ADD Student

Archive for the ‘Time Management’ Category

Do you do a homework review with your ADD child each day? I bet you think you do.

Your idea of a homework review is one question: “Do you have any homework?”

Sorry, but you get about a C- for that answer.

A homework review is valuable for any child, but especially those with Attention Deficit Disorder. A real homework review (that will get you an A and maybe your kid, too) consists of the following:

The question - “Do you have homework?” followed by (regardless of the answer)
An unpacking of the backpack to see what came home and what didn’t
A search for the paper with the assignment on it, whether it’s a paper from the teacher or a note in your child’s notebook or planner
A search for corresponding supplemental items, like textbooks

Ideally, a homework review is done as soon as the child gets home, or if they’re in after school care, as soon as they arrive there. This gives you a better opportunity to get back to school and get whatever your child forgot.

Once you’ve determined that everything is there, you can decide about how much time will be needed and when the homework needs to be started.

A homework review also gives you the chance to straighten up the papers in the backpack, possibly see papers with grades or others that need your attention, and get a general sense of whether your child might be “forgetting” homework at school or failing to hand completed work in.

A daily homework review emphasizes the importance of school work and organization to your child, and teaches them a good habit as well.

Start making a homework review part of your routine. You’ll be glad you did.

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Lately I’ve been in a creative fever, turning out one thing after another.

Tonight, it’s a new E-book called Managing Your Life with ADHD - Ten Strategies for Organizing Your Time, Your Stuff and Your Life.

This is a completely new book with new material that I wrote today. It has all my best ideas and things that I do to keep my life running smoothly most of the time. It’s written for adults, but could be easily adapted for kids.

In addition to my ideas, I’ve included resources like websites when appropriate. It’s only $5.00 and you can get it here.

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Depending on how old your ADD Student is, this post may be more or less relevant for you, but I believe that everyone with Attention Deficit Disorder can take something from it.

Like everyone else, people with ADD have their own personal rhythm to their days. Maybe you’re a morning person, ready to start the day alert and full of energy. Or maybe you’re more like me, and find your real energy later in the day.

You can use this information to structure your days so that you get the most done, and so that tasks requiring more concentration will be done when you are more alert.

In college, for instance, my kids (except my son) have learned that taking a math class first thing in the morning is a sure ticket to trouble. My girl’s both have difficulty with math, so they need to take the class on a day with lighter classes and later in the day.

If you have a college student, or possibly a high schooler, you can use this same idea to plan out their classes, scheduling difficult classes at a time when they are most alert. (I know there are many middle and high schools who would object to such “parental interference”, but you might be able to have this as part of your child’s reasonable accommodations or IEP, with the cooperation of your doctor.)

Even if you don’t have the ability to arrange classes according to your child’s body rhythms, you can still use this knowledge to your advantage. Maybe you’ve got a child who hates math, and they’ve been stuck with it at a time when they’re not so focused. Knowing this ahead of time, you can anticipate that they will need additional help this year. Maybe you hire a tutor earlier in the year, or keep closer tabs on their weekly progress.

You can use this same theory for yourself as well, even if you don’t have ADD. If you tend to get the 3 o’clock slump every afternoon, you should probably re-schedule that meeting or plan to write that report another time of the day.

Oh, and if you want an intelligent, coherent answer from me, better wait til late in the evening. Make yourself a cup of coffee and give me a call.

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