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Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is characterized by inattentive, hyperactive, and impulsive behaviors. Impairment in individuals diagnosed with ADHD is significant; one such domain of impairment is achieving a college education. College students with ADHD tend to have lower grade point averages, take longer to graduate, and have higher dropout rates than individuals without ADHD. Those with ADHD may be inadequately prepared for college. College readiness can be broken into self-determination, academic skills, and daily living skills, all of which are possible areas of deficit for individuals with ADHD, given their common characteristics. In the current study, we examined differences in college readiness in undergraduates with and without ADHD. In general, students with ADHD were found to be less prepared for college than those without ADHD, and specific areas of unpreparedness were identified. The findings support the need for intervention for students with ADHD before or early in their college careers. Further research on specific skill deficits and ameliorative steps is needed.

Despite an emergence of psychosocial treatments for adolescent ADHD, their long-term effects are unknown. We examine four-year outcomes of a randomized controlled trial (N = 218) comparing high-intensity (HI; 412 h, $4,373 per participant) versus low-intensity (LI; 24 h, $97 per participant) skills-based summer intervention delivered to adolescents with ADHD at two secondary school transitions (6th/9th grade). Quantitative and qualitative analyses evaluated group×time and group×grade×time effects on 4-year outcomes. Relative to LI, a single dose of HI had modest but lasting effects on teen organization skills (d =.40) and ADHD symptoms (9th grade only: d =.27 to.31) at 4-year follow-up. There was no long-term incremental effect of HI (vs. LI) for parent-teen conflict, GPA, or parent use of contingency management. Treatment appeared most effective when delivered to older adolescents (i.e., 9th versus 6th grade), suggesting the long-term impact of ADHD treatment may increase with age. Qualitative data corroborated that the primary long-term benefit of HI (vs. LI) treatment was to organization skills; many of the remaining perceived benefits were to parent and teen psychological variables (i.e., increased self-esteem, self-awareness, parental optimism). HI offered no incremental benefit to long-term educational or clinical service utilization or costs. Modest therapeutic benefits of adolescent ADHD treatment are maintained long term. However, HI treatment did not impact outcomes that could defray the intervention's high costs ($4,373) compared to LI treatment ($97). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is characterized by inattentive, hyperactive, and impulsive behaviors. Impairment in individuals diagnosed with ADHD is significant; one such domain of impairment is achieving a college education. College students with ADHD tend to have lower grade point averages, take longer to graduate, and have higher dropout rates than individuals without ADHD. Those with ADHD may be inadequately prepared for college. College readiness can be broken into self-determination, academic skills, and daily living skills, all of which are possible areas of deficit for individuals with ADHD, given their common characteristics. In the current study, we examined differences in college readiness in undergraduates with and without ADHD. In general, students with ADHD were found to be less prepared for college than those without ADHD, and specific areas of unpreparedness were identified. The findings support the need for intervention for students with ADHD before or early in their college careers. Further research on specific skill deficits and ameliorative steps is needed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Approximately 5% of adults have ADHD. Despite recommendations regarding the diagnosis of emerging adults, there is not a strong consensus regarding the ideal method for diagnosing ADHD in both emerging and mature adults. We were interested in determining whether a threshold of four, five, or six ADHD symptoms would be associated with significantly different levels of functional impairment and be more or less indicative of a potential ADHD diagnosis.Method: We examined the relation between functional impairment and these ADHD symptom thresholds in 2,577 college students.Results: Our findings suggest that none of these symptom thresholds are differentially better at predicting functional impairment.Conclusion: The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (5th ed.; DSM-5) threshold of five symptoms for ages 17 years and older is not necessarily predictive of ADHD-related impairment in college students and may not be preferable to other thresholds. Options for resolving this diagnostic dilemma are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

College freshmen who are at greater risk to fail or drop out before attaining a bachelor's degree are at a distinct disadvantage occupationally, economically, and socially. At-risk students (those who are academically underprepared) are six times more likely to drop out during the first year of college. This study sought to examine the effects of an organization, time management, and planning (OTMP) skills intervention with at-risk freshmen. Freshmen conditionally accepted at a public four-year university and enrolled in a first-year seminar intended to enhance academic success and retention participated in the study. Students completed online surveys regarding impairment, OTMP skill use, inattention symptoms, and executive functioning at the beginning and end of their first semester in college. Intervention students received three lectures (with take-home exercises) designed to teach OTMP skills. Students in the intervention group reported significant improvements compared to the control group on measures of impairment, as well as inattention, with medium to large effects across these significant findings. These results indicate that including OTMP training as one component of an intervention package may improve at-risk students' adjustment to college. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The developmental transition between adolescence to emerging adulthood (ages 18–25) is a critical juncture—particularly for individuals with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). However, there are no known published studies on treatments for ADHD that aim to improve the transition from adolescence to emerging adulthood. We sought to facilitate future transition intervention research and provide empirically-supported treatment principles and corresponding targets for clinicians with this manuscript. We review two key areas of research to inform transition planning interventions for adolescents with ADHD: (a) domains of impairment (e.g., occupational, social) within the developmental context of the transition to emerging adulthood and (b) existing treatment research on interventions for adolescents and adults with ADHD. After evaluating and synthesizing these areas of research, we highlight and discuss targets for treatment that are promising for addressing the unique needs of adolescents with ADHD transitioning to emerging adulthood. We also discuss treatment modalities which may be particularly suited for ADHD within this developmental context. Many treatment elements were indicated, ranging from empirically-supported focuses on compensatory skills (e.g., organization, time management, planning [OTMP]) to more theoretically relevant techniques, such as health and lifestyle behaviors (e.g., physical exercise). Further, certain treatment modalities, such as parent-teen collaborative models and group-based approaches, seemed particularly suited for adolescents with ADHD transitioning to emerging adulthood. Limitations of existing research on the transition to emerging adulthood for those diagnosed with ADHD and areas for future research are discussed in greater detail. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]