I have three children with ADHD. We may go to school at home, but the transition back to any type of school is real and chaotic. People must wake up at a certain time. They must eat breakfast at a certain time. They need to put on clothes (this has become a major issue after Covid). Putting down the pills, brushing your teeth, combing your hair, feeding the dog, picking up breakfast crumbs, cleaning the table, all these are done before we start school.
So I sent SOS to other parents whose children have ADHD. In commercial gobbledygook, I need real-world solutions and feasible hints. From a parent’s point of view, I need some serious help to restore order to my little devil, especially when the school reopens (fact: they are just hungry demons). We need to be routine. We need order. We need help. statistics.
Everyone said that all children need to do routine work, and then my brain is a bit shut down because I am not good at it (see: Mom and Dad have ADHD). But children with ADHD especially need to do routine work. They have difficulties in self-regulation and self-control-so they need more external controls, such as routines and structures, to help them deal with life, the universe, and everything. In turn, this structure allows them to have the confidence to succeed and learn to create success for themselves, rather than let their parents impose on them.
Melanie Grunow Sobocinski, an academic, ADHD and parent coach, shared a genius idea with her terrible mother: making a morning playlist. She said in her blog: “In the morning, we set the theme song to hug time, wake up, make the bed, dress, comb hair, breakfast, brush teeth, shoes and coats, and an alarm clock to go out. In the evening, we have backpacks, cleaning, The theme song of dimming the lights, changing pajamas, brushing teeth, and turning off the lights. Now, the song is no longer nagging, but keeps us on time.” This is a damn genius, someone please give her a medal. I’m already lining up to listen to songs on Spotify. This makes sense: children with ADHD need not only routines, but also time management. The song is built in both at the same time.
Renee H. pointed out to the terrible mother that children with ADHD “cannot imagine the final product.” So she recommends pictures. First, you “take a photo of them with everything they need. Wearing a mask, carrying a backpack, eating lunch boxes, etc.” Then, she said, “The night before, arranged in a grid pattern and from Photographs of items numbered from left to right to enhance the systematic approach.” My kids will eat this with a spoon.
Many parents tell terrible mothers that they use checklists. Kristin K. hung one on her child’s lanyard and put the other in the laundry room. Leanne G. recommends a “short, large-print list”—especially if children help them brainstorm ideas. Ariell F. put her “at the door, level with sight.” She uses dry erase boards and dry erase markers for one-off things, while Sharpies is used for daily tasks.
Anne R. told the terrible mother that she used Alexa to set reminders: “My son sets an alarm to wake up, then puts on clothes, takes a bag, packs things, homework reminders, bedtime reminders-everything is true.” Jess B. Use their timer function to help her children know how much time they have left in certain activities.
Stephanie R. told the terrible mother that they were already practicing the schedule. It’s not just a morning routine-her children eat very slowly, they only have half an hour for lunch, so they have already started to work hard. Parents of children with ADHD need to consider obstacles in advance, such as not having enough lunch time, which may regularly ruin the child’s day. What problems will my child have, and what can we practice now?
Many parents said that they had prepared things the night before, including clothes. Shannon L. said: “Set up the required materials in advance-such as sporting goods. Make sure all uniforms are washed and pack the equipment in advance. Last minute panic won’t work.” Sorting clothes-even sleeping in- It is helpful to many parents. I prepare children’s toothbrushes with toothpaste in the morning so that they can see them when they enter the bathroom.
Children with ADHD also cannot adapt well to structural changes. When different situations arise, it is best to prepare as many of them as possible. Tiffany M. told the terrible mother, “Always prepare them for activities and events. Experience potential situations that may happen so that their brains can prepare as much as possible for unexpected situations.”
Many parents point out how important it is to simply ensure that children with ADHD are not hungry, thirsty, or fatigued. Just because they have difficulty controlling themselves, their breakdowns are often more spectacular than other children (at least my children are). My husband is a genius who can remember this. If one of our children starts to perform poorly, he will first ask: “When was the last time you ate? What was the last time you ate?” (Rachel A. points out how important it is to include high-quality protein in all their meals). Then he continued: “What did you drink today?” Rachel also pointed out how necessary good sleep hygiene is for children with ADHD.
Almost everyone tells terrible mothers that children with ADHD need physical exercise. Even when walking around the house or walking the dog, children must move-preferably with as few structures as possible. I threw my kids into the backyard with their trampoline and huge rides (we are really honored to have all of them) and allowed anything that didn’t intentionally hurt the body. This includes digging huge holes and filling them with water.
Meghan G. told the terrible mother that she used post-it notes-and put them where people could touch them, such as doorknobs and faucets, or even her husband’s deodorant. She said they are more likely to see them in this way. I may have to implement this now.
Pamela T. has a good idea that can save everyone a lot of trouble: Children with ADHD tend to lose things. “For the executive function challenge of missing things-I put a tile on anything of value (backpack, speaker box, keys). I have seen his trumpet turn on the school bus several times!” (You The click I hear is that I am ordering tiles. Multiple tiles).
Ariell F. told the terrible mother that she put a “basket” at the door with the often forgotten last-minute necessities or redo morning steps (extra mask, extra hairbrush, wipes, sunscreen , Socks, some granola, etc.)…If you drive your child to school, put an extra toothbrush, hairbrush, and wipes in the car.” Make sure everything doesn’t get out of control at the last minute method!
My kids will love these things! I hope your child with ADHD will benefit from it as much as my child. With prompts like this, I feel more confident when entering the school year-they will make our (non-existent) daily work smoother.
We use cookies to collect information from your browser to personalize content and perform site analysis. Sometimes, we also use cookies to collect information about young children, but that is a completely different thing. Visit our privacy policy for more information.
Post time: Aug-31-2021