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Bureau of Study Counsel Center for Academic and Personal Development |
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The Bureau of Study Counsel (BSC) recognizes that different students learn in different ways and is committed to providing learning support services tailored to your individual needs and learning abilities. In addition to the academic counseling services available to all students, BSC counselors are also available to provide learning support services to help students with Learning Disorders (LD), and/or Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). All students can benefit from developing their reading, writing, and study skills, but for students with LD and ADHD these skills are crucial. Often students who have been quite successful in the past may find themselves unable to handle some of the particular academic demands at Harvard. BSC counselors are available to provide consultation and counseling to help you develop your learning skills and maximize your academic potential.
FAQs I am diagnosed with LD and/or ADHD and will be entering Harvard in the fall. What support services are available to me? It is great that you are already starting to plan for this transition and to seek out support. There are numerous resources on campus available to you. The BSC offers individual study counseling, groups and workshops on topics such as procrastination, perfectionism, time management, and peer tutoring for content-based academic support. Other resources on campus include support and accommodations at the Accessible Education Office (AEO), exploring medication treatment options at the Mental Health Services (MHS), or exploring college internship and job options specific to the needs of students with LD/ADHD at the Office of Career Services (OCS). A good first step can be talking with a counselor at the BSC to explore which of these resources would be most helpful to you, to get support with the transition to Harvard, and to learn what skills you can develop to succeed at Harvard. In addition, the BSC ADD/LD group is designed specifically to provide a supportive space for you to talk with other Harvard students with LD/ADHD and to learn coping skills to manage difficulties in three core areas: organization/planning, reducing distractibility, and developing adaptive thinking. Will I qualify for accommodations at Harvard like I did in high school? If so, what types of accommodations are typical for college students with LD/ADHD? Any accommodations are managed through the Accessible Education Office -- http://aeo.fas.harvard.edu. If you are planning to request academic accommodations, it is best to do so as early as possible since the process for reviewing, granting and implementing accommodations may take time. You may be asked to provide additional or updated documentation. The accommodations granted at the college level may differ from those you received in the past so it is wise not to make assumptions and instead to consult with the Accessible Education Office. If I receive accommodations at Harvard does that mean that I will be treated differently than other students? All students at Harvard are held to the same academic standards, although students with documented learning disabilities may meet these standards through nontraditional means. The professionals in the Accessible Education Office are understanding of such concerns and experienced in working with students, faculty, and Deans to ensure that students are fairly and reasonably accommodated. I’m having academic problems I’ve never had before; what does this mean? College-level work presents new challenges for all students. Students new to Harvard, with or without LD or ADHD, find that they need to rethink their study and reading strategies and, in many cases, revise compensatory strategies that may have worked in the past but are no longer effective at the college-level. Academic problems can include difficulty in absorbing new material or understanding reading materials; anxiety about quantitative skills, writing, or test taking; and difficulty with organization, sustaining attention, and completing assignments. BSC counselors can help students improve study skills or learning strategies to maximize their academic potential and to direct you to other support services on campus. I’ve been working with a peer tutor but am still struggling in my courses; what can I do? Sometimes when peer tutoring doesn’t address the academic difficulties you are experiencing it can help to meet individually with a BSC counselor to explore what might be getting in the way. BSC counselors can help you develop a greater awareness of your learning style and improve your study skills and learning strategies. Many students also find it helpful to talk with a counselor about how to make the best use of the peer tutoring services available. What strategies will help me to succeed at Harvard? Your particular learning needs and style will determine which strategies will be most effective in maximizing your success at Harvard. Meeting with a BSC counselor to tailor strategies to your needs is a good idea. A good starting place is to educate yourself about your learning abilities, LD and/or ADHD, and about strategies and accommodations that may be useful to you. On the BSC Self-Help Resources page you will find links to a wide variety of resources related to academics and student life, including resources on LD/ADHD in