Theresa L. Maitland, PhD The Learning Center’s ADHD/LD Services UNC Chapel Hill

Theresa L. Maitland, PhD The Learning Center’s ADHD/LD ServicesUNC Chapel HillIRB Approved Study #[email protected]

CHARACTERISTICS, ENROLLMENT PATTERNS, GRADUATION RATES AND SERVICE USE OF COLLEGE STUDENTS WITH ADHD/LD

Brief history IRB reviewed study

Did not constitute human subject research Master set of ADHD/LD students with disability data Obtained high school and UNC records from Office of Research Created de-identified data set

Two private funds supported Erica Richman, Ph.D to serve as research coordinator

Many thanks to our collaborators & contributors: Research Coordinator: Erica Richman Ph.D. Database designer: Steve Robbillard Database consultants: Billie Shambley, Angela Coley and Geeta Menon Leon Hamlet, Registrar’s Office Dr. Lynn Williford, Assistant Provost; Weiguo Jiang, Data Analyst from

the Office of Institutional Research: and Dr. Lawrence Rosenfeld from the IRB office were instrumental in the study’s completion.

BACKGROUND

LD/ADHD College StudentsMay have increased rates of academic probation

(Heiligenstein et al., 1999)May have lower GPAs-nearly 1.0 lower

(Blasé et al., 2009; Frazier et al., 2007)May have higher graduation rates (and persistence

rates) (Cantor et al., 2005;Huber, 2009; Vogel & Adelman 1992)

May have lower overall retention & graduation rates: 11%-50% lower Horn et al., 1999; Greg, 2009; Greenbaum et al., 1995; Murray et

al., 2000)May have the same graduation rates by may take

longer to graduate (Vogel & Adelman 1990, 1992; Jorgeson et al., 2003, Wessel et

al., )

VERY LITTLE IS KNOWN ABOUT THE COLLEGE EXPERIENCES OF STUDENTS

WITH ADHD/LD

Greenbaum, B. , Graham, S. , & Scales , W. (1995) . Adults with learn ing d isab i l i t ies: Educat ional and soc ia l exper iences dur ing col lege. Except iona l Chi ldren, 61(5) , 460-471.

Gregg, N. (2009) . Adolescents and adults with learning d isabi l i t ies and ADHD: Assessment and accommodat ion. New York, NY: Gui l ford

Horn, L . , Berktold , J . , & Bobbit t , L . (1999) . Students with disabi l i t ies in postsecondary educat ion: a profile of preparat ion, part ic ipat ion and outcomes. Postsecondary Educat ion Descr ipt ive Ana lys is Reports . U.S. Department of Educat ion : Nat ional Center for Educat ion Stat ist ics .

Hei l igenste in , E. , Guenther , G. , Levy, A. , Savino, F. , & Fu lwi ler , J . (1999) . Psychologica l and academic funct ion ing in col lege students with attent ion defici t hyperact iv i ty d isorder. Journal of American Col lege Health , 47 (4) , 181-185. doi :10.1080/07448489909595644

Huger, Mar ianne, (2009).The Retent ion of Col lege Students with Learn ing Disabi l i t ies .A D issertat ion Submitted to The Faculty of The Graduate School of Educat ion and Human Development of The George Washington Univers ity n part ia l fu lfi l lment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Educat ion

Jorgensen, S . , Fichten, C. S . , Havel , A. , Lamb, D. , James, C . , & Bar i le , M. (2003) . Students with and without d isabi l i t ies at Dawson Col lege graduate at the same rate. Journal for Vocat ional Specia l Needs Educat ion, 25 (2-3) , 44-46.

REFERENCES

Blasé, S. L. , Gi lbert, A. N., Anastopoulos, A. D., Costel lo, E., Hoyle, R. H., Swartzwelder, H., & Rabiner, D. L. (2009). Self-Reported ADHD and adjustment in college: Cross-sectional and longitudinal findings. Journal of Attention Disorders, 13 (3), 297-309. doi:10.1177/1087054709334446

Frazier, T. W., Youngstrom, E. A., Glutt ing, J . J . , & Watkins, M. W. (2007). ADHD and achievement: Meta-analysis of the child, adolescent, and adult l iteratures and a concomitant study with college students. Journal of Learning Disabil it ies , 40 , 49-65. doi:10.1177/00222194070400010401

Murray, C., Goldstein, D. E., Nourse, S., & Edgar, E. (2000). The postsecondary school attendance and completion rates of high school graduates with learning disabil it ies. Learning Disabil it ies Research & Practice, 15(3), 119-127

Wessel, R., D., Jones, J . A., Markle, L. , Westfall , C. (2009). Retention and graduation of students with disabil it ies: Faci l itating student success. Journal of Postsecondary Education and Disabil ity, 21(3), 116-124.

