Toward an Empowered Existence: Experiences of ADHD Adults Transcending Stigma and Expressing Potential in the Pursuit of a Doctoral Degree

• In Event: AERA Graduate Student Research-in-Progress Session 4
  In Roundtable Session: Research on the Education of Students With Disabilities: Racial Disparities, Student Persistence, Teacher Experiences, and Parent Interventions (Table 1)

Abstract

For adults with attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), the educational arena is often a significant area of struggle, due to the psychobiological aspects of ADHD and to its societal stigmatization. Though students with ADHD may be less likely to strive academically than those not meeting diagnostic criteria, many do excel. Nonetheless, educational research regarding ADHD tends toward narratives of deficiency and failure over resourcefulness and tenacity. The empirical literature is especially sparse regarding ADHD adults' persistence toward an advanced degree. To address this gap as a member of the neurodivergent community I am researching, I am conducting a qualitative inquiry that aims to discern the experiences, motivations, resources, and knowledge ADHD adults draw upon in pursuit of a doctoral degree.

Author

• Lisa Joy Tuttle, California Institute of Integral Studies