Gabriella: an ADHD Success Story

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.

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.

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.