ADHD and Students 1

ADHD in Academics: Effect of ADHD on Student Success During School and

Higher Education?

Tanner J. Brinton
 ADHD and Students 2

Abstract

Numerous studies worldwide have shown that children and adolescents with Attention

Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) have a high probability of struggling with

academics. The purpose of this essay is to present information regarding ADHD

students and their struggles with the current academic system, and possible solutions

that can and maybe should be implemented by schools with a touch on gender

differences during education. This essay will overview the symptoms of ADHD and

some of the specific difficulties of the different types. Then, it will attempt to analyze the

general education environment and what makes that environment so difficult for

students with ADHD. Data seems to suggest that many issues are caused by the

environment of public school, and it suggests that education can be made much more

accessible for students. A study by Amason et. al. showed that children with ADHD

have IQ’s that fall all along the spectrum, so people with ADHD are not naturally gifted

or ungifted; rather, they are simply not well suited for the learning environment

available. (Amason et. al. p. 107). There is a lot that schools can do to assist the ADHD

population with learning, and they need to start now.

 ADHD and Students 3

ADHD in Academics: What Effect does ADHD have on Students’ Success During

School and Throughout Higher Education?

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder

that is incredibly common in children. According to the CDC’s website, ADHD affects

around 9.5% of the population. This is a huge percentage when compared to the

prevalence of other mental disorders that lie between 1% and 2% of the population.

ADHD has a huge array of symptoms, and the disorder is quite variable. Every patient

has a different combination of symptoms, and that makes it exceptionally difficult to both

diagnose and treat; in addition, many ADHD symptoms are shared with other common

mental disorders like anxiety that make it even more difficult to diagnose.

In “Creative Thinking in Adolescents With Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder

(ADHD)”, Abraham et. al. state that ADHD “refers to a group of disorders that usually

develops during the first five years of life and is generally typified by a combination of

pervasive and enduring characteristics of marked inattention, impulsivity, lack of

continuing task involvement, overactivity, and disorganized or poorly modulated

behavior” (Abraham et. al. p. 111). These symptoms are divided into two general

categories of ADHD. Someone can be diagnosed with Predominantly Inattentive

Presentation, Predominantly Hyperactive-Impulsive Presentation, or Combined

presentation.

Predominantly Inattentive Presentation occurs when a child under age 16 has 6

or more symptoms of inattention like attention-span, forgetfulness, and organization.

People age 17 and up need to display 5 or more symptoms and have had them before
 ADHD and Students 4

age 12. People with this type of ADHD have problems with attention, but they lack most

symptoms of hyperactivity. Interestingly, girls are far more likely to have this

presentation of ADHD than boys. There is a much higher percentage of boys with

ADHD than girls, but nearly all of them are diagnosed with the Combined or

Hyperactivity-Impulsivity Presentation. Hyperactivity-Impulsivity Presentation is very

common in boys and has symptoms including restlessness, fidgetiness, interrupting

others, and trouble with patience. Finally, a person can be diagnosed with Combined

Presentation when they exhibit equal symptoms from both categories.

“From a neurocognitive perspective, a lag or delay in the development of the

prefrontal cortex has been assumed to underlie the causes of ADHD” (Abraham et. al.

p. 111). Abraham et. al. describes the prefrontal cortex as the structure of the brain with

the longest development time after birth going all the way into adolescence. The

inhibitory skills that most ADHD patients lack are what normally develop in the prefrontal

cortex by the time age 12 comes around; hence, it’s assumed that dysfunctions in the

prefrontal cortex as children are developing is a primary cause of ADHD. On the CDC’s

internet page on ADHD, they confirm a strong genetic correlation to the development of

ADHD along with some risk factors after birth. Researchers have linked ADHD to some

specific genes, but they still haven't found a gene that can predict ADHD reliably.

Instead, some genetic mixtures and combinations can lead to a higher predisposed

likelihood of ADHD, but other factors can have an effect on its development. Some

factors identified by the CDC include brain injuries, exposure to lead, drug use during

pregnancy, and premature delivery (CDC p. 2).

