Rohrbach Library Home: Neurodiversity: Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)

ADHD Banner

Defining and Understanding ADHD

Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a "neurodevelopmental lifespan disorder" that affects a person's mental health, academics, employment, relationships, and health. It is estimated that ADHD is prevalent in 2.8-3.6% adults.

It is estimated that 2-8% of college students are identified with ADHD.

(Goffer, A. et al., 2022).

The above video, Facts and Myths about ADHD, was created by the Centre for Education Neuroscience. The video portrays a person drawing and writing down information to discuss the following information about ADHD:

What is ADHD
The different subtypes of ADHD
What causes ADHD
How ADHD impacts the brain and thinking
Common misconceptions about ADHD

ADHD : what everyone needs to know by Stephen P. Hinshaw and Katherine Ellison
ISBN: 9780190223816

Publication Date: 2016

The text above, ADHD: what everyone needs to know, is a great work to read to better understand what ADHD is, its common affects on people, and suggestions on ways to support ADHD so that it does not negatively impact a person's life. The text also considers the use of medication as well as behavior therapies to ease issues with ADHD, but this may not be of interest to everyone.

ADHD in Women

The video below, ADHD in Women, explores how ADHD affects women differently than men, which is often why girls and women are not diagnosed with ADHD until they're older. The video explains:

Ways that ADHD may appear in women's thinking and behavior
How it may change during women's menstruation cycles
How women tend to go undiagnosed or misdiagnosed

The video ends emphasizing that research on ADHD and its impact on people of all genders and backgrounds is necessary to support all diverse brains.

The article below comes from Qualitative Health Research. In this article Craddock showcases several women who are identified as having ADHD and are autistic, discussing the their struggles with getting a diagnosis and interacting with the world.

Being a Woman Is 100% Significant to My Experiences of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder and Autism: Exploring the Gendered Implications of an Adulthood Combined Autism and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder Diagnosis
This article provides original insight into women’s experiences of adulthood diagnoses of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and autism. Research exploring experiences of adulthood diagnoses of these conditions is emerging. Yet, there is no research about the gendered experiences of an adulthood combined ADHD and autism (AuDHD) diagnosis. This article addresses this gap through interpretative phenomenological analysis of email interviews with six late-diagnosed AuDHD women revealing the complex interplay between late diagnosis, being a woman, and combined diagnoses of ADHD and autism.

Resources for Students with ADHD

ADHD thinkers are typically very creative and offer "novel ideas that don't derive from existing concepts." People with ADHD are also flexible in their thinking and tasks, allowing them to multitask and connect with a range of ideas with ease (Dunne, M., 2024).

The following are great resources to support college students with ADHD to continue supporting their academic, career, and life goals.

Neurodiversity by Lawrence K. Fung (Editor)
ISBN: 9781615373024

Publication Date: 2021-05-24

Neurodiversity: From Phenomenology to Neurobiology and Enhancing Technologies is an introduction to the strengths-based model of neurodiversity (SBMN), designed to integrate and build on existing theories of positive psychology, positive psychiatry, multiple intelligences, and developmental psychology and to apply them to devise strengths-based assessments and interventions for neurodiverse individuals. This book, edited by one of the foremost experts on neurodiversity and drawing on the knowledge of a stellar group of contributors, explores social models of disability as the starting point for strengths-based approaches to neurodiversity, translating them into approaches to support, educate, and enable people with neurodifferences to function successfully in educational and work environments.

Chapter 5: Strengths-Based Model of Neurodiversity and ADHD
This chapter from Fung's "Neurodiversity" explores the strengths of ADHD, which includes their creativity, resilience, high energy, and more. In examining the overall strengths, the text explains how these skills are useful in academic and work settings.

How to ADHD
This YouTube channel is considered an "ADHD toolbox" as it offers videos that gives tips and tricks to people with ADHD while also providing information on ADHD. The channel's creator, Jessica McCabe, has also published a book under the title "How to ADHD" which we're planning to add to Rohrbach's collection.

