Author: Aileen de Souza | October 12th, 2021
“Your books are still on the table!”, “Where are your shoes?”, “You missed your assignment deadline again!”, “Put the toys in the box!”, “Your room is a mess!” Do you find yourself repeating instructions to your child all the time? Could your child have difficulty remembering all the different things they need to do?
Mental skills that help us organise, plan and remember what we need to do are called ‘Executive Functions’. Children with ADHD have brain differences which affect these executive function skills.
Here are some tips to help your child get organised:
1) Use labels: This can help everyone in the house know where things go. Stick to one word per label. You can have labels for toys, books, clothes and so on.
2) Make it visual: Give your child a written checklist of the tasks they have to do. This can be a daily or weekly checklist. A reward system can also be added to this system. Use a calendar to write down important dates school or personal as they are scheduled.
3) Use alarms and timers: Set alarms for important activities and reminders needed through the day. Use timers for study time, break time, electronic use time. Timings are to be discussed before hand and written down.
4) Have a weekly cleanout: Check your child’s belongings – books, toys, clothes, cupboards weekly, help them clean out and re-organise.
5) Acknowledge efforts and successes : Praise your child along the way as they do their best to keep them motivated.
AILEEN DE SOUZA
Psychologist