Students with functional limitations created by significant problems with ADHD may experience employment barriers/issues once they reach the job market due to their conditions. Time management and organizational structure are key components and elements required in most working settings and inconsistencies with those skill characteristics could result in a negative employment experience.
People with ADHD who are seeking employment may have many problems once they find a job. The ADHD employee may have difficulty meeting deadlines, completing tasks on time and cooperating with other workers. In meetings, the person may blurt out responses or be impatient with coworkers or supervisors. I agree with your suggestion to offer workshops to ADHD students in order to enhance their skills. By the time they enter the workplace, many of these students could develop methods to modify their behavior so these common problems would not be such an issue.
Sorry I missed this comment earlier.
Why would the student feel offended if HE is the one asking me to remind him of a med issue which in the long run is to his benefit.
Please understand that this was HIS request for me to ask HIM, as he would be unaware of his changes without meds. I would never initiate this type of query.
Also, I never asked him about this in the middle of a class. Discrete and quiet conversations on the side is how we always addressed this issue.
Irrefragably, the Functional Limitations of a student with severe ADHD, would delimit their ability to be as successful as those without the disability -- particularly in areas that require a high level of organization and task-oriented process. Therefore, without the use of pharmacotherapy, psychiatric intervention (ex: counseling), or some form of outside accommodation, I believe that these students will have less success in the real world. In other words, I do believe that their employment opportunities will be largely impacted by their disability.
I think it would have an impact. As they go through college, they need to meet with a counselor to learn how to function with minimal accommodations. The employer may be able to make the same accommodations as the college and therefore the student would be at a disadvantage. There should be some form of real world training for the student to understand what will be required of them.
their employment would be signifigantly impacted when they cannot multitask appropriately or give the proper amount of attention to the current tasks or finish up one item before moving onto another - but of course, the ADD and ADHD diagnoses are so heavily thrown around anymore you have to be sure that its their true disorder
It would have the same effect that it did going through school. You might find that this employee has trouble staying on top of tasks and getting things done in a timely manner. You might also find that this employee has a hard time staying focused on daily activities, or forgetting to follow up with set appointments.
A person in this situation may have a hard time focusing on completing a task or finishing a project at work.
I am sure there are many different companies that have all the necessary instruments in place for people with disabilities but there are still many without, which causes an unfair disadvantage for persons with disabilities.
I think that there are some jobs that, even with reasonable accommodations, a person with ADHD may not be able to complete the job requirements, for example, data entry.
Marie,
I can never encourage students with disabilities enough to engage in counseling and other self-help activities to learn more about what their disability(s) mean to them, or how it affects them. Learning skills to compensate, self-advocacy skills, etc., can make a huge difference on whether a person is success in their career.
Sarah Smoger
B,
I think what your suggesting typically doesn't happen for reasons of liability. I know that typically, college advisors or career services professionals are discouraged from the actual participation or engagement between the student and employer. What I think we can do, is offer workshops or training to students as they begin to seek employment opportunities and work with them on enhancing their skills.
Sarah Smoger
Jennifer,
It takes someone with a lot of insight about how their disability affects their day-to-day functioning.
Sarah Smoger
Samrane,
I agree. We see a large amount of students with learning disabilities, such as ADD/ADHD seeking non-traditional careers. It just "fits" better for them.
Sarah Smoger
I have a relative with ADD and am concerned about what type of employment options are most suitable. I want him to be successful, accepted, and happy in career choice. Very smart and good person who wants to do something meaningful. But, there are challenges with focus and distractions and organization. This type of disability is a big challenge for both schools and the workforce. With the growing number of individuals with these types of disabilities, it will be interesting to see how our economy is effected.
ADHA could certainly be a factor in the employment process. Although I know that it is generally not advisable for an applicant to disclose this, it certainly could be considered. The ultimate goals is success and taking a job that does not work with of well with ADHD will cause frustration for both the employee and the employer. The student may want to involve an advisor in the interaction with an employer to maximize the opportunity for mutually beneficial employment success.
As previously discussed it is very important for one to take a look at the LD and take a look at the career fields available and choose the best one that fits for what they are looking for an will not cause limitations b/c of their disability. This can be difficult.
Students with ADHD can still become successful and overcome their disability. Some people with ADHD learned better in hands on training, non traditional schools.
Students with ADHD can still become successful and overcome their disability. Some people with ADHD learned better in hands on training, non traditional schools.
Mary,
I agree. I think it is especially important for persons with disabilities to be insightful about the effects their disability has on their day-to-day functioning.
Sarah Smoger
