Review your child’s IEP or 504 Plan.
Just as our children with attention deficit disorder or other learning disabilities master new skills and face new challenges each year, the accommodations they receive from school will need to grow with them. Read your child’s current IEP or 504 Plan. Consider which goals have been met and which areas remain trouble spots. Then, schedule a team meeting before the start of the school year.
Bring copies of all educational assessments, report cards, notes from the teacher, even individual tests and homework assignments — anything that will illustrate your child’s current achievement level. Discuss the goals you’ll focus on this year, the strategies that worked last year, and the ones that didn’t.
Organize school systems together.
Visit an office-supply store and check out the materials you can use to organize papers, supplies, and time. Choose organizational systems that will be easy enough for your child to manage independently at school and at home. Agree to experiment to find the right fit.
Stock up on school supplies.
Assume that your child will eventually need poster board or a protractor, buy lots of needs now, and store them where you can easily find them later. To get a sense of the projects your child will need supplies for, talk with the parent of a child who’s one grade ahead of yours.
Consider this year’s after-school activities.
Would your child benefit from more physical activity? Consider sports or dance. Does he need to practice focusing and recalling information? Why not join a chess club? Try to build on your child’s routines with activities that will enhance his strengths and provide opportunities for working on tasks he finds challenging.
Find a tutor or homework helper.
If you feel that your child might benefit from help to manage his ADHD or learning disabilities, find one now. Test-drive several candidates for personality and skill. Don’t choose a tutor who encourages dependence in your child. The goal is to give your child ways to meet challenges on his own.
Make a calendar.
Being able to foresee deadlines gives children a sense of control over their lives. Start by having a conversation with your child about daily, weekly, and monthly schedules. Discuss and agree on predictable routines, school, extracurricular and social activities, and other events that you and your child would like to pursue. The more input your child has about his time-management plan, the more likely he will follow through.
Review medication.
Was your child off medication during the summer break? If so, you may want to restart it a week or two before school begins. Ask your doctor.
Set goals together.
Sit down with your child and brainstorm what he might achieve in the next school year. Focus on strengths, as well as on areas that need improvement. Make the goals attainable. Meeting goals empowers children and enables them to meet tougher challenges later.
This article comes from the August/September issue of ADDitude.
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