Humanity is an interesting species. Everything seems to be on a continuum with few things constant.
You can be OCD about one thing, but not another.
You can have a little bit of dyslexia or a whole bunch.
You can have anxieties about x but be confident and calm about y.
We are fluid, and while some things are baked in, some other aspects of us can be shaped and changed over time.
It is a very complex situation.
What might be ok in high school might not work at university.
If you have a learning issue, best to talk to the folks in the accessibility office – you may or may not need some kind of accommodation (link at bottom).
You need to find out what works for you.
Below is Professor Ken McKay’s personal reflection on his own learning challenges, followed by his view of ADD/ADHD, and several strategies that have helped him. Again, everyone is different and you know yourself best. It may take some trial and error to find out what your own strategies for academic success are. Be persistent, and open to trying different things. And, remember – seek out counselling if you think you have trouble learning!!! This webpage does not take the place of an assessment and subsequent counselling.
I have learned how to use my own issues as a competitive edge and I view it as an asset and not a liability. I do not think that I think better or worse than others, I just think differently. Remember, it is not uncommon for learning differences to really make themselves known at this stage of one’s life (university) and each individual needs to think about how their mind works and what’s best for them.
In my own case, evidence of some OCD, small dose of dyslexia, speech handicap at birth, a memory that is sometimes like a bucket without a bottom and at other times like a bank vault, and probably what can be called extreme ADHD with hyperfocus. Whoopee! What has this meant to me? I did well in high school in all courses that did not require memorization because I could work from first principles. That got me through that stage. My undergrad was another story and I did not get a four year honour degree, nor a four year - it was a three year B.Math with an average of something like 68. I was one credit short of the four year general degree, but I had had enough and walked away. At the same time, I had totally immersed myself in computers and was a very intense computer geek. About eight years later, I was lucky to get into grad school (very lucky, was on probation) and by then had figured out how to use my mind. It was not better or worse than other people’s, but it did seem to be different. The following is what I learned and how I went from el’sucko undergrad to the gold medal for my grad work.
ADD, ADHD is not always well named - I think it is more like attention variability and not attention deficit, and it is typically context-dependent (can easily attend to preferred tasks and not at all to others). In my case, it goes from zero to 100+ without much in between. The trick was figuring out how to deal with the zero times and how to leverage and benefit from the 100+.
100+ is called hyperfocus in the literature and not everyone with ADD/ADHD has it. When it locks in, there is extreme focus, not much else matters, things slow down and the mind goes off. The problem is that until you know how to control it and have some skill and knowledge to put into it, it is like an out-of-control turbo- charged manure spreader with lots of crap going everywhere at high speed.
For me to pay attention in class (or meetings or presentations of any kind), I discovered that I needed to go in knowing something about what was coming. Else the zero attention would kick in. So, as a grad student I would try to learn the material before class (read the chapter, try the worked out problem if there was one, try to create my own summary of the chapter, and try an example from the end). Then, I could sit in class, understand what was happening, catch the subtle aspects I had always missed as an undergrad, and know what I knew and what I did not know. Then, I would review and resolve any gaps after class. I did this for all of my grad courses. I also do this for business meetings - same kind of drill. This worked for me, might not for anyone else.
I would also work with what I call a cone of silence - when studying or working in a serious way, I do not worry about email or text. I put the headphones on and zone in.