Attention Deficit

Hyperactivity Disorder
(ADHD) and Culturally
Competent Career Counseling
Sarah N. Neilson
CMHS
EDUC 685: Career Counseling and Development
Jared Epler
June 28, 2021
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 How does ADHD impact students and
career development?

What should career counselors anticipate

when working with these students?

What are specific career counseling

interventions?

What should be avoided?

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Where are we going from here?

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Long term financial outcomes of children
diagnosed with ADHD

ADHD in the workplace: symptoms, diagnostic

status, and work-related functioning

Best practices in working with college students

diagnosed with ADHD

College readiness differences between students

diagnosed with ADHD and their peers without

Young adults in context – reports from those

navigating

Needs for career success as reported by those

accessing services 3
 Findings:

Lower education attainment might be driving financial:

dropped out of high school (9% vs. 1%) and completed a
bachelor’s degree (14% vs. 53%)
Individuals with ADHD take longer to reach financial
independence than those without ADHD
remittance of symptoms did not make up for the deficits
in earnings

Implications and recommendations:

Interventions need to include fostering vocational and

(Pelham et al., 2020) life skills training
beneficial to inform families so they can adjust financial
planning

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Males ages 25 to 30 “projected
to earn $1.27 million less than
controls over their working
lifetime, reaching retirement
with up to 75% lower net worth
“ (Pelham et al., 2020)

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 Findings:

At work, individuals with ADHD had problems with “not meeting

their own standards” and “perceived potential”
These work-related problems were rarely accompanied by these
individuals losing their jobs or poor performance evaluations
Inattention symptoms were strongly associated with work
problems
Neuropsychological performance on tests for attention and
executive control were not predictive of work problems

Implications and recommendations:

These findings support the value of self-rated ADHD measures as

predictors of work-related problems.
Counselors ought to be wary of using neuropsychological tests to
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draw any predictive assumption about an individuals career
potential
(Fuermaier et al., 2021) 6
Career counselors on college campuses
are in a unique position to recognize an
individual who is undiagnosed.

Knowing when to refer

Practicing within scope of competence

This is pivotal considering early

diagnosis and interventions can allow
individuals with ADHD to do as well as (Reilley, 2005, cited by Dipeolu, 2011, p. 411, in Table 1)
their peers (Faigel and Brandeis, 1995,
as cited by Dipeolu, 2011, p. 414).

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Findings:

Inattention was strongly associated with work-related problems across self-report

measures
Neuropsychological testing was not a predictor of functioning
Consider student’s strengths and preferences to bolster their self-knowledge. Career
measures include Self-Directed Search (SDS), The Career Planning Survey (CPS), and
Strong Interests Inventory (SII)
Be sure that the career inventories do not penalize students for ADHD symptoms,
consider many students have comorbid learning disabilities
ADHD is under-reported in the workplace and accommodations, underutilized
Individuals do not know their rights or how to advocate in the workplace for
accommodations

Implications and recommendations:

Supplemental reports from other stakeholders can give a more objective picture of an
individuals functioning and work performance
Avoid scantron/filling in the bubble sheets and written questions which require reading.
Instead, provide the opportunity to do them orally and the use of the computer
Planning for occupation post-college and rights under the law: example of role-playing
scenario

(Dipeolu, 2011) 8
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“Career counselors can help
students with ADHD deal with
these symptoms effectively by
using specific interventions such as
providing structure, understanding
and accepting the nature of their
disorder, dispelling myths about
ADHD, clarify coping versus cure
options, and more (see Table 2 for a
list of suggested interventions for
effective career counseling
practices”

(Table 2. Tuckman, 2009, and Wender, 2000, as

cited by Dipeolu, 2011, p. 413)

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Findings:

Individuals with ADHD are less prepared for college than those
without ADHD, specifically in terms of self-determination, living
skills, and academic skills.

Implications and recommendations:

Career counselors working with students diagnosed with ADHD This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY

should anticipate that deficits in these specific areas may interfere

with the efficacy of the career counseling process.
Counselors can work with students to develop self-knowledge and
capitalize on their strengths by working to identify their personal
strengths and values
Career counselors can advocate for earlier interventions to bolster
students skills in these areas prior to college, so that students are more
prepared upon admittance to engage in the career counseling process.

