Counseling Center

Learning Disability/Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder

Sections

Overview
What is a Learning Disability?
What are the general characteristics of an adult with a Learning Disability?
What are the general characteristics of an adult with Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)?
List of links to other LD/ADHD pages

Overview

Achieving success in college can be one of the most challenging and rewarding experiences for students with high academic and/or career goals. For some students, college may be the first time that they have encountered academic difficulties, or it may be a time when struggles that were manageable in high school or earlier now seem overwhelming. As a result, students, their parents, and/or instructors may question whether students who encounter these challenges might be dealing with a learning disability or other condition such as Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder.

In other cases, students may recall having been diagnosed with some type of learning disability and/or ADHD at an early age, but need to have their documenting paperwork revised in order to receive appropriate services/accommodations. If you have been previously evaluated or have received accommodations for your academic work in the past, your first step is to contact the Disability Support Services (DSS) office at Southern Illinois University-Carbondale to arrange for the appropriate services. This may require that your testing/evaluation materials be updated, and you may be referred elsewhere for assessment.

Click here for a list of LD/ADHD assessment resources in the SIU area. The SIU Counseling Center does not provide LD/ADHD assessment services.

What is a Learning Disability?

Reading
- Confusion of similar words
- Applying phonic rules and generalizations
- Slow rate
- Difficulty with comprehension and retention of material
Writing
- Poor grammar, poor spelling, letter reversals
- Difficulty with sentence structure and organization
- Difficulty forming letters, spacing, and using correct punctuation
Oral Language
- Difficulty understanding spoken language
- Problem describing events in order
- Difficulty in putting ideas and thoughts into words
- Problems in following directions
Math
- Difficulty in acquiring basic facts such as multiplication tables
- Reversing numbers and confusing operational symbols
- Difficulty in understanding word problems
- Problems with manipulating symbols and grasping abstract concepts

If you are struggling with some of these symptoms, testing may be useful in determining whether your problems are due to LD.

What are the general characteristics of an adult with a Learning Disability?

Although both are long-standing conditions, learning disabilities (or disorders) are different than ADHD, and are defined as differences between achievement and ability. If you answer "Yes" to the following questions, a learning disability assessment might be appropriate for you:

Do you have a history of problems with learning?
Are certain activities (e.g., reading, spelling, math) particularly difficult for you?
Have you ever received extra help that has been related to your difficulties with school?
Were you told you were an underachiever?

If you answered "Yes" to questions, testing may be useful in determining whether your problems are due to LD.

What are the general characteristics of an adult with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)?

ADHD is not a learning disability, although many persons have mistakenly labeled it as such. Although ADHD is often diagnosed in children and young adolescents, it can go undiagnosed well into adulthood.Most adults with ADHD are restless, easily distracted, have difficulty sustaining attention and concentrating, are impulsive and impatient, have frequent mood swings and short tempers, are disorganized, and fail to plan ahead. Adults with undiagnosed or improperly treated ADHD often experience career and/or relationship difficulties. With proper diagnosis and treatment, adults who learn to adapt to their disability and take advantage of the energy and creativity that often accompany ADHD can thrive professionally.

Below is a list of common characteristics of adults with ADHD:

Long standing problems with attention and distractibility
A sense of underachievement
Difficulty getting organized
Chronic procrastination or trouble getting started with tasks
Many projects going simultaneously; trouble with follow-through
Tendency to say what comes to mind without necessarily considering the timing or appropriateness of the remark
A frequent need for high levels of stimulation
An intolerance of boredom
Easy distractibility, trouble focusing attention, tendency to tune out or drift away
Often creative, intuitive, highly intelligent
Trouble in going through established channels, following "proper" procedure
Impatient; low tolerance for frustration
Impulsive, either verbally or in actions
Tendency to worry needlessly, endlessly
Sense of impending doom or insecurity
Mood swings, mood lability
Restlessness
Tendency toward addictive behavior
Chronic problems with self-esteem
Inaccurate self-observation
Family history of ADD or other disorders of impulse control or mood

None of the characteristics listed above is, by itself, an indication of ADHD. However, if you have suffered from several of these characteristics for some time, an ADHD evaluation might be appropriate for you.

If you are struggling with some of these symptoms, testing may be useful in determining whether your problems are due to ADHD.

Links to Other Information About LD/ADHD

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