Overview: 5 Flinders based support recommendations for students with a diagnosis of ADHD. Reading time ~ 4 minutes.
A staff member recently asked me about services and supports for Flinders students with ADHD.
The response I sent back outlined a set of steps I would recommend to a student with a diagnosis of ADHD. Note that this is based on the idea that the student has already been diagnosed, although some of these steps would still be relevant for students who struggle with attention without a diagnosis.
Here are the steps 👣
The first port of call for students with ADHD would be making an appointment with Disability Advisor if they haven’t already. This is a chance to chat about whether there are any adjustments to their study that might be possible on the basis of their diagnosis. These adjustments (if possible) are captured in an Access plan which can reduce the need for students to negotiate adjustments on a topic by topic basis. A Disability Advisor may also be able to recommend strategies/supports that other students with ADHD have used that have been reported as helpful – https://students.flinders.edu.au/support/hcd/disability
The second port of call would be to make a counselling appointment to discuss psychological strategies for managing the condition. Whilst medication is often a first-line treatment, psychological strategies can help students manage situations that are negatively impacted by their ADHD. Counsellors see many students who struggle with focus and attention and may be able to directly suggest strategies as well as help you locate other psychological supports that might be helpful. Maybe you just want to use the session to talk about what it is like to study with ADHD – https://students.flinders.edu.au/support/hcd/counselling
The third stop would probably be a GP appointment. You may already have a regular doctor or psychiatrist who is managing the condition and monitoring treatment, but if you wanted to access a regular doctor who was better embedded in the university system, one of the HCDS doctors might be a good option – https://students.flinders.edu.au/support/hcd/health
A fourth stop might be the Student Learning Support Service (SLSS). They aren’t ADHD specific, but students with ADHD have commonly experienced significant disruptions to developing good study habits and practices. Working with SLSS might help you rebuild your study and learning routines, which to be honest, is a good thing to do regardless of ADHD status. Most of us would gain from learning how to do academic work better – https://students.flinders.edu.au/support/slss
A final stop might be the library. Stick with me on this one! Via the library students (in fact all of us here at Flinders) can access the latest literature and treatment guidelines and research being conducted on all sorts of conditions. Why not spend a little time learning more about your ADHD and the different treatment and management strategies that are being developed and tested? – https://library.flinders.edu.au/ – Speak to a librarian about which databases might be most relevant to find information related to your condition.
Of course, all the usual programs we run out of Health, Counselling and Disability Services and Oasis are relevant (https://blogs.flinders.edu.au/student-health-and-well-being/2022/03/29/wellbeing-programs/) Mindful Yoga might help you develop some calm focus. Be Well Plan might help you develop wellbeing strategies that counteract some of the negative impacts of ADHD. The presence of a condition like ADHD does not deny you the opportunity to gain benefit from these programs.
If you are searching for something specific in relation to mental health and wellbeing and having trouble, feel free to contact me (gareth.furber@flinders.edu.au) 😊