Challenges Associated With ADHD and Adult Learning
Adult attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a mental health condition that entails numerous troublesome symptoms, such as:
- Difficulty paying attention
- Hyperactivity
- Impulsivity
- Mood swings
ADHD learning difficulties
Adult ADHD can cause relationship issues, subpar performance on the job or at school, low self-esteem, and an endless shame spiral. ADHD makes the simplest of tasks difficult or even impossible to navigate. ADHD and studying can be a particularly frustrating combination, especially on the days you completely lack focus.
In many instances, ADHD is not diagnosed and treated until the person is already an adult. This may be because ADHD symptoms in adults are not as obvious as ADHD symptoms in children. Adults’ hyperactivity may decrease or disappear entirely. However, adults with ADHD still grapple with impulsivity, fidgeting, restlessness, and struggling to focus and pay attention. Symptoms can run the gamut from mild to severe.
Many adults with ADHD don’t know they have it. But they do know that even the simplest activities of daily living can be daunting. Adults with ADHD often find it challenging to focus on and prioritize tasks. This can lead to missing assignment deadlines, and forgetting about classes or study groups. Negative feedback and people thinking you randomly flake out leads to feelings of self-loathing and the shame of being “lazy.” Poor impulse control can cause impatience, unpredictable mood swings, and sudden angry outbursts. These behaviors lead to even lower-self esteem which exacerbates the problem.
- Disorganization
- Impulsive behavior
- Problems with time management skills
- Mood swings
- Difficulty focusing on and completing tasks
- Inability to prioritize
- A short fuse
- Excessive restlessness and pacing
- Poor planning skills
- Easily frustrated
- Frequent mood swings
- Trouble handling stressors
What is executive dysfunction?
Many people report a feeling of paralysis facing even simple activities they must accomplish. You want to do the thing, but you just can’t, leading to more anxiety and negative self-talk. This phenomenon is called Executive dysfunction, which plagues many people who suffer from neurologic disorders.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4455841/
Executive function refers to cognitive abilities that enable goal-oriented behavior. These abilities include flexibility, and assimilating new information successfully. It also includes sticking to your goals without wandering off to do something completely unrelated to the task at hand, and behaving appropriately as the situation dictates. Executive functions are vital for adjusting to life’s unexpected glitches, big and small.
A lack of executive functioning can result in the impairment of your functional ability to accomplish activities of daily living, such as studying. ADHD and formal learning, including college and job training, are far more challenging for those with ADHD than people without.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4455841/
Why are executive functions so important?
Executive functions are self-management skills that help young people and adults get the stuff done they need to accomplish. Kids learning with ADHD are often very intelligent and creative. They can possess excellent academic abilities but struggle to get organized or attain their true potential because of problems with executive functioning skills. Ironically, many kids who fail to meet the academic expectations of parents and teachers experience stunted executive functioning skills. This is usually when the words “wasted potential” gets thrown around, which only compounds the problem.
Ironically, many people with ADHD are perfectionists. A lot of people with ADHD may decide to avoid new activities unless they’re 99.9 percent sure they will excel at it. These situations can trigger your executive function paralysis, leading to a new cycle of shame and fear of failure. Clearly, this phenomenon makes ADHD and studying a challenging prospect.
What is working memory?
Working memory allows us to temporarily store and process information. Examples include repeatedly reciting a phone number before you make a phone call and trying to process the meaning of sentences in spoken conversation. People who must deal with a lack of working memory often describe themselves as absentminded and struggle with focusing on the task at hand. Problems with focus and paying attention can make studying and learning very frustrating.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4455841/
Adults require numerous life skills to be successful. We need the tools to obtain and maintain employment, manage household responsibilities, and successfully raise our children.
This is second nature for many adults, but these responsibilities are often a hurdle for neurodivergent people. When these tools are under-developed or non-existent these skills are further compromised by living in poverty or dealing with other major life stressors.
The entire community feels the ripple effects of poor mental health and the inability to afford treatment, along with the challenging prospect of ADHD and learning, and the inability to achieve economic independence.
What Are the Core Capabilities?
Neurological studies reveal that there is a group of core capabilities adults use to manage life, work, and parenting effectively. These include, but are not limited to: planning, focus, self-control, awareness, and flexibility.
Self-regulation is the ability to use the right skillset at the appropriate time, control our responses to outside stimuli, and resist inappropriate responses.
Executive function, including inhibitory control, working memory, and mental flexibility, makes intentional self-regulation possible. Executive function skills help us to remember our goals and the steps needed to reach them, ignore any distractions, and not freak when our plans don’t work out and we need to find another solution.
It’s not as easy as it sounds.
Many adults who were raised under conditions of significant stress at home—or who are experiencing acute stress in the moment—find it hard to navigate and analyze their problems.
ADHD paralysis makes it a constant struggle to deal with our problems and responsibilities so we can move forward. Stress increases the odds we will be thwarted by our impulsivity which makes matters worse. It’s harder to stick to a plan if we are under a pile-up of stress.
This is particularly true when you combine ADHD and learning. It’s a difficult process for adults attending college or starting a new job. But it’s not impossible either. ADHD has many undesirable symptoms, but we also have unlimited creativity and good old hyper focus, those glorious episodes when we have the ability to really get down to business. Use them wisely to successfully study with ADHD.