Disability Related Diagnosis (LD, ADHD, Both) Amount of service Use Demographics Background (Ethnicity, race and country of origin) Gender Member of a subpopulation (1 s t generation, Covenant Scholar, Athlete) 1 s t t ime Freshmen/TransferHigh School Variables SAT Scores, GPA, Percenti leUNC Variables Sub-populations (1 s t generation, Covenant Scholar, Athlete) Major at Graduation: STEM versus Humanities/Social Sciences Cumulative GPA Semesters Enrolled Enrol lment Patterns (# of withdrawals, inel igibi l i t ies, semesters on

probation, academic underloads) Graduated/Not Graduated

OUR VARIABLES

Sample size: n=1938 (1953-2010) n=921 (2002-2010; for comparison analyses) Sample sizes may also vary based on particular analysis

UndergraduatesAll cleared for services1976-Sept. 2010 (median of 2001)

Gender: 42% (n=808) female58% (n=1,118) male (missing 12 students)

ADHD/LD SAMPLE

ADHD/LD SAMPLE: DIAGNOSES

ADHD37%

N=722

LD32%

N=617

Both26%

N=508

Missing5%

N=91

Total n=1938

Research Question 1: Do students in the ADHD/LD Sample have different enrollment patterns than students in the Random Sample

Research Question 2: Do the grade point averages of the students in the ADHD/LD sample differ from students in the Random Sample?

Research Question 3: Are there differences in the graduation rates between students in the ADHD/LD sample and students in the Random Sample?

Research Question 4: Within the ADHD/LD Sample does diagnosis of ADHD, LD or both ADHD/LD impact graduation rate?

Research Question 5: Do graduation rates of students with ADHD/LD differ based on the frequency of sessions with a Learning Specialist?

RESEARCH QUESTIONS

N=8994

All Undergraduate Students ADHD/LD removed 2002-2010 Cohorts

Gender 59% (n=5338) females 41% (n=3656) males

RANDOM SAMPLE

All descriptive and comparative analyses were performed using StataIC 12 (StataCorp, 2011).

Descriptive statistics, including measures of central tendency, cross-tabulations, and chi-squares were used to compare means and characterize the sample with respect to student demographics, high school, and academic success variables.

Linear regression, logistic regression, and multi-nomial logistic regression models were employed to examine the relationships among service use, student characteristics, diagnosis, and academic success

STATISTICAL ANALYSES

COMPARISONS:DEMOGRAPHICS & CHARACTERISTICS

GENDER COMPARISONS:2002-2010

ADHD/LD RS0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

44%

59%56%

41%

Females Males

n=400 n=509 n=5338 n=3656

Non-Resi

dent

Unkno

wn

Hispan

ic

Native

American

Asian/P

ac Isla

nder

Black

White

Multi-ra

cial

BACKGROUND COMPARISONS: 2002-2010

____________________________________________________________________Equal Percentages

2% 3% 6% <1% 7% 10% 70% 1%

<1% 4% 7% <1% 2% 13% 72% 1%

ADHD/LD

RS

ADHD/LD RS0%10%20%30%40%50%60%70%80%90% 82% 82%

18% 18%

Freshmen Transfer

COMPARISONS: FIRST-TIME-FRESHMEN VS. TRANSFER STUDENTS 2002-2010

7400

1594155

704

ADHD/LD students enter with significantly lower SAT scores 60, 50, & 30 point lower SATV, SATM, SATW scores (p<.01) The average SAT scores for ADHD/LD sample are 569 (verbal)

and 648 (math) Mean SAT scores:

SATV = 634 (RS) vs. 596 (ADHD/LD); 38 points lower SATM = 648 (RS) vs. 618 (ADHD/LD); 30 points lower

Students in the ADHD/LD sample are 85% more likely to have lower high school GPAs than typical non-disabled students (p<.01) Average HS GPAs are 3.66 (ADHD/LD) vs. 4.24 (RS) (p<.01)

HS Rank averages 55 percentile (ADHD/LD) compared to 72 percentile (RS) (p<.01)

COMPARISONS: HIGH SCHOOL VARIABLES

Sample Comparisons

ENROLLMENT PATTERNS2002-2010ADHD/LD N=1193

RS N=8994

ADHD/LD students are statistically more likely to have more withdrawals than the RS (p<.02).

