Hidden Disabilities
By Colleen Frey

The term "hidden disability" refers to a disability that is not apparent by simply looking at, or talking with someone.   Hidden disabilities can be difficult to diagnose because people who have them are often intelligent, capable people who have a deficit in one area of learning or functionality.   Over the years, people with these kinds of disabilities often develop their own set of strategies for dealing with their disability, sometimes without even realizing they have a disability!   In high school these students may have found ways to compensate by developing their memory or relying on auditory information rather than spending time reading assignments. Although these strategies may have allowed them to be successful in high school, they may not be enough to ensure success in college.

Hidden disabilities include learning disabilities such as ADD/ADHD or dyslexia and can affect reading comprehension, spelling, mechanics or writing, math computation, or problem-solving.   Psychological disabilities such as depression, anxiety disorder, Asperger's Syndrome, chemical dependency conditions and acquired brain injuries can affect the manner in which individuals take in information, retain it, and express the knowledge they possess. Chronic conditions such as epilepsy, diabetes, asthma or cancer are also considered hidden disabilities and affect general health.

Some of the most common hidden disabilities I see on campus include depression, anxiety, and ADD/ADHD.   While each of these disabilities has the potential to be controlled by medication, finding the right medication and the dosage that works best for the individual can take time and often involves trial and error.   Trying to adjust to medications while in college can be particularly difficult and can adversely affect the ability to focus or complete school work.   To complicate matters, a person may be diagnosed with more than one disability.

Students who suffer from both depression and anxiety can have a very difficult time while in college.   As mid-semester approaches and students find they have more demands placed on them, their stress level increases.   Even those students who are taking their medications regularly can have increased symptoms.   Because of the stress, the anxiety builds until the student feels completely overwhelmed.   This may in turn trigger a depressive episode rendering the student completely unable to function.   Feelings of hopelessness and despair may lead to loss of self-esteem as the student questions whether they can be successful in college.   This is the time of the semester when I commonly hear from faculty that a student with a disability was doing well in the class, and then simply disappeared.   When faculty send an Early Alert, make a phone call to my office, or send an email to me, I can follow up with the student and help them to get back on track.

My job is to help the student devise a plan to get caught up with their work and successfully complete their classes.   I work closely with the student. Sometimes we meet daily to break down large projects and papers into small steps and assignments.   I have found that even the smallest of successes at this stage has to be encouraged and celebrated. Faculty can help by encouraging students to meet with them individually for help and by providing positive feedback on make-up work.   As the student begins to complete some of the smaller tasks, they begin to see that they can do the required work and begin to have hope of success again.   At this stage, if a student is unable to complete even the smallest of tasks, medical treatment or hospitalization may be the only option.

I encourage students to talk with faculty about their situation, and I have found the encouragement and flexibility that faculty display to be a great help to these students.   Allowing a student to make up an exam or assignment they missed when their illness prevented them from getting to class can alleviate a great deal of stress for the student and allow them feel more hopeful about their final grade and other class work they may have to make up.   I try to follow up with both the student and faculty on a regular basis and modify the plan as needed to keep the student's stress level as low as possible while continuing to keep up with classes and make up missed work.

The number of students on campus with hidden disabilities, particularly psychiatric disabilities, continues to grow.   New medications and treatment strategies, along with a supportive environment, now make it possible for these students to attend and be successful in college.   Flexibility, understanding, and a caring attitude can go a long way toward helping these students achieve their goals.