Getting It Done
| March 31, 2009 | Posted by Brenda under ADD |
One of the biggest complaints I hear from parents about their ADHD kids is that they either can’t get them to keep their room straight or they can’t get them to clean it. Feel free to insert backpack, car, or whatever here.
There are a lot of reasons why the room looks the way it does in the first place:
-
They tend to leave everything out so that they can see it and therefore find it again.
They tend to leave everything out because it’s easier.
They leave things laying around because they don’t know what to do with them.
They leave things laying around because they get distracted on their way to the closet or dresser.
Now that you have that information, you can begin to remedy the situation.
First, the room will probably need a good cleaning. Regardless of age, that might be best accomplished with you alongside them. That way, you can keep them on track and give direction. Take frequent breaks, use praise instead of criticism, and keep in mind that they may not know how to do some things. My son Andy, at 24, still thinks folding a shirt is wadding it up into a smaller size package.
Also, it might be a good idea to start with a plan – another thing that will need your direction. The room is liable to be overwhelming to them, and therefore will seem like too big a job. If they can know what to expect – we’ll do this today, and tomorrow we’ll tackle that – it eases their sense of overwhelm.
You can even make it fun – that might help things immensely. Get a hula hoop or a laundry basket and toss it into the room. Anything within the hula hoop or underneath the basket gets cleaned up and put away and then you’re done for the day, or the time being. Pick up all the purple stuff first, or everything that’s round, or that smells. (That could be a big one.)
Put on some music, and plan a reward for a job well done once the room is clean.
The next thing after you get the room organized is to put it in good working order so that it’s easier to keep clean. And that’s for another day.
This is the default footer layout. You can easily add or remove columns in the footer.
I must say that by and large I am really happy with this web site. After reading your post I can tell you are educated about your writing. Looking forward to future posts. Thanks!
It is simple to see that you are chuffed about your writing. Cheers!