ADD Student

Posts Tagged ‘ADD’

Kindall Nelson, a reporter for the Chicago Special Education Examiner, has put together a list she calls Summer Reading for Parents of Special Needs Students.

One of my favorites, The Short Bus: A Journey Beyond Normal by Jonathan Mooney, is on the list. Also included are some great handbooks for both parents and teachers.

The Wrightslaw books are excellent resources for parents, taking complicated issues and making them easier to understand.

How to Reach and Teach Children with ADD/ADHD: Practical Techniques, Strategies and Interventions by Sandra F. Rief, MA is aimed at teachers, but might be helpful for parents as well. You can use these ideas at home for homework and share them with your child’s teachers, too.

See Kindall’s post for the full list and her comments.

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All kids and most parents look forward to summer vacation. When my kids were in school, I looked forward to it as much as they did. It was a chance to take a break and get away from the stress that school could cause for all of us.

But with all the free time that summertime brings, it can also bring it’s own brand of stress and troubles.

The nature of summer vacation for most kids is one of almost complete freedom: no more getting up at a certain time, no school or homework, and for many, no extra activities. Just endless free time.

That kind of freedom can mean trouble for kids with ADHD.

ADHD kids thrive in a structured, organized environment, and for many kids, summer break is just the opposite.

Now all kids are different, as are families. Maybe yours does well in the summer when things are more relaxed.

But if you’re the kind of family or if your kid is the kind of kid who could use some structure, it’s easy to build it in. You don’t have to take it to the extent that the school year does - you can be more loose on when it’s time to get up or go to bed, but still add some purpose to their days.

You could establish a set reading time, for instance. Maybe the hour after lunch or mid-afternoon when it’s hottest can be designated as reading time. You could read to each other, or read silently. And if you could create a cool, inviting spot somewhere ideal for curling up with a book, well, that would be ideal.

One of the ideas I used to do with my kids each summer was to create a theme for the summer months. For instance, international summer. Each week we would pick a country and learn about it. We would cook a meal that was typical for that country and make some crafts that tied in with that culture.

Summer is great for letting kids experiment with crafts. A picnic table outdoors on the grass is great for letting kids use all the paints and glitter and glue that you’re cautious about using indoors. Use newspapers if you want to protect the table.

For more ideas for summer, check your local library for books or local events. And don’t forget sources like Boy Scout and Girl Scout handbooks. There are a lot of good ideas there.

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June is here, and for most kids in North America, that means the end of school. For those of you in other parts of the world who may still be in school, keep these tips in mind for when school is out in your area.

My 5 tips for a better summer:

1. Encourage reading for pleasure. Most kids, even those without ADHD, lose a good portion of their reading skills during the summer break. And believe it or not, that reduced ability come fall means teachers have to back track a little to get them up to speed. Poor reading skills can also affect other subject areas such as math or science.

2. Improve their diet by taking advantage of all the fresh fruits and vegetables summer has to offer. Rely less on packaged or processed foods, and take the words “drive through” out of your vocabulary. Concentrate on good proteins, fruits and veggies and less on grains.

3. Let them live by their own rhythm for a while. Let them stay up later and sleep in if they choose (within reason, of course). You can’t save up or bank sleep, but the extra rest and relaxation will do them good.

4. Encourage time spent outdoors. Time spent in nature seems to soothe the ADHD soul, so take advantage of the weather and go outside. Put up a basketball hoop, or a pool. Join the community pool if you have one, or start riding bikes or roller blading. Camping is an excellent idea that most kids enjoy. Plan your vacation around an outdoor setting or spend more time in the park.

5. Find activities they enjoy and use them to teach them skills they need. For instance, if focus or paying attention is a problem, look for times when they do focus well. Perhaps they love to play baseball or tennis and are good at concentrating on the game. Talk to them about that, ask questions, figure out how you can use that in other situations. And remember, the most important thing to do is to approach this in a casual, friendly let’s-get-together-and-figure-this-out way instead of a you’re-going-to-spend-all-summer-learning-to-do-better-in-school way.

Above all, spend time with all of your kids and enjoy every moment you can.

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