college. You will also find handouts and information in the Cranium Corner located in the front office at the BSC. I’m not sure if I should get tested for LD; what should I do? A good first step is to explore whether pursuing testing would be helpful to you or not. Testing can help to identify the relationship between your learning difficulties and your brain function in areas such as memory, attention, concentration, categorization, visual pattern recognition and spatial organization. The tests measure skills and abilities used when the brain is confronted with task demands such as problem solving. You may want to consider consulting with a BSC counselor, MHS clinician, or an Accessible Education Office staff member about your learning/academic concerns and your interest in testing. Any of these resources can provide you with referrals for testing in the Cambridge/Boston area and referrals to other academic support services on campus. How can I have gotten into Harvard and have ADHD? Intelligence is one of the factors that can mask ADHD to such an extent that you do not experience significant difficulties academically until you reach the college level, where the demands on you are greater and difficulties with organization, distractibility, time management, etc. become more problematic. While your intelligence and hard work helped you reached this level of academic achievement, the combination of an increase in the academic demands and in the level of independent functioning required of you at college can be overwhelming and can make it difficult to cope with difficulties you were previously able to compensate for. There is a growing awareness of adult ADHD and an understanding that the symptoms persist into the college years and adulthood. Identifying and understanding your experience of ADHD is an important first step toward learning how to learn your own way and maximize your academic potential. You may find it helpful to talk with a BSC counselor about your concerns or to join the ADD/LD group that is designed specifically to provide a supportive space for you to talk with other Harvard students with LD/ADHD, to learn coping skills to manage difficulties in three core areas: organization/planning, reducing distractibility, and developing adaptive thinking. I’ve gotten into Harvard and want to start college with a clean slate. I don’t have to tell anybody about my LD/ADHD, right? Sometimes worries about being treated differently, or misperceptions about what it means to have LD/ADHD and how that affects you, can lead students to want to abandon all forms of support. But it is often the case that these support services played an important role in helping you get to Harvard in the first place. Similarly, the support services available to you at Harvard can play an important role in helping you to learn and succeed at Harvard. In order to best advocate for yourself at Harvard, it is important for you to understand your particular type of LD/ADHD, the resultant academic strengths and weaknesses, and your individual learning style. Most importantly, you will want to become comfortable describing to others both the disability and your academic needs. At the BSC we encourage students to learn more about themselves in order to meet their academic potential. You may find it helpful to meet with a BSC counselor to explore your learning needs, to develop a better understanding of how your LD/ADHD affects you, and to learn how support services can effectively address any difficulties you may be experiencing academically or personally. A BSC counselor can also assist you in becoming more knowledgeable about other campus resources and learning how to access those that you decide may be helpful to you. I don’t know whether medication treatment is right for me. How can I find out more information in order to make an informed decision about how to best manage my ADHD? It is great that you recognize you need more information in order to best manage your ADHD. The more you know about ADHD and the different treatment and support options available to you, the better your experience at Harvard will be. Along these lines, it is very important to understand how the medication treatment of ADHD works. A good first step is to schedule a meeting with a psychiatrist at the Mental Health Services (MHS) or with your primary care physician at University Health Services. To find out more information, visit http://huhs.harvard.edu/AboutUS/AboutUS.htm You are also welcome to meet with a BSC counselor to discuss your concerns further or to get assistance in scheduling a meeting with an MHS or UHS staff member. Where can I find more information on LD/ADHD? On the BSC Self-Help Resources page you will find links to a wide variety of resources related to academics and student life, including resources on LD/ADHD in college. You will also find handouts on LD/ADHD in the Cranium Corner located in the front office at the BSC. In addition, there are numerous publications on LD/ADHD and the college student which you may find helpful. Most of the following recommended readings are available in the Harvard.. libraries or at local bookstores. o Learning Outside the Lines: Two Ivy League Students with Learning Disabilities and ADHD Give You the Tools for Academic Success and Educational Revolution (2000), by Jonathan Mooney and David Cole o Delivered from Distraction: Getting the Most Out of Life with Attention Deficit Disorder (2005), by Edward M. Hallowell, M.D. and John