A school-age child with attention deficit disorder (ADD ADHD) or a learning disability is a busy child. Along with academic and social demands, she's probably also juggling extracurricular activities, playdates and sleepovers, and, oh yes, family responsibilities.
On top of all this, she's expected to bring home assignments and the right books, remember to grab her jacket from the bus, do her homework daily, and put away her toys without being asked. Such hectic schedules and high expectations can be overwhelming, especially for children with attention deficit disorder (ADD ADHD).
Many children need school help -- it's hard for anyone to get and stay organized during back-to-school time. But for children with ADHD, whose ability to organize, prioritize, and manage time is affected by neurological deficiencies, the challenges are far greater.
That's where you come in. Work with your child to get school help by supplying her with organization tips to gain control at home and at school.
ADHD or no ADHD, organization is not an innate skill. Children must learn to manage and maintain systems. Consider yourself your child's consultant. She should be engaged in the process, so involve her in every step and allow her to make choices and decisions. Help your child practice her skills on a regular basis, and follow through with the systems you create together.
Organization for school has two major components:
- TIME MANAGEMENT — how your child keeps up with homework assignments, activities, and appointments.
- PAPER FLOW AND MANAGEMENT — how papers move to and from school and what your child does with these papers now and later.
Because time management is the more challenging, especially for a child with ADHD, that's where we'll start.
ON TIME
In my 15 years as an organizational coach, I've learned that understanding and managing time is a huge part of being organized. The concept of time is difficult for children to master, especially in our digital world.
Schools and parents teach kids how to use a calendar and read a clock, but by fourth, fifth, and even sixth grade, some children still haven't mastered these skills. Older elementary-school students are expected to be somewhat independent and manage a large school workload, long-term assignments, and extended projects — next-to-impossible tasks for a child who doesn't grasp time.
Understanding sequence
Children learn about time from an early age. Initially, toddlers are exposed to sequence and routine: First you have a bath, then you have a story, then you go to sleep. Eventually, sequences include the concept of before and after: Before dinner you will take a bath; after a story, you will go to sleep. In kindergarten and first grade, the teacher puts up a daily schedule and uses words and pictures to review it. The concept of time expands to include days of the week, months, and seasons.
By second grade, students are introduced to the clock and are taught to tell time. The clock is reviewed again in third grade — and then time education comes to an end. At this point we expect children to infer that calendars and clocks can be used to determine the sequence of events and create routines. We also expect that children will translate their understanding of time into responsible planning. Unfortunately, many kids, particularly those with ADHD, do not make these leaps and are lost in school because of it.
You can help your child by reinforcing these concepts at home. Make sequence clear to him by giving specific verbal cues — first, next, then, before, after — as you develop a routine. Ask questions: What comes next? Do you remember what you did first? Reinforce sequence comprehension by giving a series of directions using these verbal cues. Make it fun ("First do ten jumping jacks, then write your name backwards") and have your child give you directions as well. Tell him that you are doing this to help him learn how to listen carefully and pick up on important words that tell us what order to do things in. Ask him to point out words that are related to time. A child who masters the concept of sequence will be better able to organize and prioritize tasks.
Concepts of before and after eventually develop into yesterday, today, and tomorrow, and develop further into past, present, and future. Again, as your child learns these concepts, support them at home. Talk about future vacation plans or reminisce about his last birthday party.
