How ADHD affects students looking to jump to post-secondary

PRINCE GEORGE — Attention Deficit and Hyperactivity Disorder affects about 10 percent of youth. The fidgeting and lack of focus can cause issues in various situations, with schooling often being affected.

Youth with conditions like ADHD are much less likely to enroll in post-secondary education than those without. Co-occurring learning difficulties like anxiety can also impact their decisions, both in and out of school.

“In an academic setting, the real challenge is attention,” said Dr. Cindy Hardy. “If you’re not paying attention when the professor is lecturing, it’s not going to get in your head and you’re not going to be able to recall it on the exam.”

Once they do make the jump, post-secondary institutions have resources like UNBC’s Resource Access Centre to help.