Edge Foundation Blog > Archive for the 'Edge in the News' Category

Edge coaching client, Rory Manson, talks about how ADHD coaching has helped her succeed in school.

Dear Friend of the Edge Foundation:

We are taking this opportunity to thank you for the interest and support you have provided to the Edge Foundation in past years.  At this time of year when many of us are deciding about making end of year contributions, we hope you will choose to support the academic success of high school and college students with ADHD, many of whom are struggling to stay in school and complete their education.  Edge supports these young adults through our research-proven intervention of personal coaching.  Your continued support will help us provide that critical support to every student who needs it.

Edge’s year in 2010 was highlighted by the completion and release of the results of a two year, groundbreaking scientific study on the efficacy of coaching for college students with ADHD.  The study, which involved students on 10 college campuses across the U.S., showed conclusively that Edge Foundation coaching has a very significant impact on the ability of college students with ADHD to regulate their own behavior and meet the challenges of living with the disorder.  As a result of the excitement already generated by these results in the ADHD support community, CNN is taping a segment featuring our study, which will air in January 2011.

As powerful as the study results are, they alone cannot help us make this intervention accessible to all students without the necessary funding. Your tax deductible gift will help the Edge Foundation educate the public about this highly effective intervention and will enable us to help students, who would not otherwise be able to afford coaching on their own, to develop the structure, support and accountability that is crucial to students with ADHD.  With your continuing support, we will succeed at our mission of helping students with ADHD achieve their full academic, professional and social potential.

To make your donation to Edge, please click on this link which will bring you to the support page on our website.  http://www.edgefoundation.org/store/donations/

Thank you for your consideration of this request.

Happy Holiday!

Neil Peterson                                                                          Robert Tudisco
Founder & CEO                                                                       Executive Director

P.S.  As a thank you for your contribution of $100 or more, we would like to send you a copy of Embracing the Edge, written by Edge Foundation founder and CEO Neil Peterson.

Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) has long been associated with poor grades, poor reading and math test scores, and being held back. But despite billions of dollars spent on special education programs, the number of ADHD students dropping out of high school and college is alarming. Now a new study shows that ADHD students don’t have to be “at risk” students.

ADHD Students are “At Risk” Students

A few sobering facts to consider about the impact of ADHD on students’ success:

• High school students with ADHD are 4 times more likely to drop out of school than the general population.
• 42% of ADHD students are likely to be held back (compared to 13% general population).
• 60% of ADHD students are likely to be suspended (compared to only 19% of the general population).
• And 35% of ADHD students won’t graduate at all and those who stay in school will suffer from lack of confidence, higher risk of substance abuse and menial grades (on average a C- or D+).
• Only 22% of students with ADHD enter college.
• Only 5% will graduate.

Why ADHD Students are at Risk

Students with ADHD are vulnerable because ADHD impacts the portion of the brain that regulates what  is known as  executive functioning. ADHD students have executive function deficits in attention, planning and organization, prioritization, impulse control, memory, time management, and higher-order conceptual thinking.

Turns out a student’s executive function levels are well known by researches to be a hallmark of academic success.

Coaching Boosts Executive Functioning

Edge Foundation’s study offers hope for students with ADHD because it definitively links coaching to improved executive functioning.  And improved executive functioning means more success in school.

ADHD students who participated in Edge coaching sessions demonstrated statistically significant, higher executive functioning than ADHD students who did not receive coaching. According to the study, “The magnitude of the effect size for self regulation was more than double the typical educational intervention, and executive functioning was quadruple. Findings with effect sizes that large are rare.”

Coaching has long been used by the corporate world to improve performance of CEOs and executives, but little study has been done until now on the impact this particular kind of intervention may have on populations with learning disabilities, like those living with ADHD. While medication has been shown to improve academic productivity (better note-taking, scores on quizzes and worksheets, and homework completion), medication alone is not associated with skills like better learning, reading or the ability to apply knowledge, all of which are critical in a successful post secondary education.