ADHD/LD students are almost 20% more likely to withdraw than the RS (p<.01).

ENROLLMENT PATTERNS: WITHDRAWALS (2002-2010)

____________________________________________________________________

WITHDRAWALS (2002-2010)

1 Withdrawal 2 Withdrawals 3 Withdrawals 4 Withdrawals

11%3% 1%

0%

8%1% 0%

0%

ADHD/LD RS

Equal PercentageLine

No significant differences

ENROLLMENT PATTERNS: UNDERLOADS

____________________________________________________________________

COURSE UNDERLOADS

1 Underload 2 Underloads 3 Underloads 4 Underloads

4% 3% 1%0%

2% 1% 0%0%

ADHD/LD RS

Equal PercentageLine

ADHD/LD students are statistically more likely to be on probation than the RS (p<.01).

ADHD/LD students are twice as likely to be on probation(p<.01).

ENROLLMENT PATTERNS: PROBATION

_____________________________________________________________________

PROBATION

1 Probation 2 Probations 3 Probations

4%1% 1%

1%0% 0%

ADHD/LD RS

Equal Percentages

ADHD/LD students are statistically more likely to be ineligible than the RS (p<.01).

ADHD/LD students are greater than 50% more likely than RS students to be ineligible at least one time (p<.01).

ENROLLMENT PATTERNS: INELIGIBILITIES

____________________________________________________________________

INELIGIBILITIES

1 Ineligibility 2 Ineligibilities 3 Ineligibilities

8% 4%2%

3% 1%0%

ADHD/LD RS

Equal PercentageLine

ENROLLMENT PATTERNS: TOTAL SEMESTERS ENROLLED

ADHD/LD students are 25% more likely to enroll in more semesters compared to the RS (p<.01).

On average ADHD/LD students (n=426) are enrolled 2 more semesters than the RS (n=3,854) (p<.01)

Average total semesters enrolled (2002-2006, 1st time freshmen):ADHD/LD: 11 (n=426)RS: 9 (n=3,854)

ADHD/LD Enrollment Patterns11% (n=207) had one or more withdrawals

and 3% (n=57) had two or more.10% (n=198) had at least one underload &

9% (n=176) had 5 or less.17% (n=306) had at least one ineligibility and

16% (n=318) had 3 or less.3% (n=50) had at least one probation and

76% of those (n=38), only had one.

ADHD/LD ENROLLMENT PATTERNS SUMMARY 1953-2010

Sample Comparisons

COLLEGE ACADEMIC VARIABLES:

GPA & GRADUATION RATES

Students with ADHD/LD have significantly lower GPA’s than the random sample (n= 9536, p<.01)ADHD/LD: 2.76 (n=905)RS: 3.11 (n=8,984)

GENERAL COMPARISONS: CUMULATIVE GPA (2002-2010)

ADHD/LD students are significantly less likely to graduate than students in the RS (p<.01)

ADHD/LD students graduate at a significantly lower rate of 76% compared to students in the random sample who graduate at 88%, x2(1, n=5,293) = 54.4, p = <.01.

GLOBAL GRADUATION RATES: COMPARING ADHD/LD STUDENTS TO

THE RS

All Students Percent GraduatedADHD/LD 76%

(n=420)RS 87%

(n=4,148)

COMPARISONS: GRADUATION RATES

FT Freshmen Percent GraduatedADHD/LD 77%

(n=329)RS 88%

(n=3,391)Transfer Students Percent GraduatedADHD/LD 82%

(n=70)RS 85%

(n=757)

2002-2006 Cohorts

21 ASP students who graduated are neither considered FR or TR, but Special Degree Seeking and are not shown on this chart.

Diagnosis (LD/ADHD/Both) does not predict graduation x2(2, n=1490) = 0.09, p = .95 (not significant).

