How Parents Can Help Neurodiverse Teens Navigate College Applications This Fall
Transitioning to higher education can be difficult for everyone, especially neurodiverse teens as they face increased academic and social pressures. According to a recent global study, 18- to 24-year-olds contribute to more than 75.5 million cases of symptomatic adult ADHD. Parents play a crucial role in helping their teens navigate this new environment by fostering independence, offering emotional support, and advocating for necessary accommodations. From developing time management skills to ensuring access to appropriate resources, there are many ways to ease this transition. Springboard Clinic offers online courses and coaching for parents to support their neurodiverse teens when applying and adapting to the demands of higher education.
Looking for more tips on supporting your teen’s success in college?
Check out our latest feature in Psychology Today: Unlocking College Success for Neurodiverse Teens for more strategies.
Navigating the college application process can be overwhelming for any teen, but for neurodiverse students, the challenges can feel even greater. From managing deadlines to adapting to new social environments, the transition to higher education requires support, patience, and preparation. As a parent, you play a key role in helping your neurodiverse teen tackle these hurdles with confidence. In this post, we’ll explore practical strategies that will help your teen thrive during this exciting new chapter.
Fostering Independence
One of the main goals of college is to help young adults become more independent, but neurodiverse teens may need extra support to reach this milestone. In college, they’ll be expected to take on more responsibility for their schedules, assignments, and social interactions. Fostering independence before your teen heads to college can help build this level of responsibility.
To help your teen develop independence before they start college, you can start by gradually shifting responsibilities to them. For example, as soon as there is an indication that they can learn how, encourage them to manage their schoolwork independently, with check-ins to ensure they stay on track. Start with frequent check-ins and collaboration about what they need to do it more successfully over time and develop this skill. As they get the hang of it and when the time is right, reduce the frequency of check-ins. They can also begin taking more responsibility for managing their schedule, keeping track of any appointments by finding a calendar system they like, and handling a range of tasks by setting reminders for themselves, tracking assignments, and taking time to practice the skill of planning ahead using these tools.
Fostering independence doesn’t mean leaving your teen to figure things out entirely on their own. It’s about providing guidance while allowing them to practice essential life skills. Over time, this gradual transition can help them build confidence and feel more prepared to tackle the demands of college life. This transition will involve your teen missing things and experiencing natural consequences – this is something that will help your teen learn how to tolerate mistakes, struggle and start to learn the skills needed to handle challenging situations themselves.
Developing Time Management Skills
One of the most significant challenges students face in college is time management. Many teens with ADHD or executive functioning difficulties struggle to plan, prioritize, and follow through with tasks. When juggling multiple classes, deadlines, and social obligations, this struggle can intensify, leading to missed assignments or increased anxiety. Parents can help their teens develop these skills by implementing time management strategies while they are still in high school. Here are some ways to support this:
Use Visual Aids
Encourage your teen to use a planner or digital calendar to track important dates, assignments, and appointments. Breaking tasks down into smaller, manageable steps can help them feel less overwhelmed.
Prioritize Tasks
Teach your teen how to identify which assignments or activities are most urgent and help them establish a routine to tackle high-priority and heavily weighted tasks first.
Set Reminders
Using reminders and alarms on phones or devices can keep neurodiverse teens on track, ensuring that they don’t lose track of time or miss deadlines.
Break up Tasks
Large projects or long study sessions can feel daunting. Encourage your teen to break these tasks into smaller chunks, focusing on one step at a time. Taking regular breaks can also boost focus and prevent burnout.
Time Awareness
Encourage your teen to observe their own work habits and learn how long different types of tasks take them to complete. How long does writing an essay take them? How much time should they leave to study for a test or exam? How long do they need to prepare for an oral presentation?
Practicing these strategies before college begins can help your teen develop a routine that they can carry into their college life, allowing them to manage their time more effectively.
Advocating for Accommodations
Many neurodiverse teens may be eligible for accommodations in college and, in fact, need them to succeed academically and survive juggling other competing demands like clubs and social events. Colleges and universities often provide academic accommodations, but students must navigate how to access the appropriate accommodations and learn how to advocate for their needs as learners.
Parents can assist with this by researching and familiarizing themselves with the accommodations available at the colleges their teens are interested in, ensuring that their teen’s most recent assessment will be accepted as necessary documentation to support their request. Some of the most accessed academic accommodations include:
- Extended time on exams
- Limited extensions on assignments
- Note-taking services or access to lecture recordings
- Reduced-distraction environments for writing exams
- Priority registration for classes to allow for a manageable schedule
Helping your teen understand how to request these accommodations can ease the transition into college; however, it is also helpful to have your teen contact the accommodations office and meet with someone themselves to get a point of contact who can easily answer their questions as they arise. Encourage them to communicate openly with their college’s accessibility services office to learn about other supportive services available to help them beyond just accommodations. In some cases, it may be helpful to connect with a school counselor, learning strategist or college advisor to obtain more specific information about the college’s accommodations policy and academic support services.
Offering Emotional Support
Transitioning to college can be emotionally challenging for any teen, and neurodiverse teens may face additional stress due to academic or social pressures. While they may be eager for independence, it’s common for neurodiverse teens to experience anxiety about being in a new environment and the expectations that come with this new phase.
As a parent, providing emotional support is essential. Encourage open communication and check in regularly to ask how they’re feeling about the process of applying and, in some cases, moving out of the family home. Listening without judgment and validating their feelings can provide them with the reassurance they need to tackle this transition. If you believe that your teen is struggling emotionally with this transition, connecting them with a therapist, coach, or counselor who is familiar with the needs of neurodiverse teens, can offer additional support.
Ensuring Access to Resources
Navigating college applications is a complex process that involves researching schools, meeting application deadlines, and securing financial aid. For neurodiverse teens, this process can feel particularly confusing and daunting. As a parent, you can help by breaking down the application process into smaller steps and ensuring your teen has access to the necessary resources.
Consider using these strategies to ease the process:
Research Together
Work with your teen to explore colleges that are supportive of neurodiverse students. Some schools offer specialized programs, peer mentoring, or tutoring services tailored to their needs.
Plan Ahead
College applications can take some time to complete, so beginning the application process early allows ample time for researching schools, completing forms, and collecting other documents needed. This will prevent last-minute stress and ensure all materials are submitted on time.
Seek out Scholarships
Many organizations offer scholarships specifically for neurodiverse students. Researching these opportunities together can help offset the cost of college and provide additional support for your teen.
Supporting your teen through this journey can make a lasting difference, helping them build the skills and resilience needed to succeed not just in higher education but in life. Springboard Clinic offers online courses and coaching for parents to support their neurodiverse teens when applying and adapting to the demands of higher education. With the right strategies in place, your neurodiverse teen can approach this new chapter with confidence and awareness of their emotions, all together helping them feel equipped to navigate the application process and eventually even thrive in their new academic and social lives.
About Justine Biado
Justine Biado, BSc, MA, Registered Psychotherapist (Qualifying) is an ADHD Coach and Psychometrist at Springboard Clinic. She conducts assessments and provides coaching services for adolescents, adults and children, drawing on a wealth of clinical training and experience that includes positions at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH), Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital, Kids Clinic and March of Dimes Canada. She specializes in ADHD, autism and psychoeducational evaluations.
