How to Help a Child With Attention Deficit Disorder Organize Schoolwork

Children with attention deficits have problems attending to tasks, especially tasks involved with school. Teaching your child how to keep school materials and work organized can lead to important organizational strategies that will last a lifetime.

Things You'll Need

• Different Color Tape
• Different Color Folders
• School Supplies
• Large Backpacks

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Instructions

• 1

  Buy a good backpack. Provide your child with a large backpack with plenty of storage spaces. Label the insides of pockets using a permanent black marker with the name of items that belongs in the pocket. Make a specific pocket for writing utensils, paperwork and folders, books and letters from school to home and vice versa.

• 2

  Color code subject materials. Let your child choose the colors and use different color folders for each subject. Coordinate the materials that go with the subject area to match the folder. Buy colored tape and mark each corresponding text book and use colored labels or stickers to put on a homework worksheets. Buy colored index cards for your child to write special instructions on for different subjects.

• 3

  Teach your child to keep all class work and homework assignments in the color coded folders.

• 4

  Check homework every night. Set up a homework time and be consistent with it. If your child has trouble remembering what the assignments are, work out a system with the teacher in which he or she writes assignments in a log for you to check and sign daily. If your child forgets to bring materials home, request a second set for you to keep at home.

• 5

  Organize homework before starting. Review all of the homework with your child and organize it from hardest to easiest. Estimate how long it will take to complete tasks and plan for a few breaks when you child can have a snack or watch a favorite TV program.

• 6

  Create a homework center in your house. Children with attention deficits perform best in well-lit quiet areas with very little distraction. Stock the homework area with pens, pencils, sharpeners, scissors, glue - anything your child may need to complete homework. Prepare ahead of time to decrease unnecessary interruptions.

• 7

  Designate a book bag spot. When your child is finished with homework put the book bag in the book bag spot every night. When your child leaves for school the following morning, the bag will always be there.

• 8

  Stay in constant communication with your child's teacher. Teacher's don't always have time and energy to call parents and sometimes wait until the last minute to inform parents of problems. Request weekly or monthly progress reports. Help the teacher create the progress report to make sure the items you are concerned about make the report.