Helping Your ADHD Child Get Organized

You are well into the school year and you are noticing that your child is cluttered with papers, forgetting assignments, and extremely disorganized. One of the first steps to helping your ADHD child succeed at school is helping him get organized.  Use these tips to create structure, routine, and consistency:

Keep Track of Assignments

• Use a monthly calendar to keep track of future assignments
• For a child who needs extra supervision, allow your child's teacher to check the homework assignment book and initial if the assignments are written down correctly.
• Keep a pen in the ring of the planner so your child will be more likely to use it because he won't have to rummage through the backpack for a pen.
• The planner should be kept on the desk at all times during class.  You can say, "Your planner should be a part of your routine like your pencil so you can write down your assignments right away."
• For a child who refuses to use a planner, try creating a weekly assignment sheet instead.  Your child can also use post it notes that can be stuck to a binder or folder.

Organize Your Child's Stuff

• Fill a bucket with homework supplies. That way you can easily move it if you need to move to a computer.
• Keep minimal notebooks, binders, texts, and extra papers in the backpack.
• A smaller binder will force him to clean it out and organize it more regularly.
• If your child always forgets the textbook, label the spines of textbooks to help your child find their books easier inside of a locker or desk.
• If your child can't keep track of separate folders, start off with one folder.
• Have a consistent place to keep everything. Gather everything you need for the homework assignment such as a dictionary or calculator.
• If he won't bring home the handouts, decorate a separate folder just for handouts and reward him with a sticker each time he brings everything home.  Stickers can eventually add up to a prize at the end of the month.
• Use clear folders so your child can see exactly what is inside each folder
• Fill a bucket with homework supplies that can be easily moved to another workspace if necessary.

What Parents Can Do

• Establish a routine such as "all notebooks, assignments, and folders should be inside of the backpack before bedtime."
• You have to get organized so your child can get organized. Use a bulletin board for any loose papers or reminders.
• Create a visual chart of chores that shows the sequence of morning to evening activities. As your child completes the task, she moves the clothes pin down next to the corresponding picture. You can also make a checklist by drawing pictures instead of words for tasks that need to be completed.
• Spend 10-15 minutes jotting down all the to do list items: 1) Start each item with a verb, don't use the word decide. 2) Apply the 3 minute rule, if you can do it in 3 minutes or less, just get it out the way now and cross them off the list. 3) Transfer items to the planner's calendar. 4) Now create an action list of how to get these things done.
• Give your child reasons why getting organized is about making life easier not harder. After the first major cleanup done with your assistance, have him start each evening study session with a five minute "tidy-time." Eventually he'll form the habit of his own

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