Tufty, L. M., Gallagher, V. T., Oddo, L., Vasko, J., Chronis-Tuscano, A., & Meinzer, M. (2024). Academic accommodations and functioning in college students with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder: Limitations, barriers, and suggestions for collaborators . Journal of Postsecondary Education and Disability , 37 (1), 35–46. https://www.ahead.org/publications/jped

Journal Article
Tufty, L. M., Gallagher, V. T., Oddo, L., Vasko, J., Chronis-Tuscano, A., & Meinzer, M. (2024). Academic accommodations and functioning in college students with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder: Limitations, barriers, and suggestions for collaborators. Journal of Postsecondary Education and Disability, 37(1), 35–46. https://www.ahead.org/publications/jped

Tags

Attention problem; Extended time; Postsecondary; Reading; Specialized setting; Student survey; U.S. context

URL

https://www.ahead.org/publications/jped

Summary

Accommodation

Common academic accommodations provided to postsecondary students with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) were examined, with the most frequently used accommodations being extended exam time (72.7%) and reduced distraction and testing in private spaces (13.6%).

Participants

The study included 111 students with ADHD from a 4-year postsecondary institution who reported elevated levels of alcohol drinking, with 23 students (20.7%) receiving academic accommodations and 88 students (79.3%) not receiving accommodations.

Dependent Variable

Multiple validated measurement instruments were used to compare academic performance (grade point average [GPA]), ADHD symptoms (Barkley Adult ADHD Self Report Scale–BAARS-IV), executive functioning (Barkley Deficits in Executive Functioning Scale–BDEFS), overall functional impairment (Barkley Functional Impairment Scale–BFIS), and depression symptoms (Beck Depression Inventory-Second Edition–BDI-II) between students with ADHD who received accommodations and those who did not.

Findings

Despite students reporting that accommodations were helpful (59.1% found them "very helpful" and 40.9% found them "moderately helpful"), there were no significant differences in GPA, ADHD symptoms, executive functioning, depression symptoms, or overall functional impairment between students who received accommodations and those who did not. Students who had accommodations reported using them in only 61.7% of their classes (on average), with common barriers to utilization including not feeling accommodations were needed (34.8%), finding them too difficult or time-consuming to use (26.1%), not liking approaching instructors (13.0%), and not knowing how to use the accommodations (4.3%).