15 Organization Tips for the ADD/ADHD Child

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Written by: MoShot

The number of children being diagnosed with Attention Deficit Disorder is on the rise, according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention.

Families are increasingly opting for pharmaceutical medications to treat kids.  In fact, two-thirds of children with a current diagnosis are being medicated — a jump of 28 percent from 2007 to 2011.

Attention Deficit Disorder and Attention Deficit and Hyperactive Disorder in children can quickly become a nightmare for parents especially mothers. But what can a parent do? Here are some tips that will bring order to the chaos and possibly reduce the need for medication to assist in productivity:

  1. Revise expectations: For starters, accept your child’s condition. Do not expect him to behave like your neighbor’s kids. Things that are easy for other kids will not be easy for your child. Identify the specific areas your child will have challenges. It will help handle anxieties that may crop up now and then. This is because you will have come up with practical ways to help your child.
  2. Affect some changes in your house: Create a soothing environment around your home which will make your child not suffer from anxiety. These might entail making drastic changes to the house. Paint it in a calming color such as blue. Remove items that might be a distraction in your child’s bedroom such as toys, electronics, and even a desk. It will help them sleep better.
  3. Have a quiet place for homework: For homework, have their desk in a calm, quiet corner of the house. Ideally, it should be staring at a blank wall that has no bright colours. This will make homework sessions productive. And as mothers, we all want our kids to succeed.
  4. Have a staging area for school items: Students are prone to lose academic materials like pens and pencils. If the student has ADHD, this propensity grows exponentially. That is why it is essential to have a central station at home for school items. Ideally, it should be somewhere near the door. This will help your child to locate them easily when getting ready for school.
  5. Have routines and schedules: Arguably, one of the most important things to know with a child with ADHD: routine is everything. Knowing when to wake up, when to brush their teeth, when to prepare for school etc. reduces their anxiety and makes them more productive. Try to make it as consistent as possible and stick to it. If you need to introduce a change, tell your child about it and make them understand gently what the change is about.
  6. Make sure your child is organized: ADHD children have a hard time being organized. To help out, there are several ways to keep them organized. For school items like books, color-code them according to the subject. Have a folder system that works for the child. Every week, review your child’s bag and folders to declutter them. Copies of important papers like permission slips can be posted in multiple places in the house to act as reminders.
  7. Give clear instructions: Whenever you want your child to do something, do not instruct him with general words like go do your homework. Instead, give clear instructions. Tell your child to go do the math homework on page 65. They will be far more productive that way.
  8. Find ways of managing aggression: ADHD children are prone to outbursts and can at times be violent. Have a system in place to handle such behavior with a view of discouraging it. One popular method is the use of “timeouts”. Time outs are not always effective as we want to encourage open dialogue with our children. Teaching our children how to communicate more effectively is the most important duty we can do for future success (ie. Discourage outburst and encourage discussion on what is causing the frustration). “Timeouts” are only effective if a child is over-stimulated and should only be moved to a less stimulating environment until the initial outburst of emotion passes. It is crucial to recognize these difficult moments are the most important moments to teach your child coping skills for their future.
  9. Have a reward system: When your child does a chore in the house, reward him. It can be as simple as praise. In school, encourage the teachers to praise the work they do as opposed to criticizing. This reinforces good behavior, and the child is more likely to succeed in school.  
  10. Encourage your child to exercise: It is a safe, healthy way of burning energy. Your child will learn to focus on a specific task which will improve his concentration. It will help relieve anxieties, depression while also good for brain development. Who knows, they might find passion in a particular sport and be a success story. Your child might even make a career out of it.
  11. Have a checklist in place: A checklist acts as a guiding hand to your child. ADHD children do not know what is expected of them. They have no idea what to do next. By having that checklist, the child can be ticking off what he has done and can read and know what needs to be done next.
  12. Break down chores into small tasks: As a mother, we know telling your kid to tidy his room can be quite a drama. ADHD children, on the other hand, can be overwhelmed by such a seemingly simple task. Break it down into small, manageable tasks. For example, tell them to start by picking up that shirt lying on the floor, then take it to the laundry basket. Little by little the room gets tidied.
  13. Teach him to use family calendar and timers: In academics, finishing assigned work in time is integral. Teach your child to use a timer as it will help them complete tasks in time. Family calendars can be used to schedule events like when to eat. Teach them to use it too. This makes him accountable.
  14. Invite the child to work with you : To show your child how household tasks are done, have them join you while working. When cooking for the family, have them help you clean the vegetables, salt the food, stir or even set the table. You can use the opportunity to have a conversation and catch up.
  15. Make it enjoyable: Learn to include fun activities into the chores. Throw dirty clothes into the laundry basket by making basketball throws. Have pillow fights when arranging the bed. After all, laughter and happiness will go a long way in bonding with your child. Raising a normal child can be draining. A child with ADHD in comparison must be terrifying. But there is no need to worry, with proper steps in place it should not be as overwhelming. The important thing to note is not to sweat the small stuff, keep calm and above all breathe.

 

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