10 Ways to Keep Your School-Aged Student with ADHD Organized and Successful the Whole School Year

No, you can’t be there in the class with your child to redirect them, write out those detailed homework assignments or help them pack their book bag at the end of the day before they run for the bus; at least not every day.  Having a child with ADHD myself, I have tried.  Walking with your child to each class every day is frowned upon.  There are, however, a few specific things that you can do that will minimize lost work,  unfinished assignments, and ultimately school stress for you and your student.

    1.  Request a meeting with your child’s teacher(s).  Do it now!

Don’t just walk through the class and shake their hand at Open House.  You will need to go deeper than that.  I mean really get to know them; talk with them in a sit-down face to face meeting.  This is simpler in Elementary grades in that there are unuslly only 1-3 main subject teachers with which your child will interact.  In middle and high school, however, you will need to email the teachers as a team and request a meeting.  In the initial email, be sure to thank them in advance for doing so much to help your little Johnny succeed.  This all takes time I know, but it is much better to get to know the teachers now before issues arise.

    2.  Prepare for the meeting.

Bring suggestios as to things that have worked in getting little Johnny to do the following:  pay attention, keep track of assignments, and be prepared with class materials.  You may only have one suggestion from a previous teacher, but that is still better than no suggestions.

Take notes on the requirements of each teacher (temperament, mannerisms are important too).  This is what tends to throw off students in their attempts to do what is required in each class.  Unfortunately, simply because most teachers’ personalities are quite varied, even if they all agree as a team that studnts need x, y, and z in order to succeed in their class, they can all arrive at that with varying degrees of discipline or simple reminders.

Most importantly, be sure to give the teachers your contact information.  Give them your cell number, not just the home phone number that no one uses or checks for messages.  Stress that you are always available to be contacted when issues or questions arise.

Ask that your student be seated near the front of the room so as to limit distractions from their peers.

    3.  Prepare supplies for school/each class.

You need to be the one to gather, organize and ultimately maintain the supplies for your student.  Yes, they need to become independent.  However, they also need to achieve success to gain confidence.  Have your child with you as you go through what is needed and how you will put those items in a binder; explain what you are doing as you do each step.  Some teacher may request a separate binder for each subject.  This is a really difficult thing for a student with ADHD to manage.  Explain to the team that your student will need to have one large binder with multiple labeled sections instead of multiple binders to manage and potentially leave in their locker or lose.  This is another topic of conversation for the initial meeting with the team.

    4.  Prepare a special spot for doing homework.

While a separate desk in their bedroom away from the distractions of the rest of the family is best, it is not necessary.  Create a quiet nook in your home away from the TV and other distractions.  Be sure to have additional school supplies like pencils, pens, rulers, calculator, etc. within reach at this location.  A handy calendar is also a reat way for your child to see when projects are due and how long they have to compelte assignments.  Color coding is a great technique for ADHD studnets to focus on specific things at certain times.  For example, you could designate calendar tasks in red as test studying times, tasks in blue could be related to sports they play, etc.

    5. Set up a daily structured homework time.

This could be immediately after school (recommended), or after they have their afterschool snack, after dinner, or sports.  The main idea here is that whichever time of afternoon you decide upon, make it a routine and an expectation.  If your child gets distracted while completing assignments that are lengthy, allow a brief break providing they agree to willingly return to their work after the designated time.

    6.  Tackle hardest subjects first.

Have your student work on the subjects they find most difficult first.  That way, you and they are less irritable and more patient since you have only begun the homework session.

    7.  Be there by their side during homework time.

This may be the toughest thing for a busy parent that just got home from work, trying to make dinner, and decompress from their own day, but is by far one of the most critical.  Being there for you ADHD student as they complete assignments shows them the importance of the work, allows them to ask you questions as they work, and most importantly perhaps, keeps the student focused.  Your child may resent the hovering at first, but explain that as soon as you begin to see that they can handle doing their work on their own for a few minutes at a time, you will go and return to check on them.  Let them earn this independence.

    8.  Keep lines of communication open throughout the school year.

Be sure to check your student’s book bag and planner/agenda daily.  Email the teachers with questions or comments about assignments. 

    9.  Avoid clutter!

Paper clutter can very quickly accumulate so go through your student’s folders with them and take out any out of date or no longer needed papers.  Some can be trashed, some filed in their large binder under the correct subject tab, while you may want to keep more special work in a small separate binder labeled with that student’s name and grade that you keep at home.

    10.  Take bedtimes and breakfast choices seriously.

Set an early bedtime, especially for the first few weeks of school, in order for your child to get accustomed to a bit less sleep and getting up early.  The amount of sleep your child gets each night will greatly impact their performance in class.  You can bet on it!  The amount of sleep time necessary for your child can vary, but a good place to aim is between 9 and 10 hours. 

Breakfast is critical for your child to think and focus on work instead of thinking and focusing on what is for lunch and how many more minutes or hours before they can eat.  This can be super distracting even for students without ADHD.

Setting up this routine can seem daunting at first, but it produces great dividends over the long term.  Your student may still get distracted in class and forget to bring home a folder or assignment, but with these organizational systems in place, your child will have a greater chance for a successful school year.