How Does Mental Illness Affect The Way I Function At School?
Mental illnesses may interfere with a student's ability to function at school -- or may have no effect at all. If the mental illness is affecting a student's ability to do things such as concentrating or communicating effectively, the student is probably aware of it. Then again, the student may not have made the connection between the disability and the functional limitations.
Under Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act and the ADA , educational personnel only need to provide accommodations for limitations that can be directly connected to the student's disability. Documenting the types of functional limitations caused by the student's disability will illustrate the student's need for academic adjustments.
Here's a list of some of the limitations the student may be experiencing. If the student has a psychiatric disability, the student may have trouble doing some of these things. (Please remember that since that are many different types of mental illnesses, this isn't a complete list -- and that not everyone experiences all, or even any, of these limitations.)
Here's how the student might cope:
- Inability to screen out environmental stimuli. Stimuli such as sounds, sights, or smells, which distract the student. For example, it may be hard for the student to pay attention to a lecture while sitting near a loud fan or to focus on studying in a high traffic area.
Possible solutions : Move away from the fan; ask the professor to shut off the fan during the lecture; ask about the availability of a quiet study area.
- Inability to concentrate: The student may feel restless, have a short attention span, be easily distracted, or have a hard time remembering verbal directions. For example, the student may have trouble focusing on one task for extended periods, reading and retaining course material, or remembering instructions during an exam or a classroom exercise.
Possible solutions : Break large projects into smaller tasks; ask permission to take short, frequent breaks to stretch or walk around; seek out tutoring service to help with study skills and information retention; ask for assignments to be given in writing.
- Lack of stamina. The student may not have enough energy to spend a full day on campus, carry a full course load, or take a long exam in one sitting. The student may also find the student's medication makes the student drowsy. Possible solutions: Enroll as a part-time student; schedule the student's classes during high-energy hours; ask to take exams in sections.
- Difficulty handling time pressures and multiple tasks . The student may have trouble managing assignments, setting priorities, or meeting deadlines. For example, the student may not know how to decide which assignments to do first, or how to complete assignments by the due date.
Possible solutions: Break larger assignments and projects down into manageable tasks; ask for a course syllabus detailing class topics, assignments, and due dates for the entire semester; stay ahead of pressured deadlines with increased organization and planning.
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Difficulty interacting with others. It may be difficult for the student to talk to other students, get notes or discuss assignments, participate in class, meet students outside of class, chat with other students at class breaks, and make friends.
Possible solutions: Student can ask for help finding a mentor or "buddy" who can introduce the student around and help the student fit in.
- Difficulty handling negative feedback. The student may have a hard time understanding and interpreting criticism. For example, the student may get defensive when told work isn't up to standards. It's hard for the student to figure out what to do to improve. The student might want to withdraw from class or even drop out of school because of a poor grade.
Possible solutions: Student may arrange private discussions with professor about academic performance and suggestions about specific ways to improve; student can investigate make up for poor grades with alternative assignments or extra credit projects; the student arranging a meeting with the professor and the student's school's disability services counselor to facilitate feedback.
- Difficulty responding to change . Unexpected changes in the student's coursework, such as new assignments, due dates, or instructors, may be unusually stressful for the student.
Possible solutions: Student may want to ask professor for advance warning of any changes in the syllabus; student and professor may share strategies regarding support for potential change in the process.
*Adapted from Mancuso, L.L. (1990) Reasonable accommodations for workers with psychiatric disabilities. Psychosocial Rehabilitation Journal, 14(2), 3-19
© 1997, 1998 Center for Psychiatric Rehabilitation, Boston University