ADHD Coaching Research Study Results

Students who received Edge coaching showed substantial gains in their overall approach to learning.  The study showed that students who received Edge coaching services showed significant improvement in their abilitiy to organize, direct and manage cognitive activities, emotional responses and overt behaviors.  They were able to formulate goals more realistically and consistently work toward achieving them, manage their time more effectively, and stick with tasks even when they found them challenging.

How Edge Coaching Works

Edge Foundation coaches work with students in seven major areas: scheduling, goal setting, confidence building, organizing, focusing, prioritizing and persisting at tasks. Coaches help students assess their environments, identify needs, set goals, and offer suggestions and guidance. They monitor student progress and goals through regular phone or email check-ins. The protocol of regularly checking in with clients provides for more structure and accountability. When coaching teens and college students, check-ins are usually made every day.

If you’d like to find out more about how an Edge coach can help you succeed in school, give us a call (1-888-718-8886), send us an email or sign up for our newsletter .

Reference Links:

ADHD and College Success: A free guide

Edge Foundation Coaching Study Executive Summary

UC Davis Study:  Dropout risks: ADHD, conduct disorder, smoking

ADHD and Executive Functioning

Executive Function, ADHD and  Academic Outcomes

We hope you didn’t miss last week’s exciting news:

The Edge model of coaching has been proven to be effective at improving students’ abilities to study and succeed in school.

If you don’t have enough time to read the full report, here’s what you need to know about the findings in a nutshell.

The Edge model of ADHD coaching:

• improved students’ approach to learning
• increased students’ well being and led to more positive emotional states, and
• is highly effective in helping students improve self-regulation, study skills and will.

The Edge model of ADHD coaching improves executive functioning

Students who received Edge coaching showed:

• substantial gains in their overall approach to learning,
• significant improvement in their ability to organize, direct and manage cognitive activities, emotional responses and overt behaviors,
• increased ability to formulate realistic goals and consistently work toward achieving them
• more effective time management skills, and
• improved ability to stick with tasks even when they found them challenging.

The impact of Edge coaching was highly statistically significant:

• Improvement in self regulation was more than double for that of other educational interventions.
• The improvement on executive function was quadruple other interventions.
• Research findings with effect sizes that large (i.e. double and quadruple other interventions) are rare.

The number of ADHD students dropping out of high school and college is alarming. Close to 30% of students with ADHD will drop out of college. With the Edge model of ADHD coaching, ADHD students don’t have to be “at risk” students.

The results of a new study being released this week at the Children and Adults with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (CHADD) annual conference in Atlanta demonstrate the effectiveness of a new model of coaching, developed exclusively for and used by the Edge Foundation, to help college students with ADHD improve executive functioning, which is their ability to organize, set and achieve goals, and self regulate — all critical skills needed for a successful post secondary education. Additionally, students who participated in the study felt that coaching helped them feel less stress, greater empowerment, increased confidence and have more balanced lives.

Researchers from Wayne State University in Michigan conducted the study over two years in 10 universities and community colleges throughout the country and tracked the progress of 110 students with ADHD.  It is the largest and most comprehensive study of ADHD coaching conducted to-date. The research team measured students’ progress through both quantitative and qualitative analysis and have determined , “This study demonstrated that the Edge coaching model was highly effective in helping students improve executive functioning and related skills as measured by the Learning and Study Strategies Inventory (LASSI; Weinstein & Palmer, 2002). The magnitude of the effect size for self regulation was more than double the typical educational intervention, and executive functioning was quadruple. Findings with effect sizes that large are rare.”

Coaching has long been used by corporations to improve performance of CEOs and executives, but little research has been done until now on the impact this particular kind of intervention may have on populations with learning disabilities, like those living with ADHD. While medication has been shown to improve academic productivity (better note-taking, scores on quizzes and worksheets, and homework completion), medication alone is not associated with skills students need to meet the demands of college which they must navigate more independently than in previous schooling.