J. Ratey, M.D. o ADD-Friendly Ways to Organize Your Life (2002), by Judith Kolberg and Kathleen Nadeau, Ph.D. o Survival Guide for College Students with ADD or LD (1994), by Kathleen G. Nadeau, Ph.D. o ADD and the College Student: A Guide for High School and College Students with Attention Deficit Disorder (2001), Edited by Patricia O. Quinn, M.D. o You Mean I’m Not Lazy, Stupid, or Crazy?! (1993), by Katie Kelly and Peggy Ramundo o Higher Education Services for Students with Attention Deficit Disorder and Learning Disabilities: A Legal Guide (1994), by Patricia H. Latham, J.D. and Peter S. Latham, J.D. I am a faculty member/TF/Dean and am concerned about a student’s academic difficulties. How can I help this student? BSC counselors are available to university faculty and staff to discuss concerns about a student’s academic performance, to offer expertise on LD/ADHD, and to consult on teaching and learning styles. You might want to consult with a BSC counselor, or refer the student to the BSC when, for example:
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A student lets you know that
performance on exams has been a problem Ø A student is not performing consistently on exams versus in class versus on papers Ø A student identifies him/herself as having LD and/or ADHD Ø You would like to incorporate time management or reading tips into your class meetings or materials In some situations (e.g., a student isn't participating in class, is distracted, or is missing classes or appointments) the explanation for a student’s behavior may be difficult to assess. Consultation with a counselor at the BSC can assist you in determining the most appropriate referral. I am a parent of a student diagnosed with LD/ADHD, how can I best support my student? What resources are available to my student? The first step in providing support to your student is to acknowledge that the transition from high school to college is challenging and that such a transition can heighten your student’s experience of any difficulties associated with his/her LD/ADHD. It is also important to understand that LD and ADHD do not disappear in adulthood. You will likely not be able to provide your student with the same support once he/she is away at college, but you can maintain consistent contact with your student and encourage your student to utilize the support services available. For example, you can let your student know about the resources available at the BSC to assist and prepare your student for the challenges he/she will encounter. Additionally, you might explore the following topics during your conversations with your student to help your student begin to identify when to seek out support for academic difficulties: Ø Does your student mention difficulty meeting deadlines and managing his/her time effectively? The college environment does not readily provide external cues and supports for this kind of organization and planning (e.g., bells between classes, wake up calls in the morning, homework monitoring). This can be particularly disruptive for students whose parents provided such external support during high school. Your student will need to identify other means to successfully get to class on time, to follow through with and complete homework, and to prioritize long-term assignments. BSC counselors can help your student develop strategies that will work best for him/her. Ø Does your student mention difficulty getting started on a homework assignment? With the freedom and choice that the college environment provides, problems with activation are often intensified, and distractions can become rationalizations for not beginning homework or other projects. Your student may find it helpful to work with a counselor to develop strategies for structuring his/her environment, reducing distractibility, and managing procrastination. Ø Does your student report not performing as well on exams as in class or on papers? Some students find that error rates on exams are intensified because of the time pressure. Others vacillate between hyper focusing and being distracted by everything going on around them. Your student may find working with a counselor to develop more effective study strategies, along with a better understanding of his/her learning style, helpful in minimizing this discrepancy. Ø Does your student have difficulty recalling information during tests? College learning typically places great demands on working memory. Study strategies related to enhancing student’s understanding of and use of working memory in the learning process can help. Ø Does your student report repeatedly pulling all-nighters to study for a test or to finish a paper? Many students do not understand the connection between good health (sleep, diet, exercise) and learning. For students with LD/ADHD, the impact of poor self-care on memory and learning functions can be particularly troublesome because it can exacerbate any already existing academic difficulties. If you notice your student referring to sleepless nights, an increased use of substances (e.g., caffeine, alcohol, prescription or other drugs), increased feelings of anxiety or depression (e.g., feeling overwhelmed, unhappy, hopeless, etc.), encourage your student to meet with a BSC counselor or MHS clinician. As a parent of a student with LD/ADHD, you can play an important role in encouraging your student to seek out the support that will help him/her to learn and succeed at Harvard.
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