DIAGNOSES, GRADUATION & SUB-

POPULATIONS

All Students Percent GraduatedADHD 76%

(n=153)LD 78%

(n=112)Both 76%

(n=151)

GRADUATION RATES & DISABILITY (2002-2006

COHORTS)

First-time Freshmen Percent GraduatedADHD 76%

(n=126)LD 78%

(n=83)Both 75%

(n=117)Transfer Students Percent GraduatedADHD 80%

(n=20)LD 91%

(n=20)Both 81%

(n=29)

AVERAGES OF GRADUATION RATES 1994-2009:

FIRST-YEAR STUDENTS(FROM THE OFFICE OF INSTITUTIONAL RESEARCH

DATA)

Averages

Within 4 Years

Within 5 Years

Within 6 Years

Within 10 Years

ADHD/LD 46.6% 71.8% 76.5% 82.5%

UNC 74.3% 85.0% 86.7% 86.5%

Differences: ADHD/LD vs. UNC

-27.7% -13.2% -10.2% -4.0%

Mean years to Graduation (2002-2010, 1st time freshmen):ADHD/LD: 4.3 years (n=325)RS: 4.0 years (n=4,42)

GLOBAL GRADUATION INFORMATION

AVERAGES GRADUATION RATES 1994-2009: JUNIOR TRANSFER STUDENTS

(FROM THE OFFICE OF INSTITUTIONAL RESEARCH DATA)

AveragesWithin 2 years Within 3

yearsWithin 4

yearsADHD/LD 29.7% 71.8% 75.6%

UNC 53.2% 78.1% 80.9%

Differences: ADHD/LD vs.

UNC-23.5% -6.3% -5.3%

Population: 2002 & 2003 Cohorts Only Graduation Rates: 5 and 6 year averages

Parents with Bachelors or higher 90.3%

Not needy 90.1%

UNC 88.2%

Needy/no Pell Grant 85.9%

Parents with some college 82.3%

1st Gen (Parents with high school education or less) 79.9%

Pell Grant 78.9%

ADHD/LD 71.75%

STUDENT GRADUATION RATES ADHD/LD & STUDENT BODY(2002 COHORTS)

(TAKEN FROM OIR 2010 RETENTION STUDY & COVENANT RETENTION AND GRADUATION DATA )

Group : 2002,& 2003 Cohorts Only Graduation Rates: 5 and 6 year averages

Asian/Pac. Is. 89.3%

Hispanic 87.1%

Non-Resident 87.0%

Native American 84.2%

Black 77.8 %

ADHD/LD 71. 75 %

COMPARING STUDENT GRADUATION RATES ADHD/LD & OTHER MINORITY GROUPS

(TAKEN FROM OIR 2010 RETENTION STUDY )

USE OF SERVICESADHD/LD SAMPLE

Numbers of sessions range from 1-94, (M=7, SD=10)

76% (n=1,115/1461) of all students cleared for services return for at least one session.

Males (75%, n=613) and females (77%, n=502) return for services at about the same rate.

ADHD/LD SAMPLE: USE OF SERVICES

SATStudents who return for services (n=858) are

statistically more likely to have higher SATM & SATV scores (by 20 points; p<.01) than those who do not return (n=277) (ttest).

ADHD/LD: USE OF SERVICES

USE & GRADUATION(*DIFFERENCES NOT SIGNIFICANT)

Amount of Use Graduated

0 or 1 session 76% (n=247)

2 or more sessions 80.66% (n=534)

6 or more sessions 84% (n=384)

SERVICE USE & GPA (*DIFFERENCES NOT SIGNIFICANT*)

Amount of Use Average GPA

No Service Use 2.7

Single Visit (for Accommodations) 2.6

2 or more visits 2.8

Findings not generalizable to other settings

Many variables were not included in our data analysis model (e.g. SES, self-determination, age of diagnosis, resiliency etc.)

Data on sessions may not be accurate

Students in the ADHD/LD group self selected voluntarily May be others in the RS given research on low rate of

disclosure in college students with disabilities If so, the differences between groups many be even greater

LIMITATIONS

When compared to their non-disabled peers, college students with ADHD/LD : Are an at-risk population and may not be retained at the

same rate as their non-disabled peers. Are at even greater risk than other at-risk populations Are significantly more likely to experience unusual

enrollment patterns than their peers without ADHD/LD Are significantly less likely to graduate Take longer to graduate Have lower GPAs Students attending more sessions showed trends (not

significant) toward higher graduation rates; although these students had a higher numbers of enrollment patterns that are known to correlate with not graduating

SUMMARY

Additional studies are needed in different settings and to determine what factors influence student success

Need to identify and implement evidenced based practices at the high school and college level

Need to disseminate “at-risk” status for transitioning teens to: Parents and teens College administrators setting policy and developing

programming for at-risk groups on campuses

IMPLICATIONS

Graduation rates for ADHD/LD students are higher than other published studies.