The Edge Foundation coaches work with students in seven major areas: scheduling, goal setting, confidence building, organizing, focusing, prioritizing and persisting at tasks. They help students assess their environments, identify needs, set goals, and offer suggestions and guidance. Coaches monitor student progress and goals through regular phone or e-mail check-ins.

Executive Summary and link to full report pdf

_____

What do you think of the research?  We’d love to hear your comments.

In case you haven’t heard, Edge Foundation has a new Executive Director, Robert Tudisco.  Robert is a special education attorney, writer, adult diagnosed with ADHD, and a long-time advocate on behalf of people with ADHD.

If you’re in the San Francisco area and would like to meet Robert in person, be sure to check out EdRev 2010 on Saturday April 17, 2010. Ed Rev is an all-inclusive day of inspiration and resources drawing nearly 2,500 students with learning difficulties, and their parents and educators. Robert will be speaking about how coaching can help transitional students who have ADHD overcome the challenges they face. Event information can be found on Facebook or sign up at, visit the Parent’s Education Network.

Robert had his poem about living with ADHD recently featured at About.com.  The poem clearly struck an important chord with many families and students living with ADHD.  We are pleased to share a copy with you and look forward to hearing your comments.

The Wonderfulness of Me, by Robert Tudisco

If you took all of the things that were special about me,
you could put them all together and call it AD/HD.
No better, no worse, just different that’s me,
I’m really not crazy, please try and see.
Like a talented wizard in a world full of “Muggles”,
its no wonder all you see is frustration and struggles.
As I daydream and drift, you think no one’s there,
but nothing could be further from the truth, believe me, I swear.
I see your impatience as my mind starts to wander
But, you don’t know the depth of the thoughts that I ponder.
For creative thinkers, get lost in deep thought,
which leads to the illusion that they cannot be taught.
I know trying to reach me can give you the blues,
but I wish for just once, you could walk in my shoes.
To see things through my eyes, you would be amazed,
at the speed and sheer volume my thoughts seem to blaze.
I’m not lazy or stupid, if only you knew,
how truly difficult it is to limit myself and think like you do.
But, I can see things that you’ll never see,
its like second nature, because I am me.
With lightning fast reflexes, I can switch gears,
to be firm and inflexible is the worst of my fears.
I’m calm in a crisis and know just what to do,
For I’m in great company, Mozart , Edison and Churchill to name just a few.
So show me some patience, as I’m patient with you.
Just a little tolerance, it’s long overdue.
Please try and understand me, along with my AD/HD,
It’s a very big part of the wonderfulness of me.

Talk back: We’d love to hear about the wonderfulness of you in the comments!

College is a critical time for students with ADHD. Finding new strategies that work with ADHD is the key to success. We are pleased to announce that a new resource for college students is now available, free of charge! ADHD and College Success is an invaluable resource, jam-packed with ideas, tips, and encouragement to help college students with ADHD succeed.

Included in the guide are 60 practical solutions for typical ADHD challenges. Highlights include:

• Using creative ways, like music, to keep yourself on schedule
• Working with your urge to procrastinate, not against it
• How to study smarter, not harder
• How to use fidgeting to stay focused
• 4 student qualities for success

Everything you need to know about ADHD, college, and living your dreams. Download your FREE copy usingthis link today!

Edge Foundation has been busy this fall appearing at conferences and meetings where people living ADHD are talking about it and figuring out what works and what doesn’t to cope.  We’ve loved meeting so many of you and are inspired by your stories, struggles and triumphs.

Next up, our Executive Director, Sarah Wright, will be speaking at the ADD Resources annual conference entitled Acceptance is Empowering and held in the Seattle area on November 14, 2009. Her session, A is for Anxiety, focuses on how to keep anxiety at bay and builds on the material in these Edge blog posts: ADHD and Anxiety Overview, Common Anxiety Disorders and ADHD, and Non Drug Treatments for Anxiety Everyone Can Try.

