ADD/LD and studying by myself

Have you tried typing and organizing your notes? My daughter studies that way and it seems to really help. I suspect you zone out a bit—if you do better with other people than by yourself.

Beth

E
Try drawing pictures of the information you are trying to remember, put the information to music or in a song or nursery rhyme. Try mneumonics where you invent phrases or sayings to trigger information recall. Like…”My very energetic mother just sold under pants,” equals the planets as they go out from the sun…
my=mercury, very=venus, energetic=earth, mother=mars, just=jupiter, sold=saturn, under=uranus, pants=pluto.

If all this doesn’t work, try to get your professors to let you write papers or do research presentations instead of total recall. Have them allow you to take tests using your notes. Inability to have memory recall is a disability and there are more ways to take a test or be assessed then by having to rely on recall. Good luck with your studies. LizEsmerelda wrote:
>
>
> Hi, I am a 22-year-old Junior at IUPUI university. I seem to
> have a similar story as a lot of other college and adult
> students who have Learning Disorders. I was diagnosed with
> ADD about 2 years ago after a death of a very close
> relative. The depression along with the unknown ADD made my
> life (and my sleeping problems) unbearable to the point where
> I could not function. After getting help I have been on many
> medications, Ritalin, Adderall and now Concerta and I have
> accomadations for my classes which include extended time for
> tests and a sound proof booth, a note taker and the ability
> to use a tape recorder in class.
>
> But now, after a year I am thinking to myself, now what? I’m
> still having problems and I was wondering if anyone else has
> had this experience and might know more about my problem. I
> “seem” to be a very intelligent person, I ask unique and
> thoughtful questions in class, I am a math WIZ (A+ in a 300
> level statistics class last spring) and I like to read. But
> when I try to study by myself, I cannot retain anything.
> It’s like I study and study and as soon as I sit down to take
> a test it’s like everything goes fuzzy in my head. And it
> doesn’t even have to be a test, it could be an hour later
> when I try to review, it’s like I’ve forgotten everything
> that I learned before hand.
>
> I’m getting really frustrated because in college you cannot
> survive without the skills to be able to study by yourself.
> I have tried to study with my friends, husband and father and
> it seems to help if I talk while I’m studying. It’s as if I
> do better when I help someone else understand it, but then I
> get the fuzzyness a couple of hours later. Maybe I’m having
> memory problems, which could explain a lot but then again, I
> don’t have any idea where to begin getting help on my own.
> Not only am I a client of my schools disability department, I
> also work there so I know everything there is about getting
> accomadations at my school and they don’t have anything that
> could help me. Our Counseling and Psychological Services on
> campus want to treat me for my depression more than they want
> or can help me for my memory problems. It’s like I can look
> at the text book, read the words, look at the pretty
> pictures, and then not remember what it was about 15 minutes
> later. Anyway, it’s very frustrating.
>
> Does anybody have any idea what my problem is or what I could
> do about it?
>
> Thanks,
> Esmerelda

Hello,
I am doing the `bonus round` at university (fifth year) and have ADD. I have actually had good grades this year for the first time! It`s been hard, but I am registered with the disability resource centre and have accommodations, which have really helped.

I just wanted to check in and see how you`re doing. I`d like to connect and chat.

THanks.

I have a son who is ld and add. He has auditory processing problems. It helps him to have word banks. I’m not sure he can do that in college thoe. He was just put on strattera. I heard conserta helps alot. you mighty want to ask your doctor if you cna take that with your strattera. I’d like to know how IUP is rates for learning support. We live in pittsburgh and I’m allumni of IUP and wanted my son to look at the school because I heard they have a good program, is that true? Thaks .

This is a total shot in the dark, but maybe you can talk to yourself while you study? I have a friend who can only do spanish if she talks it out and helps people understand it. She can not even do her math or history unless she talks it out to herself. She will appologize and just quietly chat away to herself about her history and whatnot and it really seems to help her. I have math ld and not otherwise specified ld and I cannot read maps really so I have to tell myself where I am and whatnot when I have to read of a map or find out where to go in the mall and whereever. You might try this, no harm in muttering to yourself as you try to study. I bet it will take longer, but you can read, reflect, and retain if you keep a dialogue going and maybe just train yourself to recognize key words about things, like in history 1492…ding…Columbus sailed the ocean blue! I do not know if this will help you but at least I tried.

Hi E,

I understand what you are saying I have LD,ADD. I’m in college my first yr. As soon as I get out of school. I get me something to snack on. Then I head for the books. No matter how hard I study I can’t remember what i study. I read thing’s over and over thinking it going to stay in my head but it don’t. When test time come I get so up set because I have study so hard and i can’t remember what I have study. My Dr. just started me on this medication call Adderall XL I have been on it for about 3wks now. I have not seen any changes yet. But for one thing E I’m happy that I have some one that understand what I’m going through. Sometimes you feel like you are crazy because on one understand what you are going through. I hope every thing is getting better you. Keep me inform. I would love to chat with you from time to time just to see how you are doing. E-mail me sometimes when you want to chat [email protected]
Thanks :roll: :shock: :shock: