.If you need quiet etc ask for it. Make sure you eat well, sleep well. and exercise this will help keep your focus. If you are an auditory learner ask to tape your classes. If you are a tactile learner ask to touch it etc. You need to read it my experience books are better then loose paper. Don't keep putting things off. Remeber if you force yourself to concentrate you may make it harder . It should be a easy and non-stressful subjects.Take your meds because you will need something to stimulate you and the stress of not doing it should not be the stimulace. Many ADDER have hard time learning if we feel pressured. Accept your grades with the thought I did the best Ican. Do not beat self up if not an A or B . Just accept it and continue with the work you need to. If I can think of anything else that hasn't been said I will post again.

Good Luck in school. I have 3 classes to go and I Hate Community nursing and thats my next class now ; but I will do what I have to to finish.

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Hi, don't know if this will help, but here's what helped me. Study in spurts. If I sat down trying to study for a long time, I would lose interest and my mind would wander off. Set study goals, like 10 or 15 min, then you can do something else for a while and come back to it.

Teach someone. Find someone who is either interested in the subject or won't mind you rambling on and on about it and tell them all about it. It's the best way to learn!

Re-write your notes from memory. Go home and try to write down as much as you can from your class, then go back and compare what you remember and your notes. Make it a game, or a challenge.

Doodle. When you start to lose interest in the speaker, doodle on the side of your paper. My mind wanders all over the place when I'm bored. I've found if I doodle, it keeps my mind focused on the speaker and the doodling alone.

Don't study what you already know! If you know what year the Spanish American War took place, don't spend time studying it; you'll only get bored.

Bring your work with you everywhere! I used to carry my backpack around everywhere. If I found myself in a long line somewhere, I would take out my work or readings and work on it in line or wherever I might be stuck.

A Test taking strategy I learned was to skip around. If I got bored answering word problems, I would skip to something else until I got bored with it and then go back. Just make sure you don't forget to answer some problems.

Be proud! Tell everyone and their dog when you get good grades, it will make you feel good and help inspire you to make good grades.

I hope these help, I think everyone has different coping mechanisms and you have to figure out which work the best for you.

Andrea

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i live in nj i. have add i finish my therapy 3 month ago in KESSLER HOSPITAL THEY GIVE ME A LOT STRATEGYS FOR IMPROVE MY ADD . i am going to a county college in sept i am scary

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Colleges and Universities all have a center for those with disabilities. Check it out. When I was getting my bachelor degree I was able to have extended time on my exams. And I totally spaced going to get services with my master degree, but I talked to other people with ADHD and they were able to have extended time for their papers (since they were all due within a couple days of each other). Good luck with everything!!!

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I realize that sometimes for vocational classes like yours, they're self-paced and there's no one with whom to study. However, if there are other students, you might see if there's anyone who'd like to divide up the work, with each person outlining (or otherwise summarizing) material, then each present it to the other, then ask questions and sort of quiz each other. For me, the only studying I ever enjoyed in college was the two times I managed to find a classmate with whom to do this kind of setup. It was hard for me to ever find, and it never really happened when I was in grad school, but for me it was fantastic. Also, for your subject, the kinesthetic (touch and handle) approach that was mentioned earlier could be very helpful. Maybe have a model radio and tape Post-Its with info to the relevant parts? Obviously it's not my field, but you get the idea.

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I have spent the last few years watching my ADHD learning disabled daughter tear into college. She lets every teacher know what here limits are and negotiates with teachers if there is some aspect of a class she has trouble with. She starts every assignment as soon as it is given. She plans homework around her work schedule. She finds out if there is tutoring available and plans it into her schedule. I think being her own advocate has helped her a great deal.

My own hint is work hard, but take breaks. ANY brain can only absorbe so much at a time.

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Mark speak with someone in the learning disabilities office. It has a different name in every school and usually the learning disabled and the physically disabled students are lumped into the same office in regards to funding and resources.

Anyway I am back in school and totally taking advantage of the resources at school. I have double time on exams in a distraction free environment.

I also have my text books in electronic format and the school provides a program called Kurzweil that they installed on my lap top that not only will read the text book but I can mark it up with different color electronic hi-lighters and sticky notes. Then I can extract the notes and make an MP3 file to listen to on my iPod in the car.

The school also provides and pays for a note taker. It is another student in the class that the school pays for them to photo copy their notes.

There are many other benefits through the DSPS (Disabled Students Programs & Services).

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Hi Mark!

Thanks for serving our country!

I discovered my ADHD while in graduate school at Ohio State University. At first, it was friegthening, but I learned more about my learning strengths and over time really became an A/B student. Eventually, got my PhD.

I recommend you go to multipleintelligence.com, and take a test to discover how you learn. Next, consider changing your studying to match your learning style. For instance, if you are a visual learner, you can get The Memory Book, by Harry Larainne and have a lot more fun studying.

You'd be amazed.

I'm a kinesthetic learner, and learn by motion. Accordingly, I found that when I studied while listening to my CD player on roller-blades I had almost total recall for that information. It was fun too.

Good Luck

Dr. Shane Entrepreneurs with ADHD EswithADHD.com

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