Learning with ADHD: “You are not alone”

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Ayda Grossmann was diagnosed with ADHD at the age of 30. At the time, she was studying at LMU to become a teacher. Today she holds workshops on the subject. In an interview, the former LMU student talks about her own experience, gives useful hints and explains why ADHD can also yield benefits.

For decades, Ayda Grossmann thought she was lazy and simply wasn’t making a big enough effort. Then, in the middle of her teacher training studies, she was finally given a diagnosis: ADD, a subtype of ADHD (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder). In response, she set up LMU’s first ADHD peer group. And to this day, students meet here to share their experiences. This winter semester, Grossmann is returning to her alma mater to hold a series of workshops on the subject of studying with ADHD – from exams to last-minute learning to term papers.

Ms. Grossman, you yourself have ADD, a subtype of ADHD, where the focus is on inattentiveness. How did that affect your life as a student?

Ayda Grossmann: If you are more the hyperactive type, you have problems staying focused, for example. You work on lots of things at the same time and never get anything done. Me, I found it incredibly hard to get started.

To take one extreme example from my student days: I was sitting at my desk, my manuscripts and a glass of water in front of me. I had put my mobile phone away so that it wouldn’t disturb me. The laptop was on, so all the conditions were perfect. All I needed to do now was to get started. But my brain said no. So I sat there and nothing happened. I actually love learning. I wanted to start, I was keen to get going, but my brain wouldn’t obey me. So, I sat there as if I was frozen and waited until my brain awoke from its numbness. Sometimes external sounds would help: an alarm clock, or a car honking loudly. But there were times when I just sat there for an hour under immense inner pressure, because this state is a tremendous battle, a powerful experience of not being in control.

For decades, I thought I was lazy and simply wasn’t making a big enough effort. It was such a weight off my shoulders when the diagnosis was made. It wasn’t my fault. That was a huge relief.

Now you are back at LMU and will hold a series of events on the topic of studying with ADHD this winter semester. Were there times during your studies when you would have liked to have such workshops?

Absolutely. But there was nothing at all back then. I had just turned 30 and had the feeling I would have to start again from scratch. Yes, I had great medication that worked and helped me. But I had no idea how to regulate my emotions or how to deal with the fact that I suddenly was indeed able to work with concentration. In the USA, the research is already far more advanced, so I read a lot of American books and specialist articles. I learned strategies and gradually accumulated the knowledge I now have. That is what I would like to pass on.

The workshops are entitled “Learning with ADHD I & II” and “Writing term papers with ADHD”. The second workshop specifically tackles “last-minute learning” before exams. Is there a common mistake that students with ADHD make in this area?

It depends on what ADHD type you are. Some people can learn incredibly well in the last two weeks. That is their sweet spot. And then there are ADHD people like me, who get into a real panic in the last two weeks and slip into a kind of binge learning. It’s like binge eating, but with the material you need to learn. You stuff yourself with everything in a panicked and chaotic way. You then feel as though you are well prepared, but in the exam you realize that that is not the case. On the other hand, time pressure helped me a lot when writing term papers or learning multiple-choice tests by heart. So, there isn’t just one learning method for everyone. ADHD is a very individual condition.

Do the workshops also say a lot about getting to know yourself and your brain better?

They do, yes. I’m not going to hand out a list of methods and then disappear. You can find lists like that in every self-help book and every Google search. That alone helps no one. I will work a lot with resource orientation. Everyone who has ADHD has already had a learning experience where they thought: That worked well. And that is where I want to jump in: What exactly worked well? How did you feel? How did you sleep? What did you have to eat? What did your workplace look like?

It’s about getting a feel for what works, but also about learning that it’s okay if something doesn’t work – that’s not the end of the world. I can take a break and try a different method, use bigger index cards, change the color. People with ADHD get a slap on the wrist very early because we initially try things out. We don’t take the straight path. I would like to reverse this experience. We use up a large portion of our mental capacity because we are fighting against our own brain. It doesn’t have to be like that.

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And that brain doesn’t work any worse, just differently. Hence the question: Are there also benefits that students with ADHD can use to their own advantage?

Definitely. There are many strengths, and there is usually one that is most pronounced. For me, that is an adaptive problem-solving skill. I am very good at solving problems. Not everyone wants to have their attention drawn to their problems, so I first needed to get a handle on that. But today I know that it is a huge strength. There are also people with ADHD who have tremendous empathy, and others who are very perceptive and quickly grasp how things work. Be it calligraphy, sewing or free climbing, they master the skill very fast. I think that is great, because you can try out everything without having to learn it for years. That is impressive! You can really say that the sky is the limit.

Let’s switch from the sky to the future: Once the workshops are over, what do you hope the participants will have learned?

I hope that the students will go away with more hope and greater self-confidence. They should leave the workshops knowing for certain that they are not broken or too lazy or too stupid, but that there are methods and mindsets that can help them. One thing is for sure: They are not alone with their problems.

Workshops on the subject of studying with ADHD:

The workshops will be held on 27 October, 19 January and 11 February. The three events build on each other and can be visited as such, but can also be attended as one-off events. To sign up, please send an e-mail to the Office for Disability Services team at the Central Student Advisory Service: Behindertenberatung@Verwaltung.Uni-Muenchen.DE

For more workshops, see:

Central Student Advisory Service: Workshops on study skills and co.