ADD/ADHD and credit by exam

[clep3705]

A mother of a college student with diagnosed ADD asked me about CLEP testing. Her son won't take the medication. I've met other young adults in similar circumstances.

Can unmedicated ADD/ADHS people succeed with credit by examination testing? My initial reaction is that it would be very difficult because many people here write about studying for hours and hours. However, preparing for CLEP or similar exams is very self-paced. Can the self-paced nature mitigate the concentration problem?

Also, the most common mode of test taking reported here seems to be sequential, one test or subject after another. Taking one course at a time at a brick and mortar school is rare because at most schools it would drag things out for more years than most people are willing to put up with. Would focusing on only one course at a time help those with ADD or ADHD? I have read recommendations that ADD/ADHD students take a reduced course load, but without specific reasons why.

Any thoughts on what tests are better for people with ADD or ADHD?

[sanantone]

The term ADD has been dropped. IIRC, you're either ADHD primarily inattentive, ADHD primarily hyperactive, or a combination of both. People can move from one to the other and back throughout their lives. It really depends on if the person has more of a problem taking tests or more of a problem sitting through classes.

I've never been diagnosed because I don't see a point in being diagnosed (ADHD medications are awful), but I remember that my first grade teacher told my mother that I would finish my work before everyone else and become disruptive. Later on, I became less hyperactive, but daydreamed a lot. I absolutely cannot stand sitting through lectures and cannot stand having to write long papers. I almost always write long papers at the last minute. If I even try to start on something early, I become easily distracted and won't hardly get anything done until the last minute anyway.

I have a tendency to hyperfocus on things that are of interest to me. This is common among people with ADHD and on the autism spectrum. I really don't have the patience to study long for a test. I almost always cram; that's why I like the Instantcert flashcards. I used to go through the flashcards twice for each exam, but once I started taking business tests, I went through the flashcards once. Business is easy for me, and I'm just good at test taking and memorization. Some people with ADHD really struggle with test taking because the time pressure makes it difficult for them to focus. For me, time pressure is the only thing that can force me to complete something.

[clep3705]

NIMH calls it ADHD. NIMH · Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)

The American Psychological Association refers to ADHD in DSM-5.

Some people who were diagnosed with ADD years ago continue to use their ADD diagnosis instead of ADHD. Some people feel like the hypersensitivity in ADHD makes it more stigmatizing than just ADD. I go along with ADD, ADHD, or whatever people tell me. It's their life, I let them describe it as they wish.

According to NIMH at the link above, the three subtypes are:

Predominantly hyperactive-impulsive
Predominantly inattentive
Combined hyperactive-impulsive and inattentive

[JohnnyHeck]

I am the father of a son who was not diagnosed ADD until he was 21 years old when it finally became apparent to me that something was seriously wrong when he freaked during the preparation of his final Public Speaking assignment at our local CC. His previous major at Rome College of Music was Music Theatre, and with his previous 3 years paid acting experience, I knew his breakdown was not due to any kind of public performance fright. With only 2 weeks to go in the semester, I felt that if I could not find something to help him, he would drop out of school probably never to return. Fortunately for our family, we had a good referral to specialist psychologist who could quickly convince all of us of my son's diagnosis. With the immediate help of the usual amphetamine treatment, my son finally could not only cope with his academics but became incited to score straight As which he has accomplished all through his capstone at TESC. Now the most important point I would like to make upon the current question, now that I can recognize ADD when I was blind before, is that I have found that ADD expresses itself in different dimension for each individual "afflicted" This is probably why there is no magic bullet for relief. In my son's case, he finds it tolerable to focus on fewer courses in shorter terms. He also needs a study companion. He cannot study alone. All anyone has to do is sit next to him not even saying a word while he does his coursework all on his own. However, if he does not have a study buddy he cannot work academics. He only takes his uppers when doing academics as he reports that he does not "feel" like himself when on them, but he cannot work his academics without them. My son can write really well and can solve math problems on a step by step basis, but because of mental organization issues, he needs to free write first and then organize in the second draft. To overcome this time disadvantage, I have urged him to apply for his legal right to an accommodation of time on essay and math exams. However he has only felt the need to invoke this request one time. He has consistently scored in the 90th percentile since his diagnosis. His life is still no bed of roses. His risk taking behavior and general inability to learn from the mistakes of others is a continual frustration for many around him, but it has been improving as he ages. He still has not recovered fully from previous HS esteem issues. I don't know how things will ultimately turn out for him, so I continue to pray everyday. TESC with all it's non-traditional options has been a savior for our family. My son will get his BA Music this Dec 12, his 26th birthday. Best wishes for your friend and her son. Please encourage her to keep trying different approaches. Preaching "shoulder to the wheel" actually seriously works against you. I wasted a lot of precious years fighting ADD rather than working with it. Good luck.

