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ON YOUR OWN by Patricia O. Quinn

ON YOUR OWN

A College Readiness Guide for Teens with ADHD/LD

by Patricia O. Quinn & Theresa E. Laurie Maitland & illustrated by Bryan Ische

Pub Date: July 15th, 2011
ISBN: 978-1-4338-0955-2
Publisher: Magination/American Psychological Association

This slender volume provides advice for teens with ADHD and learning disabilities on successfully making the transition to college.

Advice books abound, some more readable than others. This work should be numbered among the “others.” Starting with a discouraging caveat—only about 50% of teens with ADHD/LD will either still be enrolled in college or have graduated after five to six years—this effort has readers complete a self-assessment test. It includes topics such as Organizational Skills, Self-Knowledge, Daily Living Skills and Time Management Skills. Based on the results, readers are given advice on learning ways to manage in college. Teens should analyze their results, write goal statements and action plans, track their progress and evaluate and modify their plans. Each topic from the test has a chapter of advice, followed by a list of pertinent websites. In the Daily Living Skills section, the advice on laundry begins, “First concentrate on washing. No matter how you choose to instruct yourself, you need to learn about washing first.” While all the advice is probably worthwhile, the format is dry, sometimes condescending and often monotonously repetitive. It’s difficult to imagine busy, college-bound teens having the time to attempt the development of so many action plans and so much list-making.