If you haven’t heard of them before be sure to check out ADD Resources. This non-profit is a great resource for people living with ADHD. They have a large library of podcasts, books and articles that are free to members or offered at a very low price for non-members. Their November conference will offer a wide range of breakout topics aimed at the parent or student who has ADHD. If you are in the Seattle area next week, be sure to consider attending.  If you aren’t able to make it, be sure to check out the wide range of articles we have on file in our blog and watch for our upcoming post about coping with depression.

If you’d like to find out where Edge Foundation board or staff will be appearing and other inside information about Edge, be sure to  sign up for our Newsletter. ,

Earlier this month, Edge Foundation Executive Director, Sarah Wright, and researcher, Sharon Field of Wayne State University, presented Edge Foundation’s coaching pilot study results at the CHADD 21st Annual International Conference on ADHD in Cleveland, OH. As promised earlier this year, copies of our PowerPoint from this presentation are now available via email (see highlights of preliminary findings below).

Edge Foundation was well represented among the presenters. Sarah Wright and founding board member Nancy Ratey, both presented at breakout sessions, as did several of our coaches and coach trainers including Jodi Sleeper-Triplett, Russell Colver, Harriet Steinberg, Dan Pruitt, and Diane Ladd.

Preliminary findings highlights include:

• Coaching enhanced students’ ability to think about their goals in more effective ways.
• Students receiving coaching increased their use of tools and strategies to work more efficiently, and expanded their use of “self-talk” to persist when temporary barriers complicated their progress.
• Coaching had helped students become more proficient and confident as they pursued their goals.
• Students who received coaching reported a more positive sense of well-being due to their increased self-determination achieved through coaching.

Our findings were also echoed by a dissertation study presented at the conference by Abigail Levrini: ADHD Coaching and College Students: An 8 week study on 6 students.

The Edge Foundation’s nation-wide field study into the effects of ADHD coaching on outcomes for college students with ADHD will be completed next year and full study results will be available in August 2010.

Last week we shared Mark Katz’s inspiring talk about resiliency from CHADD’s regional conference in Anaheim.  This week we’d like to highlight comments presented by our founder, Neil Peterson, at the same event. College success was the focus of Neil’s presentation.  He covered four key points:

1. 18 year old is really not 18
2. There is an option of not going to college right away
3. The process that we’ve set up in our colleges is still daunting and students need help navigating that process.
4. Get a coach.

An 18 year old with ADHD is really much younger developmentally

Experts remind us that an 18 year old with ADHD is really more like 15 or 16 year old developmentally.  What this means is even though our kids are entering college as adults at 18, they really aren’t ready to learn self-advocacy skills their peers are expected to.  Neil encouraged parents and educators to remember that ADHD youth are often not mature enough to handle the independence that comes when they lose the scaffolding of their parents and home.

A gap year can help students catch up with their peers developmentally.

Neil could see his daughter wasn’t ready for the “free flowing” college dorm situation so help keep her out of school for a year.  A structured gap year that provides experiences and opportunities for your

Getting accommodations is difficult

While we’ve made a lot of progress in serving disabled students in college it’s a daunting process to qualify for services and then inform each of your college professors that you need accommodations.  Neil recommends that parents need to teach their children how to self-advocate for these services if they haven’t done so already.

An ADHD coach can help you keep on track

Neil Peterson is a very successful entrepreneur and former CEO.  His favorite analogy about why a coach makes sense is “If a coach is good enough for a CEO, its good enough for a struggling 18 year old.”  He should know, he uses a coach himself to stay on track.  For Neil’s daughter, Kelsey, an ADHD coach is invaluable in helping her break down the steps of getting her assignments done, setting and following through with commitments to herself, and planning, prioritizing and staying on task.

Do you agree with Neil and other ADHD experts that an 18 year old with ADHD isn’t really 18 developmentally?  Let us know!