 ADHD and Students 5

An article on University Students with ADHD associates the disorder “with poor

educational outcomes that can have long-term negative effects on the mental health,

wellbeing, and socio-economic outcomes of university students” (Sedgwick-Muller et. al.

p. 2). ADHD is a primary factor in determining a person’s future wellbeing, so why have

schools not changed to allow them to be successful? The esoteric education system

we have in place has not changed a whole lot since the late 1800’s and early 1900’s

when it did a great job producing factory workers. Children are learning more than ever

before, and we should be giving talented children the resources they need to be

successful and change the world. Instead of encouraging diversity and variability,

public schools force sameness on students. Excellent students are held back to the

level of the slowest students instead of being pushed to grow and improve, and slower

students are not encouraged to find the ways that they learn best. A study by Abraham

et. al. found that “a number of personality traits, such as risk taking, impulsivity, and

emotionality, that are characteristic of ADHD children have also been noted to parallel

those of highly creative individuals” (Abraham et. al. pg. 112). Public schools are not

areas where creative thinking is encouraged or supported; instead, students are

expected to follow directions to the letter and do what the teacher tells them. Schools

need to be environments of natural learning instead of prisons where children are

expected to absorb all of the information shoved in front of their face each day.

In addition, specific symptoms of ADHD make it difficult to perform well in public

school. Hyperactivity symptoms like restlessness and fidgetiness are difficult because

students are expected to sit still in their seats for most of a 6 or 7 hour school day. It’s

just not going to happen. Some students get up to go to the bathroom many times each
 ADHD and Students 6

day and miss important lessons because they simply can’t sit still for that long.

Symptoms regarding attention span prevent ADHD students from understanding the

long winded explanations, directions, and lectures that teachers love to give. Usually,

they need individual help from the teacher afterwards.

In “Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder: Effective Methods for the Classroom,

Reid and Robert argue that changing the classroom environment, or antecedents, is

one of the best ways to assist ADHD students. According to Reid, “manipulation of

antecedents potentially offers a great deal of return on the teacher's investment of time

and effort (Dunlap & Kern, 1993). Moreover, most classroom accommodations for

manipulating antecedents are of the common-sense variety-- simple to implement,

practical, and most important, requiring minimal time and effort on the instructor's part”

(Reid et. al. p. 2). Reid et. al. says that things as simple as having a consistent daily

routine, keeping instructions short and to the point, and seating ADHD students away

from extraneous stimuli like doors and windows can have a huge impact on their

success. In addition, things like scheduling the most difficult activities in the morning,

scheduling the least desired activities right before breaks, and giving feedback to

students regularly can boost productivity and attention.

This data leads to a surprising idea that it isn’t women who are being

marginalized in school, but men. For starters, boys and girls are different. According to

Michael Gurian who wrote “Brain Science and the Difference Between Boys and Girls”,

the structural makeup of their brains are very different (Gurian p. 1). For example, girls

reach puberty earlier than boys, and the prefrontal cortex, where researchers think

ADHD comes from, isn’t developed in boys until after age 12. He argues that girls learn
 ADHD and Students 7

better in the education system we have now, and boys learn better with task and project

focus (active learning) with little multitasking. In addition, girls have been proven to

have a longer attention span than boys during primary school (things even out during

adolescence) (Richey p. 1). Finally, boys are close to three times more likely to be

diagnosed with ADHD than girls as children at some 13% of young boys (Richey p. 1).

ADHD is highly correlated with other learning disabilities, and given the importance of

some social and intellectual development during early education, boys are starting off

their lives with a huge disadvantage.

In conclusion, ADHD is a marginalized mental disorder that has a huge impact on

the development of a large number of children. There needs to be more general

understanding and available treatment for ADHD to protect future generations. If

schools were to enact some small changes, they could make their students much more

successful. However, in reality, for these changes to be made, our nation's education

system is going to need a renovation, so before getting upset at local schools, realize

where the issue truly lies and help start the process of change. Children with ADHD are

criticized and shamed for their behaviors early in life, and they end up less happy and

successful than other people later in life (Beaton et. al. p. 2-4). It doesn’t have to be

that way.
 ADHD and Students 8

References

Abraham, A., Windmann, S., Siefen, R., Daum, I., & Güntürkün, O. (2006).

Creative thinking in adolescents with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder

(ADHD). Child Neuropsychology, 12(2), 111–123.

https://doi.org/10.1080/09297040500320691

Beaton, D. M., Sirois, F., & Milne, E. (2022). Experiences of criticism in adults with

ADHD: A qualitative study. PLOS ONE, 17(2).

https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0263366

Brain science and the difference between boys and girls. Army and Navy

Academy. (2021, July 19). Retrieved June 6, 2022, from

https://www.armyandnavyacademy.org/blog/brain-science-and-the-

difference-between-boys-and-girls/

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2021, September 23). Symptoms

and diagnosis of ADHD. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

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https://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/adhd/diagnosis.html

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Richey, M. A. (2021, June 10). ADHD and gender differences. ImpactParents.

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