(Canu et al., 2020) 10


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(Lasky et al., 2016)
Findings:
Individuals had difficulty occupationally before learning about careers that
could be a “fit”
finding the right career can make a difference between whether someone feels
impaired by their ADHD tendencies.
Individuals with ADHD reported wanted a high-stimulating environment.
Those that improved their ability to focus or engaged symptoms in a
constructive way
Subcategories: (a) Stress and challenge, (b) Novelty and multitasking, (c)
Busy and fast-paced, (d) Physical labor, (e) Hands-on work and active
learning, and (f) Intrinsic interest
Implications and recommendations:
Anticipate and reduce obstacles even with a job with good “fit”: Credentialing
environment and multifaceted nature of skills required on the job
Leverage tools
Assisting a client with ADHD in finding the right career fit is crucial.
Individuals with ADHD have higher unemployment than those without
(Kurivan et al., 2013)
“Fit” as an intervention: the career counselor can explore with clients and
their families to identify aspects of careers that favor strengths of an
individual with ADHD
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Findings:

Individuals with ADHD report the following as most important: "(1) Being involved in an
occupational environment fulfils a need for social contact, (2) occupational activities must be clear
and within interest, (3) self-confidence and daily routines are prerequisites for occupational
participation (4) having a lifeline providing continuous support is important.”

Implications and recommendations:

Counselors can anticipate that a desire for work with a social role might be important to a client and
consider exploring careers roles that allow this.
Upon identifying areas of interest, a counselor can thoroughly and clearly describe role duties and
opportunities. This is also something that workers may want to ask from their bosses in places of
employment.
If an individual with ADHD is in the career counseling process and it becomes evident that they are
having difficulty with self-confidence and daily routines, it might be best to consult other professional
and refer a client for additional supports if needed and/or focus on bolstering these areas before
progressing into the career counseling process.
A counselor working with individuals with ADHD ought to strive to provide “continuous support” as
this is reported as important

(Lyhne et al., 2020)

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(Dipeolu, 2011)
Types of accommodations
Development of programs
The identification of important aspects of programs that lead to
success
Input from students and their concerns
Interventions appropriate to specific work settings
What would help facilitate using the resources on campus

(Lyhne et al., 2020)

How do individuals with ADHD succeed in their careers despite
challenges in executive functioning?

(Fuermaier et al., 2021)

“the issue of occupational diversity and complexity may need to be
studied in further research when trying to achieve a more accurate and
balanced analysis of work-related problems experienced by individuals
with ADHD.”

(Canu et al., 2020)

“developing and utilizing skills and tools that can prompt important
self-determination behaviors (e.g., via organization, time-management,
and planning [OTMP] training, as in Eddy et al., 2014; Safren et al.,
2005; A. E. Stevens et al., 2018) may be one productive direction”

Overall, better representation. We need to keep asking, “whose voice is

What is next?
missing?”
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Tools for You
Managing ADHD at Work

Book – Driven to Distraction at Work – by E.

Hallowell

Audio - Impact of ADHD on economy

Laws and Rights – Job Discrimination CHADD

Accommodations –
Job Accommodations Guide for ADHD

Accommodations -
Job Accommodation Network (JAN) for ADHD

Article - ADHD in the Workplace

Website – Workplace Issues and Succeeding

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References
Canu, W. H., Stevens, A. E., Ranson, L., Lefler, E. K., LaCount, P., Serrano, J. W., Willcutt, E., & Hartung, C.M. (2020). College
Readiness: Differences Between First-Year Undergraduates With and Without ADHD. Journal of Learning Disabilities,
https://doi.org/10.1177/0022219420972693
 
Dipeolu, A. O. (2011). College students with ADHD: Prescriptive concepts for best practices in career development. Journal of
Career Development, 38(5), 408-427. https://doi.org/10.1177/0894845310378749
 
Fuermaier, A. B. M., Tucha, L., Butzbach, M., Weisbrod, M., Aschenbrenner, S., & Tucha, O. (2021). ADHD at the workplace:
ADHD symptoms, diagnostic status, and work-related functioning. Journal of Neural Transmission,
https://doi.org/10.1007/s00702-021-02309-z
 
Lasky, A. K., Weisner, T. S., Jensen, P. S., Hinshaw, S. P., Hechtman, L., Arnold, L. E., W. Murray, D., & Swanson, J. M. (2016).
ADHD in context: Young adults’ reports of the impact of occupational environment on the manifestation of ADHD. Social
Science & Medicine (1982), 161, 160-168. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.socscimed.2016.06.003
 
Lyhne, C. N., Pedersen, P., Nielsen, C. V., & Bjerrum, M. B. (2020). Needs for occupational assistance among young adults with
ADHD to deal with executive impairments and promote occupational participation - a qualitative study. Nordic Journal of
Psychiatry, 1. https://doi.org/10.1080/08039488.2020.1862911

Pelham, W. E., Page, T. F., Altszuler, A. R., Gnagy, E. M., Molina, B. S. G., & Pelham, W. E. (2020). The long-term financial
outcome of children diagnosed with ADHD. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 88(2), 160-
171. https://doi.org/10.1037/ccp0000461
 

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