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Anchor Lead: College can be an exciting time of independence and academic challenge. But, for some, it's a time of constant stress and fear of failure. That's what it can be like for students diagnosed with attention or hyperactivity disorders, and more of them are arriving on college campuses every day.

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Sounds of students walking and talking on the UW campus

It's finals week. A nail-biting time for anyone, but that pressure is intensified for someone with an attention or hyperactivity disorder.

"It gets you down a lot because you're not really sure … you feel like you're a smart kid but no one else seems to realize it."

UW Economics major Quincy Willis Castro was diagnosed with ADHD in high school. He says he was known as the "weird, disorganized kid who could never turn anything in on time."

People with this neurological disorder are easily distracted, unable to plan ahead, finish jobs or multi-task. They can forget even daily activities, and are often incorrectly labeled as "lazy."

"The frustration was that, it seemed to me that, in school, the system was set up automatically for me to do badly at, and no one really wanted to spend the effort to make a difference or explore any other ways around that."

Quincy appears relaxed as he sits on a bench in the sunshine — a definite contrast to how he felt when he arrived on campus four years ago. He didn't want to deal with his disability, amid his newfound independence.

"And you know, you couple that kind of stubbornness with all the distractions of drinking, and partying and girls and all that kind of stuff that happens around here, and it's very easy to just blow it all off and do stuff that’s fun or that you want to do or even waste time doing silly stuff."

Quincy graduates in June and starts graduate school in international affairs this fall. He says, while medication may help a lot of students, it's only part of the equation — they must also learn how to organize their schoolwork, and their lives.

Quincy is among the pioneers — the first true wave of students diagnosed with attention or hyperactivity disorders coming to college with expectations of assistance. Colleges and universities are struggling to figure out how to best serve these students.

Federal laws require schools to accommodate students with ADHD and ADD. But students must first pay for an official diagnosis from a qualified professional. That can cost up to $1,000 or more.

Then, at UW's Disability Resources for Students office, Christy Theilman can help these students arrange for accommodations, including extra time on tests and separate test-taking rooms.

"So what we're trying to do is to look at the documentation to see how is disability affecting this student and then say how can we try to mitigate the effects of that disability so that the student has an equal chance to demonstrate what they know in the class."

Some professors think they're letting students off too easy, and that the accommodations are not preparing them for the real world.

One professor questioned senior T Steele about her need for extra time on tests — asking why any employer would hire her, if it took her almost twice as long to complete her work. At the time, T was in her late 30s and had already been in the working world. She fights back tears describing what she regards as an attack on her integrity.

"It cut me off at the knees. You know you look at other people and you go, 'Wow, I wish I could, I wish I could, I wish I could.' And I all of a sudden realize 'I could, I could, I could.' And then someone tells me 'No you can't, no you can't, no you can't.' And I don't know how to rectify that."

That professor's words are the reason why T didn't pursue her desired career track. She graduates this year with a 3.5 grade average, although she's not sure what's next. It hasn't been easy, but T is proud of what she's accomplished.

"Part of what learning disabilities do is they … nobody has to do anything to you. You know, I was in third grade, and there was this little table off to the side that the slow readers went to. And so you're told that you're not the 'same as.' And, that's right, I'm not the 'same as.' In a lot of respects I'm better."

Some college students struggle and don't even know they have attention or hyperactivity disorders. Others discover the disability once they get there, or after they drop out.

Sound of student speaking Swedish with her advisor

Anna Anderson is speaking to her advisor about an upcoming trip. In Swedish. She's a graduate student in UW's Department of Scandinavian Studies.

Anna was diagnosed with ADD two years ago during what she describes as a dark period in her life. She'd dropped out of college and was failing at a secretarial job, but she didn't know why.

"It's painful to look back and think about the times when I felt really different and really alone. And it's painful to look back on struggling so hard to do something that I felt I should've been able to do and it's painful to think about how low my self esteem became eventually."

A therapist suggested she get tested for ADD. Since her diagnosis, Anna's life has changed dramatically.

"I went back to school full-time, I got accepted into graduate school, my grades this quarter were excellent. I recognize that I do have abilities that, even with the problems I have, I can be successful — I can get a good education and move on to a career. And what I have in my life right now is great, and that's what I want to focus on."

Students like Quincy, T and Anna are paving the way for the many more who will follow in their footsteps.

Experts hope that, some day, all children will be tested for this disability at a young age, and not have to lose so many years to frustration and failure before tackling the challenges of college and the working world.

Kirsten Kendrick, KPLU NEWS.