The audiobook linked below, ADHD is awesome: a guide to (mostly) thriving with ADHD, is written by Penn and Kim Holderness and read by Penn Holderness. Both Penn and Kim not only study ADHD, but they're both diagnosed with ADHD. In this audiobook, they explore the following topics:

What it's actually like to live with an ADHD brain.
How to find humor in the pitfalls, sob stories, and unbelievable triumphs (like the time they won The Amazing Race!) that come with ADHD.
How to tackle the challenges ADHD presents with a positive outlook.
Targeted tools and techniques to play to your unique strengths.
Fun extras like ADHD Bingo, an ode to cargo pants, and what the world would look like if ADHDers were in charge.

ADHD is awesome : a guide to (mostly) thriving with ADHD by Penn and Kim Holderness
ISBN: 9781400338634

Publication Date: 2024

Read by the authors. The engaging, uplifting antidote to traditional ADHD books (which, let's be honest, if you have ADHD you'd never read anyway).You live in a world that wasn't designed for you. A world where you're expected to sit still, stay quiet, and focus. Because of the way your brain is wired, you can feel like you're failing at life. But you are not failing. You are awesome. Award-winning content creators Kim and Penn Holderness are on a mission to reboot how we think about the unfortunately named "attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder." As always, they are doing it by looking in the mirror, because they don't just study ADHD; they live it. Drawing on their often-hilarious insights and the expertise of doctors, researchers, and specialists; Kim and Penn provide fun, easy-to-digest advice and explanations, including: What it's actually like to live with an ADHD brain. How to find humor in the pitfalls, sob stories, and unbelievable triumphs (like the time they won The Amazing Race!) that come with ADHD. How to tackle the challenges ADHD presents with a positive outlook. Targeted tools and techniques to play to your unique strengths. Fun extras like ADHD Bingo, an ode to cargo pants, and what the world would look like if ADHDers were in charge. Whether you have ADHD or want to support someone else in their journey, this is the guide you need to make the life you want.

The following are articles that offer suggestions for college students with ADHD to consider to keep them from feeling overwhelmed and stressed as well as offer suggestions to help them succeed while at college.

The article below was published in the Scandinavian Journal of Occupational Therapy and explores the lifestyle and habits of college students with ADHD to gain a better understanding of their experiences with self-care, productivity, leisure, and factors that hinder or support their occupational performance. They offer suggestions of people on college campuses that can help them find resources and improve their time at college.

Occupational experiences of college students with ADHD: A qualitative study.
College students with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) face difficulties with occupational performance in many functional domains. Despite the broad literature on
academic and psychosocial functions, there is a gap in knowledge regarding how these students experience participation in their various daily functions.
The purpose of this article is to gain a deeper understanding of the occupational experiences of college students with ADHD and exploring factors that facilitate or impede their occupational performance.

The article below comes from the Journal of Postsecondary Education and Disability explores the accommodations offered to college students with ADHD and they may help college students academically. The article offers recommendations on ways that higher education institutions can improve these accommodations to further support students with ADHD.

Assessing and Overcoming the Functional Impact of ADHD in College Students: Evidence-Based Disability Determination and Accommodation Decision-Making
Information about academic, social, and occupational functioning is essential to accommodation decision-making, planning, and monitoring. However, many clinicians who assess college students for ADHD focus chiefly on symptom number or severity rather than on the barriers experienced by students in their everyday life activities. The psychological reports and supporting documentation submitted by clinicians to a college disability office were examined for evidence of functional limitations. All students described in the reports were diagnosed with ADHD and were receiving accommodations for that condition. These findings indicate that the data clinicians provide may be less useful to disability professionals who must select, implement, and monitor the effects of accommodations in an evidence-based manner.

Neurodiversity

Disability Services Office (DSO)

Research Assistant

ADHD Banner

Defining and Understanding ADHD

Resources for Students with ADHD