Many students with ADHD//LD are very successful 70% (n= 1,553) have no unusual enrollment patterns 85% (n=1,891) of ADHD/LD students have never had a withdrawal. 90% (n=1,976) of ADHD/LD students have never carried a course

underload. 83% (n=1,858) of ADHD/LD students have never been ineligible. 97% (n=641) of ADHD/LD students have never been on probation. 40% of ADHD/LD students have a 3.0 and above 55% (n=502/921) of ADHD/LD students graduate within 4 years

(first time freshmen, 1953-2006)Even those with enrollment pattern problems have been successful!

ON A POSITIVE NOTE….

Blasé , S . L . , G i lber t , A . N . , Anas topou los , A. D . , Coste l l o , E . , Hoy le , R. H . , Swar tzwe lder , H. , & Rab iner , D . L . (2009 ) . Se l f-Repor ted ADHD and ad jus tment i n co l lege : C ross - sec t i ona l and long i tud ina l find ings . J ou rna l o f A t t en t i on D i so rders , 13 (3 ) , 297 -309 . do i : 10 .1177 /1087054709334446

Fraz ie r , T. W. , Youngs t rom, E . A. , G lu t t ing , J . J . , & Watk ins , M . W. (2007 ) . ADHD and ach ievement : Me ta -ana lys i s o f t he ch i l d , ado lescen t , and adu l t l i t e ra tu res and a c onc omi tant s tudy w i th co l lege s tudent s . J ou rna l o f Learn ing D i sab i l i t i e s , 40 , 49 -65 . do i : 10 .1177 /00222194070400010401

Greenbaum, B . , Graham, S . , & Sca les , W. (1995) . Adu l t s w i th l ea rn ing d i sab i l i t i e s : Educat i ona l and soc ia l exper ienc es du r ing co l lege . Excep t iona l Ch i l d ren , 61(5 ) , 460 -471 .

Gregg , N . (2009 ) . Ado lescen t s and adu l t s w i th learn ing d i sab i l i t i es and ADHD: Assessment and accommodat ion . New York , NY: Gu i l f o rd Press .

Hei l igenste in , E . , Guenther , G . , Levy , A. , Sav ino , F. , & Fu lw i l e r , J . ( 1999) . Psyc ho log i ca l and academic func t ion ing i n c o l lege s tuden ts w i th a t t en t i on defic i t hyperac t i v i t y d i so rder. J ou rna l o f Amer i can Co l l ege Hea l th , 47 (4 ) , 181 -185 . do i : 10 .1080 /07448489909595644

Horn , L . , Berk to ld , J . , & Bobb i t t , L . (1999) . S tuden ts w i th d i sab i l i t i e s in post secondary educa t i on : a p rofi le o f p repara t i on , pa r t i c i pa t i on and out comes . Pos t sec ondary Educat i on Desc r ip t i ve Ana lys i s Repo r t s . U.S . Depar tment o f Educ at i on : Na t i ona l Center fo r Educat ion S ta t i s t i c s .

REFERENCES

Huger, Marianne, (2009).The Retention of Col lege Students with Learning Disabil i t ies .A Dissertat ion Submitted to The Faculty of The Graduate School of Education and Human Development of The George Washington University n partial fulfil lment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Education.

Jorgensen, S. , Fichten, C. S. , Havel, A., Lamb, D., James, C., & Bari le, M. (2003). Students with and without disabil it ies at Dawson College graduate at the same rate. Journal for Vocational Special Needs Education, 25 (2-3), 44-46.

Murray, C., Goldstein, D. E. , Nourse, S. , & Edgar, E. (2000). The postsecondary school attendance and complet ion rates of high school graduates with learning disabil it ies. Learning Disabi l it ies Research & Pract ice, 15 (3), 119-127.

Wessel, R., D. , Jones, J . A. , Markle, L. , Westfal l , C. (2009). Retention and graduation of students with disabil i t ies: Faci l i tating student success. Journal of Postsecondary Education and Disabil i ty, 21(3), 116-124.