In a single message to the tutor, share the way your ADHD works and get concrete exam accommodations
A message sent to the tutor teacher, with a link to open. In one minute, they see why you hand in some assignments late, how you keep on track when the framework is broken down into steps, and which exam accommodations really help you. The conversation starts from there, not from scratch.
This case involves a 17-year-old who lives with ADHD, as exams approach where organization weighs as much as knowledge. The bearer chooses for themselves what they share with their tutor, without going through a formal appointment.
The moment that counts
The exam-accommodations form has been sitting at the bottom of the bag for two weeks, half filled in. Léo, 17, knows he needs to move it forward with his tutor teacher, but every time he thinks of it he's in class, and every time he's free, it slips his mind. The end-of-term review is coming, and with it the nagging feeling of being behind on everything.
Rather than an appointment he'd put off again, he sends a short message to his tutor, with the link to his profile. The teacher opens it between two classes. In a few lines, he reads the essentials: Léo has ADHD, long written instructions get away from him, he stays on track when the steps are broken up and when he has extra quiet time to write. The tutor no longer has to wonder whether this lateness is carelessness. He suggests a ten-minute check-in, directs the accommodation request to the right person, and sets the next deadlines with intermediate reminders.
No awkward talking-to about supposed lack of seriousness, no file lost once more, no explanation to repeat in front of every teacher in the class. Léo explained once, to the right person, and the tutor passes on what matters to the rest of the team. The work still has to be done, but it's no longer doubled by a misunderstanding.
- You write it
- The QR is in place
- The reader scans
- Understood, without explaining again
Where to place the QR code in this case
At 17, the bearer manages for themselves what they share and with whom. The QR code doesn't have to be on display: it circulates through the channels the high schooler already uses, and stays accessible when an adult at the school needs it.
- Link by direct message to the tutor teacher or the school's referent, sent before an exam period.
- Wallet-sized card slipped into the pencil case, brought out during a guidance appointment or a one-on-one check-in.
- Label on the planner or course folder, printed from an A4 sheet of labels (standard template), to keep it on hand without exposing it to everyone.
- Link in the signature of the school email, discreet, that each teacher can open if they wish.
The rule here: it's the high schooler who decides the moment and the recipient. The QR code opens an explanation, it isn't imposed on the whole class.
Pre-written text templates
Three drafts to reuse and adapt to your situation. They open the sections a tutor reads first: who you are, what helps you organize yourself, and what makes you disengage. Starting points, not sentences to copy as they are.
For the "Introduction" section
"My name is [first name], I'm [age], I'm in [class]. I have ADHD: I understand what's being asked of me, but holding on to a long instruction, organizing myself over time and meeting deadlines cost me a lot. It isn't a lack of seriousness. When the framework is clear and broken down into steps, I stick with it very well."
For the "How to help" section
"You can: give me instructions in writing and in several steps, set intermediate deadlines rather than a single distant date, allow me extra quiet time for exams, check in a word that I've noted down what's expected, and direct me to the right person for the accommodation request."
For the "What to avoid" section
"To avoid: reading my forgetfulness as carelessness, sending me a series of spoken instructions all at once, criticizing my lateness without helping me anticipate it, making me repeat in front of the class why I hand in off schedule, relying on goodwill alone to fix an organization problem."
Conditions covered by this case
This case rests on ADHD, the way of working where directing attention and planning over time take constant effort. In high school, it shows up mostly in organization, meeting deadlines and memorizing long instructions. The page below details what's at play and the levers that change daily life.
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