Establishing Time Management For Your ADD/ADHD Child

One of the symptoms exhibited by children who suffer from ADD/ADHD is being disorganized and having difficulty moving from one task to the next. By helping your child establish a good time management program, you can help assure that he will do better in school and in later life.

Many children who suffer from ADD/ADHD seem to function better if they follow a daily routine. You need to establish a time for specific activities such as mealtimes, homework, and bedtime and keep the same schedule every day. When scheduling a specific time for your child to go to bed, you should be aware that lack of sleep can make attention disorders worse. You should make sure that your child goes to bed early enough to enable him to get the recommended amount of sleep for children in his age group.

You may also want to try to schedule activities in the course of the day that will keep your child busy. Try to plan things that interest him as ADD children seem to focus better on activities that they want to do while their minds tend to wander when doing things that they are not interested in. You may want to plan projects that require your child to use his hands. Experts have noticed that children who suffer from ADD/ADHD seem to relax if they holding something that they can stroke with their hands, such as a stuffed animal or a lap pillow. When planning these activities you should not overwhelm your child with too many things to do in one day. Scheduling too many activities for an ADD/ADHD child can agitate the symptoms of this disorder.

Another way that you can help your child manage his ADD symptoms is to make sure that he has a place to go that is quiet and private. Because of his disorder, your child is bombarded by outside stimuli all day long. Ensuring that he has a place that is quiet with a minimum of noise and distractions can help your child to relax and can also help him to train his body to sit still for extended periods of time.

There are several ways that you can help your child to organize and manage his time. The first step that you need to take is to organize your home so that your child will know where different things should be. You should also make sure that your child has a specific place to do his homework that is away from any distractions. Depending on the amount of homework that your child may have, you will probably want to have him take several short breaks during his homework time. You may also want to purchase him a special notebook for recording his homework assignments so he does not forget any of them.

Many ADD/ADHD children become stressed if they are rushed. One way to avoid this is to have your child lay out his clothes for school the night before. You should also make sure that his schoolwork is located in a place where he can easily grab it on his way out. You can also avoid upsetting your child by making sure that he is awake early enough in the morning so that he does not feel as if there is a big rush to get out the door.

All children need some routines and structure in their lives, but this is especially true for children that suffer from ADD/ADHD. These youngsters feel insecure and anxious if they do not know what they are supposed to do next. By giving your ADD child a scheduled routine, he will feel less anxious and stressed and this will eventually build his self esteem. After he learns this routine, you may be surprised to see some of his symptoms lessen slightly. A little effort on your part now can enable you to help your ADD/ADHD child grow into a confident and healthy adult.