Reserve your spot in this free webinar, and get the event replay link plus a 15% discount to ADDitude magazine

Not available June 17th? Don’t worry. Register now and we’ll send you the replay link to watch at your convenience.

Summer is tricky. The break from school is liberating and renewing, but for children with ADHD, the long days and lack of structure can lead to meltdowns and screentime overuse — common complaints among parents. With the right strategies and thoughtful routines, however, caregivers can build the summer-specific structure needed to ease transitions, encourage ongoing organization, and smooth the bumps of school break.

In this interactive webinar, viewers will have the opportunity to ask questions to Dave Anderson, Ph.D., an expert in child behavioral development, and gain practical strategies to create a balanced summer routine that promotes fun and reduces stress.

In this webinar, you will learn:

• How to maintain a semi-structured schedule that supports consistency and reduces anxiety
• Effective strategies to help manage kids’ video game and other tech device use
• How to set realistic goals for your child and use small rewards to encourage progress
• The importance of fostering your child’s independence while maintaining behavioral boundaries for a smooth, enjoyable summer.

Have a question for our expert? There will be an opportunity to post questions for the presenter during the live webinar.

Summer Activities and ADHD: Resources

• Free Download: Your Guide to a Smarter Summer
• Read: How to Survive Summer Vacation
• Read: Summer Survival Guide for Parents of Extreme Children
• Read: The Best Summer Is a Strategized Summer
• eBook: Your ADHD Summer Survival Guide

Meet the Expert Speaker

Dave Anderson, Ph.D., is Vice President, Public Engagement and Education; and Senior Psychologist, ADHD and Behavior Disorders Center, at the Child Mind Institute.

Dr. Anderson specializes in evaluating and treating children and adolescents with ADHD and behavior disorders. He also has broad experience with anxiety and mood disorders. His expertise includes cognitive behavioral therapy, behavioral parent training, school-based consultation, and classroom behavioral support. Dr. Anderson is devoted to ensuring that patients receive innovative, cutting-edge care tailored to each family’s specific needs.

Certificate of Attendance: For information on how to purchase the certificate of attendance option (cost $10), register for the webinar, then look for instructions in the email you’ll receive one hour after it ends. The certificate of attendance link will also be available here, on the webinar replay page, several hours after the live webinar. ADDitude does not offer CEU credits.

Closed captions available.

Time management is a common challenge for people with ADHD. I don’t think hypnosis would be much help. Rethinking your environment and devising strategies to support your time management weaknesses would be best.

Place a bunch of clocks around your house — not digital clocks but the old-fashioned analog clocks and timers with hands that move. When you can literally see the progression of time, you will become more aware of it.

[Get This Free Download: Time-Management Guide for Adults with ADHD]

Being intentional about time management is important. Ask yourself: When do I actually need to leave? Let’s say you have a 2PM appointment. How long will it take to get there? How long to park? Add 15 minutes to your calculation because, somehow, everyone always seems to need 15 more minutes. Then, when you figure out what time to leave, set a bunch of reminders on your phone. Start with a reminder for 10 minutes before, and then five minutes before.

Make sure you’ve already written down the address and phone number of the place you’re going and what you need to bring. You don’t want to be driving in the car and then asking yourself: What was that address? Looking through emails on your phone is not what you want to be doing just before or while you’re driving. Set yourself up with everything you’ll need before you head out.

When you’re overwhelmed and scrambling, you’re not paying attention to time. So give yourself some breathing room. Be more intentional about your scheduling, and, in particular, pay attention to what comes before your appointment time. If that previous activity is likely to run long or get you stuck in traffic, save it for another time.

ADHD Treatment Can Help Minimize Shame

Q: “My child with ADHD is struggling with the weight of shame and low self-esteem. Which approaches are most helpful for supporting him?”

Would your child benefit from medication if he’s not already on it? Consider seeing a therapist or an ADHD coach to help him. Find ways to get on top of his ADHD symptoms and reduce their impact on his ability to get things done.

[Read: 42 Time-Management Apps and Hacks That Work for ADHD Brains]

Also coming to a place of acceptance is key. He doesn’t have to be perfect. And he doesn’t have to be liked by everybody else. Talk about the things you both like about him.

Help him set realistic expectations for what he can accomplish. And when he does achieve those goals, let him know it’s a job well done.

Time Management Tools: Next Steps

• Self-Test: Executive Dysfunction Test: Symptoms in Adults with ADHD
• Free Download: Never Be Late Again
• Read: How ADHD Warps Time Perception

SUPPORT ADDITUDE
Thank you for reading ADDitude. To support our mission of providing ADHD education and support, please consider subscribing. Your readership and support help make our content and outreach possible. Thank you.

Keeping a clean house with ADHD — especially when all household members have it — is an exercise in teamwork. It requires planning, communication, routines, and lots of patience.

Focus on the Why

Especially with kids, talk often about how striving for organization and less clutter helps them and the family. Say:

• When we do the dishes and put them away, it means that we have clean dishes for our next meal.
• When we put our laundry in the hamper, our clothes get washed, so we have clean clothes to wear.

Bring up frustrating moments they’ve experienced due to disorganization and how a system could help them. Say, “Remember how anxious you felt that one morning when you couldn’t find your backpack? If you put your backpack away in the same place, you can find it every time.” Consider using visual reminders.

Other helpful scripts for all family members:

• “If you decide where something lives and you always put it back there, you will always know where to find it. That’s the reason that we’re organized.”
• “Don’t put it down, put it away. If you put something down, you’ll only have to deal with it later.”
• “Take the extra 10 seconds to put it away. Then it’s over with.”
• “This household is a community. We all live in it together.”

