MINDS IN MOTION

Thriving with ADHD 鈥 Embrace Your Strengths & Advance Your Potential!

The MINDS IN MOTION (MIM) learning community, created in 2025, is a supportive and inclusive environment where students with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) can share their experiences, receive support, learn effective strategies, feel empowered, exchange resources and knowledge, and foster a strong sense of community with others.

This semester long program assists students with ADHD to improve their executive functioning skills, raise awareness of resources available to them at 色中色 and help increase their self-confidence and resilience in their academics, all of which increase retention and graduation rates. BMAC offers a MIM cohort in the Fall and another cohort in the Spring. 

MINDS IN MOTION Goals: 

  1. Increase students鈥 understanding of their disability
  2. Improve self-advocacy skills
  3. Cultivate a sense of community and belongingness at 色中色
  4. Develop executive functioning skills to assist in achieving educational goals 

For any inquiries, please contact Amber Maurer (Amber.Maurer@csulb.edu).

Amber Maurer

Amber Maurer, M.A. 
ADHD-Certified Clinical Services Provider
Learning Access Specialist

Amber has worked for the Bob Murphy Access Center (BMAC) in the Stephen Benson Program for Students with Learning Disabilities since 2011. She has dedicated her career to supporting students with disabilities鈥攁 role that has brought her immense purpose.

Amber graduated with her B.A. in Psychology from 色中色 and her M.A. in Clinical Psychology from the American School of Professional Psychology.

Academics were always quite challenging for Amber. Though she received good grades, she always felt that she had to work twice as hard as her peers. In her early 40s, she was finally diagnosed with ADHD which put her academic struggles into perspective.

Though Amber has worked with students with ADHD for numerous years, her passion for this population has grown tremendously and cultivated in her developing the MINDS IN MOTION program. As someone with ADHD, she knows firsthand how impactful a program like this can be. 

MINDS IN MOTION Structure

Semester Zero occurs the week before the semester begins. Students with ADHD often struggle with executive functioning and can find it difficult to complete multi-step processes which can lead to overwhelm, falling behind on assignments/tasks, increased potential for poor performance in their classes, and/or dropping their courses. Semester Zero assists students with organization, establishing effective study routines and strategies, and starting the semester on solid footing. 

At this meeting, MIM students are provided with a 鈥Supplies for Success鈥 backpack. These backpacks contain school supplies (pens, pencils, highlighters, fidgets, notecards, green books, scantrons, etc.), as well as an ADHD-focused academic planner. This academic planner has been carefully chosen to meet the needs of students with ADHD.  

 

 SEMESTER ZERO GOALS: 

  • Assist MIM students in setting them up for success by establishing organizational and planning routines as well as learning how to effectively use their planners
  • Expose them to campus resources  
  • Assist students with sending their BMAC accommodation letters to their professors and proactively schedule their exams with BMAC 

The MINDS IN MOTION curriculum program consists of eight, one-hour weekly sessions. These sessions encompass teaching different skills related to MIM鈥檚 goals. Some of the topics taught in MIM are: ADHD myths and strengths, time management skills, task initiation skills, emotional regulation tips and improving focus tips. 

The Concentration Cohort (CC) is a collaboration between BMAC and the Learning Center and runs concurrently with MIM. CC consists of two weekly dedicated study sessions where MIM students learn to utilize 鈥榖ody-doubling鈥 as a strategy to improve focus, productivity and motivation. 鈥楤ody-doubling鈥 is a technique where another person works alongside you, simultaneously but not necessarily on the same task, to help you complete your own task. This strategy is sometimes referred to as 鈥榓ccountability buddies.鈥 Tutors are available to MIM students during these study sessions.