[sanantone]

NIMH calls it ADHD. NIMH · Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)

The American Psychological Association refers to ADHD in DSM-5.

Some people who were diagnosed with ADD years ago continue to use their ADD diagnosis instead of ADHD. Some people feel like the hypersensitivity in ADHD makes it more stigmatizing than just ADD. I go along with ADD, ADHD, or whatever people tell me. It's their life, I let them describe it as they wish.

According to NIMH at the link above, the three subtypes are:

Predominantly hyperactive-impulsive
Predominantly inattentive
Combined hyperactive-impulsive and inattentive

Whether they like it or not, one of the reasons why they decided to drop ADD is because most don't stay predominantly inattentive or predominantly hyperactive forever. If they were to keep the two separate and someone were continuously tested, technically, that person could have several changes in the diagnosis. Ironically, those who are afraid that ADHD is too stigmatizing are themselves stigmatizing those who are hyperactive. It's hypocritical.

[Hometeacher628]

There are plenty of colleges that have 5 week, and 8 week courses per semester. If the student did 2 classes every 8 weeks for the school year they could knock out 24 credits, or 8 classes of 3 credits apiece. Attend the summer sessions at 1 class per session and you then could complete 30 credits per year. There are also schools that focus on one class at a time. Cornell College in Iowa, for one. Augsberg college in MN has a team for ADD students that mentor and teach study skills to keep students on track. Testing works well for us. I have 2 ADD kiddos. We eat healthy and organic etc. here and never thought in my wildest dreams I would ever consider medication....until I saw the difference. Night and day. We homeschool because I provide the structure and expectations my kids need. The public school here wrote my oldest a 504 accommodation etc. while she attended an above grade math class as a 6th grader. She was only in the school for math and orchestra and art. Lord only knows where she would be if I had left her education in the hands of the professional educrats. She is a high school senior this year and will graduate with her Associates degree. Her work is listed in my signature below. Play off of the ability to hyper focus! That is an extremely useful gift!

[Lindagerr]

How one person with ADHD takes test or classes can not be a predictor of how another person with ADHD will do. One of the things to be remembered is not all schools acknowledge ADHD on its own as a disability and so will give no accommodations. The key to helping someone with ADHD is to find out if they also have a learning disability and use methods to help cope with that problem.

One person with ADHD may have problems with the boring slow classes and can't sit through lectures, but that person can hyperfocus for a short time and then ace the exam. This type of person may then promptly forget everything they learned but they have the credit.

One person with ADHD might have a spacial disability so they can read and write on an advanced level but math or science is just to complicated to keep their attention. These people could Ace any literature exam but have time problems on a math or science exam.

Another person with ADHD may have no problem concentrating on Math problems but the difficulty of reading makes paying attention to content difficult so any exam could be difficult.

I know ADHD adults with each of these problems, the key is knowing what the problem is and finding how to compensate. As for medications how a person reacts or benefits from an ADHD medication can change with age or life circumstances. Recently antidepressant medications is showing good results in adults with concentration problems. So what I am trying to say is your friends son may do great without medication or he may find like others have said he just wants to take the medication before the exam or he may want to try different medication. In my humble opinion ADHD is not the problem it can exacerbate other learning difficulties and those are the real problem. If the ADHD is not severe and the Learning Disability is not severe then any motivated person can find a way to earn a degree.

[stretcharmy]

Well, having being diagnosed (incorrectly) I have my own opinion.

Are the bored senseless or do they really have an attention problem?

I was diagnosed with ADD in HS. I have always gotten really poor grades. But by some magic I could get A's in classes I was interested in. So, it wasn't so much that I couldn't concentrate, but that I was bored out of my damn mind. CLEP and DSST let you move at a pace that is comfortable for you. And that optimizes learning and attention.

So do they really have ADD or are they just not in an environment that optimizes their attention. Lets face it, k-12 is based on teaching the slowest kid in the class, and teaches to the assessment tests at the end of the year. Not much room for individualization.

[Lindagerr]

ADHD diagnosis is sometimes overused, but someone who truly has ADHD does not just have a short attention span. Impulsiveness, distraction, perseveration, poor judgement and inability to sit still are just some of the other symptoms.

[kotomi]

To the OP all I can say is tell him to try one and see. Only he can set the tone for his style of learning. Being diagnosed with it doesn't mean that he can't test out. Everyone responds differently, regardless of having it or not. I do have it btw. I am pretty okay in testing situations, but I just don't have a predictable enough schedule to actually do CLEPs.