Q: Is My Teen Taking the Easy Way Out by Deferring College?
A 17-year-old high school senior with ADHD often has the emotional and social maturity of a freshman. Going away to college and attempting complete independence may not make sense next year, but here are some ideas for fostering life skills with a more gradual transition to higher education.
FREE WEBINAR REPLAY WITH RYAN WEXELBLATT
Listen to “The Social Lives of Boys with ADHD”
Q: “Though academically bright, my 17-year-old son has the emotional and social maturity of a 14 or 15 year old. He has improved his social confidence and independence over the last year, but he’s not confident that he’s ready to live independently next year. Should we encourage him to face his demons and apply to college? Or would he benefit from a gap year?”
A: “If your son is articulating that he’s doesn’t feel ready for college yet, I would absolutely listen to that. Every year — between October and January — I get calls from parents of college students who are back home already or who have failed all their classes because they weren’t ready yet. Here is what I would suggest in terms of getting your son ready…”
WATCH THE VIDEO BELOW FOR THE FULL ANSWER
Ryan Wexelblatt, LCSW is the facilitator of the ADHD Dude Facebook Group and YouTube channel. Ryan specializes in working with males (ages 5-22) who present with ADHD, anxiety with ADHD, and learning differences; he is the one professional in the United States who specializes in teaching social cognitive skills to boys from a male perspective.
