PORTSMOUTH, NH – Students with ADD/ADHD face unique challenges when heading off to college. To help parents and their college-bound high school juniors and seniors diagnosed with ADD/ADHD prepare to meet the challenges of a new environment, a panel of experts will offer a free, half-day seminar on April 8 at Families First Health & Support Center.
Lynn Marsh, M. Ed, a career counselor, ADHD coach and the parent of three college-age children with ADD/ADHD, organized the seminar, which is intended to give parents and students advice on issues that come up in college and how to preparation can contribute to a smooth transition to college life.
“Science tells us that kids with ADHD are, on average, about two years behind their peers in maturity and self-regulation,” Marsh says. “At no time is this more apparent and challenging than graduation from high school and going off to college – the most unstructured and unsupervised environment they have ever been in. It is not that these students are not smart and academically prepared – they are – but time management, organization and self-advocacy have always been problems to overcome.”
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Joining Marsh in presenting the seminar will be Michael Shuttic, Director of Disability Services for Students at UNH; Katie Vandervalk, Executive Functioning Coach; and Marguerite Genest, Ed. D., Educational Consultant and Coach. The panelists will cover:
- understanding transition challenges for students with ADD/ADHD
- how to choose the right college and right environment
- on-campus resources to promote success
- strategies to help students meet the academic and time-management demands of college
- how self-advocacy, organization and coaching can contribute to student success.
The seminar runs from 9:30 a.m. to noon on Saturday, April 8. Parents may attend with or without their teens. Professionals and high school counselors working with ADD/ADHD students are also encouraged to attend.
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Marsh also runs a guided support group for parents of children ages 5-12 with ADD/ADHD. The next group will be held on Wednesdays, April 5 through May 10, from 6 to 8 p.m. Free child care is available with advance signup.
Both the college seminar and the guided support group will meet at Families First, which is located at the Community Campus in Portsmouth. Advance signup is required for both; this can be done at tinyurl.com/FFparenting or at (603) 422-8208 ext. 2
