Universities are a place for learning and discovery—a time when students find their voice, their people and their path. But for students whose minds work a little differently, the journey can feel more challenging and sometimes isolating.
Kelly Garner is new to Lumberjack life, and like many freshmen, she was nervous about starting something new away from home and finding academic success in a college setting. However, unlike her peers, her uncertainty increased due to having attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).
“I have the combined type of ADHD where I’m both inattentive and hyperactive,” Garner said. “In class, I struggle with sitting still and focusing on my work. I have a hard time with timed tests because while I am trying to take them, I zone out and then the time is up. I know the material, but the anxiety of getting it done affects my execution.”
Garner, who is majoring in psychological sciences, said her ADHD is not only a challenge in the classroom, but also during social encounters since she tends to talk a lot, overshare and has a hard time recognizing social cues. She also struggles with performing tasks and adapting to unexpected changes.
“I struggle with executive functioning and getting things done, like chores and homework,” she said. “Even doing my hobbies and the things I am interested in doing. I finish my homework, and I think of doing something I like but end up not doing it. I also struggle when plans change. I have to take a second and reform my schedule.”
John Schaffer, academic program coordinator at the Institute for Human Development (IHD), said this is not uncommon among neurodivergent students.
“The term neurodivergent started with a focus on people with low needs autism,” Schaffer said. “It now includes more people whose brains operate outside of what is typical. It refers to people with ADHD, obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and even intellectual disabilities like dyslexia.”
Schaffer said that neurodivergence is an invisible or non-apparent disability, so it is not always easy to recognize. But there are subtle ways to identify when students might be struggling in a classroom.
“I have students who come in with official accommodations from Disability Resources, but many neurodivergent students don’t go through this process,” he said. “However, there are subtle things I can recognize in the way that they communicate, in the way that they interact with their peers and in the way that they sit in class. I try to create a space for them. I teach disability studies where we take a very open and positive view of neurodivergence and neurodivergent people. This helps students get comfortable with talking about it.”
Teaching from experience
For Nora Stefani, associate teaching professor at the School of Communication, recognizing when students might need extra help comes naturally. She is neurodivergent and providing a learning environment where all her students can flourish, regardless of their challenges, is very important.
“I tell my students that they don’t have to make eye contact with me if they’re not comfortable,” Stefani said. “I encourage those who have trouble paying attention, especially neurodivergent ones, to bring toys to class, to knit or to use coloring books; those things don’t distract from your ability to listen but give you something to do.”
She said that providing her class with clear instructions to avoid ambiguity, encouraging students to ask for additional reading materials and using non-traditional note-taking styles are small things that can help students be successful. She also talks about her experiences with ADHD in and out of the classroom, since she feels a general community awareness and acceptance of neurodiversity is important.
“A lot of people’s struggles are about masking and about shame,” she said. “Even professors will sometimes have their ideas about these students, thinking they are just trying to pull one over them. Those general attitudes need to change.”
And to help this change, Stefani has talked to faculty in her department about neurodiversity, since most of what is out there is directed at students.
“I talked about how I manage my ADHD and what challenges I encountered,” she said. “Although it is directed at faculty and staff, I think it also legitimizes things for students. A lot of faculty members are neurodivergent, and having more openness and knowing people who talk about how they deal with it is helpful.”
According to Schaffer, these open conversations, as well as providing accommodations and designed spaces for students, are a small part of the supportive environment NAU has created to build a sense of community and belonging for all students. An environment that, for students like Garner, lets them feel welcome and supported.
“I feel like there’s a big community of neurodivergent students on campus,” Garner said. “We kind of flock to each other, find each other and create our own community. People are very understanding of it.”
See a list of events at NAU recognizing Disability Pride and Heritage Month during October
Mariana Laas | NAU Communications
(928) 523-5050 | mariana.laas@nau.edu