Gabriella: an ADHD Success Story

Learn how the Vested Academics Team helped one student struggling with ADHD gain the skills she needed to succeed inside and outside of the classroom

How It All Started

Ever since she was little, Gabriella loved moving. In grade school, she took impromptu trips to the cafeteria, practiced gymnastics routines during class, and even taught herself how to juggle pieces of chalk—how clever?

But at the end of fifth grade, when Gabriella was diagnosed with ADHD, she started to dislike school. In sixth grade, her marks began to suffer. From private tutors to local learning centers, Gabriella’s parents tried everything they could think of to help their daughter. That’s when they came to Vested Academics.

Parent Perspective

  • Daughter’s homework didn’t get done without them
  • Mom’s attempts to tutor turned into arguments
  • Dad’s rewarding of good behavior had no effect
  • Both scared about transition to high school

Gabriella’s Perspective

  • Felt like teachers always yelled at her
  • Doing homework was the worst part of her day
  • Most assignments took too long to finish
  • Didn’t think studying was homework

How the Vested Academics Team Helped Gabriella and Her Parents

Learning Style Assessment—By exploring how Gabriella took in new information, our Learning Support Team designed a series of strategies specific to her unique learning style.

Academic Coaching—Addressing the lack of consistency in her routine, Gabriella’s new academic coach helped her create a manageable study schedule that felt natural.

Movement Breaks—Gabriella focused best after exercising, which is why her academic coach rearranged her homework time around her daily workouts, bike rides, and hikes.

Executive Functioning Support—Frustrated by details and due dates, Gabriella worked one-on-one with her academic coach to understand her unproductive habits, practice new ones, and form concrete strategies that worked for her.

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The Result

Although it didn’t happen overnight, Gabriella began to change her outlook. She found that the regular sessions with her academic coach not only prevented her from forgetting her long-term tasks but also made it easier to break down her daily homework into bite-sized pieces. And, when she realized how reenergizing her breaks could be, Gabriella found the strength she needed to adjust her unproductive inner monologues—now, the world wasn’t against her, teachers didn’t despise her, and learning didn’t seem so bad after all.

With her academic coach’s guidance, Gabriella’s parents applied for and received the accommodations she would need to succeed in high school. The future seemed a little brighter for everyone.

In Her Own Words

“I learned how to see when my brain needs a break and how to take a break and still get things done during my break. He showed me how to use my ADHD for myself instead of against myself. And how I have to see it in a different way than most of my teachers do. Sometimes it is like I used to speak a different language than most of them and now I know how to translate what they say in my own way and I can really get it.”

Gabriella
8th Grade

Next Steps

At Vested Academics, our learning support professionals help students reach their academic goals. Contact Our Team to learn more.

Attend our classes and events on this topic. From webinars to in-person events, guest speakers to professional instruction, our events calendar is filled with outstanding resources for parents and students alike. Go to the Events Calendar.

With nearly twenty years of experience as an educator, Jennifer Chase has developed a natural ability to meet individual students at their level, helping them find confidence while working toward their goals.

More about Jen C.

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