Cognitive Interventions for Students with Attention Deficit Disorder Transitioning from Secondary School Settings: A Meta-Analytic Review

The number of students with disabilities entering college has increased dramatically in recent years. Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD) ranks second in the identified disabilities among postsecondary students. This has prompted a concern not only for secondary faculty as they prepare students for the transition but also for receiving postsecondary faculty. Empirical research specific to postsecondary intervention strategies is limited. The purpose of this study was to provide a quantitative synthesis of 11 existing research studies concerning strategies available for the support of individuals with ADD in postsecondary education. The authors examine outcomes of these studies and identify effective intervention strategies.Weyandt and DuPaul (2008) reported the number of students with disabilities entering college has increased three-fold in recent years. For this reason, it is becoming more evident that higher-education professionals should investigate current research on effective teaching strategies. The concern for meeting the needs of this specific group is being discussed in professional journals and often included in professional conferences. This is as it should be-but what do researchers say are the most effective strategies?The student with Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD) entering the world of postsecondary education experiences many of the issues students without disabilities face, such as a newly found freedom for setting academic and social schedules. The voices that helped trace boundaries of social and academic behavior are not present, and students must create their own limits. However, ADD often compounds this transition. Changes in the levels of responsibility between secondary and postsecondary settings are often dramatic and call for different skill sets in areas that are inherently complicated for students with ADD. For example, those with ADD may have difficulty with planning, remembering goals, dealing with new distractions, and coping with the intensity of their emotions. Students are required to use a different kind of time management for remembering when assignments are due, organizing study time, remembering medications, and dealing with a newly found independence. Lack of self-regulation and organization can have a detrimental effect on a students ability to concentrate on goals across time. The student may be unable to focus because he or she feels frustrated or overwhelmed by the whole experience, both socially and academically, in these new settings (Parker & Benedict, 2002).Students diagnosed with ADD prior to the age of 18 are entitled to receive support services and are covered under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA, 1990), the Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act (IDEA, 2004), and often Section 504 of the Vocational Rehabilitation Act (1973). When they move into a postsecondary setting, they are no longer eligible for services and protection under IDEA but remain eligible under ADA and Section 504. Those services often become confusing and difficult to access. Sometimes students do not self-identify to the proper postsecondary authorities in order to access ADA and Section 504 services because of fear or embarrassment.Social concerns are also inherent in a diagnosis of ADD. Swartz, Prevatt, and Proctor (2005) reported that students diagnosed with ADD often have academic underachievement paired with substance abuse. Individuals with ADD are more susceptible to addictive behaviors and self-medication. Pressures associated with the postsecondary experience place these students at a higher risk for sexual misbehavior associated with low self-image. These issues are of concern to parents, student-service organizations, and higher-education faculty (Lee, Humphreys, Flory, Liu, & Glass, 2011).Purpose of StudyThe purpose of this study was to provide a qualitative synthesis of 11 existing research studies concerning supportive strategies for individuals with ADD in postsecondary settings. …