Functional limitations do not stop in the classroom but they are in every area of a persons life.
There can be many problems with ADHD in the work place. If the position is a safety sensitive function, there must be total concentration on the task.
The company might not put a person over a safety sensitive function that has ADHA but may find another place for the employee to work. This would be more of a liability issue for the company and the safety of other workers.
Lori,
I agree, so long as you keep in mind that not all individuals with ADHD experience the same symptoms or with the same level of severity.
Dr. Jane Jarrow
Phillip,
Your post is a great exercise in translating the "functional limitations" of ADHD into practical implications and application. You are right. It isn't that these individuals won't be able to DO the necessary tasks, only that they will need to develop appropriate coping strategies (sometimes with accommodation) to allow them to function effectively, given their limitations
Dr. Jane Jarrow
People with ADHD experience difficulties in all aspects of life. They have a hard time attending to a task, paying attention for long lenths of time, and are extremely overactive. In turn, this can also cause social barriers for that person. A student with ADHD may experience problems with employment because they have trouble attending to the task they are to perform.
An individual that has functional limitations created by ADHD might be impacted quite a bit in the student's employment experience. Some of these might include requiring additional tools to keep tasks from being lost. They might need to have a method to sitting in meetings and being able to focus on the presentation information because of the nature of thier limitations. In general, the employee is going to have to develop ways to stay focused and not get lost in thier limited ability to stay on task.
Cynthia,
Always nice to hear success stories, not just because it reminds us that there is a purpose behind what we do, but also because it reminds us that students are more able than DISabled, and that there is no way to predict to future, only to provide the tools that students take with them.
Dr. Jane Jarrow
My daughter was diagnosed with ADHD. Accommodations were made for her. She was an A student who had trouble staying still and always wanted to talk. Our pediatrician put her on medication and she did well in her studies. She is now 25 and she is fully functional in college and on her job. Her teacher did little things like having her take her tests alone so there was nothing to distract her from finishing. She now have a fast-paced job that is not affected by the ADHD.
Deborah,
That is certainly the concern -- that the likelihood of distraction will translate to problems in completing what they start, or completing it in a reasonable time frame. Sometimes, the problem (if it occurs for that individual) can be masked by their focus in a field where timing is not so critical.
Dr. Jane Jarrow
I think that the impact for employment could be that they can't stay on task or organized. I think they could have a negative affect.
Carola,
Yep! That's the plan. (Smile)
Dr. Jane Jarrow
I like this!! It acknowledges the skills and abilities of the student, and encourages the student to learn to build on those strengths in good ways, so that they can be completly independent and fully functioning in other settings.
David,
Actually, if the student hasn't learned good compensatory skills, it is more likely to impact their ability to successfully perform a job than it is to get the job in the first place. Unfortunately, we see lots of ADHD individuals who have spotty work records because they have been unable to fulfill expectations after hiring. That doesn't mean they are not capable of doing the job -- they are just not practiced at managing their symptomology so that it doesn't interfere.
Dr. Jane Jarrow
ADHD will affect the students employment experience, and if a student does not understand how to deal with their issues they could have trouble finding employment.
Chelsea,
The issue you raise here -- student development -- has always been a tricky one for disability service providers at the college level. Their natural tendency is to WANT to help the student learn to manage their own disability-related needs so that they can do so in the future, but there is nothing in the law that obligates the college to engage in student development (or requires that the student accept such help!). We tread a thin line.
Dr. Jane Jarrow
I completely agree, Jane! Accomadations should not been seen as a crutch. I also think the department handling students with disabilities is aware of the issues you pointed out, and in the interest of the student, help teach them what they truely need to be successful in their field, how to ask for the necessary assistance, and what aspects of this enviormenet they can create themselves.
Catherine,
I agree. Just as we can only give the tools to a student without a disability (and hope that they find a way to make those tools work for them), we can only provide the training and support to the student while they are at school. The piece that we CAN do for a student with ADHD is to help them explore both formal accommodations and compensatory strategies while they are still with us that they can take with them into the world of work.
Dr. Jane Jarrow
It's a case by case, some ADHD might adjust well in the working world while some may struggle to adapt, such as getting easily distracted while doing work or being late. It is our job to try to prepare an individual and hope they will get the same type of equal treatment at their workplace.
William,
Your statement suggests that you think accommodations will end at the door of the classroom -- that out in the field students will be unaccommodated. That simply isn't true -- or it doesn't have to be. Part of the answer lies in making sure that students are prepared to advocate for themselves and to request the same accommodations on the job that allowed them to be successful in the classroom.
Dr. Jane Jarrow
Even prior to post-classroom, managers of competitive externship programs ask teachers for evaluation of all students, so those with ADHD & other disabilities ,though previously accommodated, still face new problems.
Sidorva,
You are right. Sometimes there are ways to manipulate the environment so that (essentially) the same accommodations that worked for the student in an academic setting can be made to work in the job setting as well.
Dr. Jane Jarrow