[Get This Free Download: How to Tidy Up Your Home Like a Pro]

Declutter Before You Organize

“Declutter” and “organize” are not synonymous; the latter means putting your things in places so you can find them when you need them. Organizing before decluttering often leads to headaches, as you’re trying to find spots for things that you don’t use.

Having less stuff is the key to being organized. If your home quickly becomes messy again after organizing, it’s a telltale sign that you have too much stuff and need to prioritize decluttering.

Avoid the “Right Vs. Wrong” Vortex

There is no “right” way to keep an organized home. But your family can agree to goals for common spaces and commit to systems that work for everyone, even if unconventional. One client of mine kept sunscreen in the kitchen; the only time her kids sat still enough to apply it was when they were eating. Brilliant! Rather than force her to store sunscreen in the “right” place, we made a sunscreen station for her in the kitchen.

Set up a routine that the family can do together, like a two-hour tidying session every Sunday after lunch. A practice, even if imperfect, can control mess before it explodes.

[Read: How to Win the War on Clutter]

Everyone Needs Space to Be Messy

Not everyone has the same standards for organization and tidiness. As much as possible, allow family members to maintain their personal spaces as they see fit. Trying to control every inch of your home can lead to conflicts, so it’s best to let go. Take it from me, a professional organizer with a messy husband: I stay away from his home office because it’s his space, and our marriage benefits from that.

Bring In Help If You Can

If you find yourself feeling exhausted, resentful, and hopeless about the state of your home, consider hiring a professional organizer who understands neurodivergence. They can demystify decluttering and organization, reduce your stress, and create efficient systems tailored to your needs.

How to Keep a Clean House with ADHD: Next Steps

• Read: How to Motivate for Cleaning House When You Really Don’t Want To
• Read: 33 ADHD-Friendly Ways to Get Organized
• Q&A: “How Do I Know When to Declutter Vs. Organize?”
• eBook: Declutter Your Life (and Home! and Office!)

The content for this article was derived from the ADDitude ADHD Experts webinar titled, “How to Organize a Messy Home: Strategies for Clutter and Stress in ADHD Families” [Video Replay & Podcast #520] with Tracy McCubbin, which was broadcast on September 10, 2024.

Your child can’t find their backpack and the school bus is here already. Wait, they found it. But where’s their homework and the permission slip for that field trip? Oh no, Dad misplaced his wallet and keys — again. Ten minutes later, he’s still searching. Now he’ll be late for work.

Does this sound familiar? Few things cause more strife in a household than clutter and disorganization. When a home is messy, and things are hard to find, it can make everyone feel stressed. Families touched by ADHD can thank weak execution function skills for this all-too-common scenario.

And here’s what can add another layer of conflict: When only some family members have ADHD and struggle to keep things organized and tidy, and others in the household are the opposite — and neat. ADHD or not, you can take control of your surroundings and optimize your spaces with our decluttering techniques and efficient storage solutions. We will bring harmony back to your newly organized and functional environment.

In the webinar, you will learn:

• About the common struggles families face when only some in the household have ADHD, and the conflict that ensues when all family members have ADHD
• About techniques to help kids and parents get started on their goal to become organized and create spaces to put things where they belong
• How having less stuff is key to being organized, and the techniques to help you decide what to keep and what to toss
• How to compromise and bring harmony back to your household

We will also tackle readers’ real-life situations, as well as recount my own experience as a professional organizer who is married to a very lovely but very messy man.

Watch the Video Replay

Enter your email address in the box above labeled “Video Replay + Slide Access” to watch the video replay (closed captions available) and download the slide presentation.

Download or Stream the Podcast Audio

Click the play button below to listen to this episode directly in your browser, click the  symbol to download to listen later, or open in your podcasts app: Apple Podcasts; Audacy; Spotify; Amazon Music; iHeartRADIO 

How to Organize a Messy Home with ADHD: More Resources

• Free Guide: Hoarding Disorder vs. ADHD Clutter
• Q&A: “Should I Hire a Professional Organizer?”
• Read: How to Motivate for Cleaning House When You Really Don’t Want To
• eBook: Declutter Your Life (and Home! and Office!)

Obtain a Certificate of Attendance

If you attended the live webinar on September 10, 2024, watched the video replay, or listened to the podcast, you may purchase a certificate of attendance option (cost: $10). Note: ADDitude does not offer CEU credits. Click here to purchase the certificate of attendance option »

Meet the Expert Speaker

Tracy McCubbin has always lived by the motto, “Don’t put it down, put it away.” But who knew she could turn that philosophy into a booming business? While working for a major television director in Hollywood, Tracy discovered she had the ability to see through any mess and clearly envision a clutter-free space. Coupled with her keen time management and organizational skills, Tracy soon found fulfillment in helping people discover real solutions by getting to the root of their clutter. That’s when dClutterfly was born.

Almost two decades and thousands of decluttered homes later, Tracy knew it was time to take what she had learned working with her clients to help others around the world dealing with clutter. She authored two best-selling books: Making Space, Clutter-Free: The Last Book on Decluttering You’ll Ever Need and Make Space for Happiness: How to Stop Attracting Clutter and Magnetizing the Life You Want, bringing the beauty of organizing to homes everywhere. (#CommissionsEarned)

Tracy is also a regularly featured expert in The New York Times, Forbes, goop, The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, Yahoo News, CBS, NBC, FOX, Real Simple, and more.

#CommissionsEarned As an Amazon Associate, ADDitude earns a commission from qualifying purchases made by ADDitude readers on the affiliate links we share. However, all products linked in the ADDitude Store have been independently selected by our editors and/or recommended by our readers. Prices are accurate and items in stock as of time of publication.

Listener Testimonials

“I have heard Tracy before, and I think about what she says when I stare at boxes or piles. I have made small improvements. This motivated me to make a plan again and move forward.”

“Thank you SO much! I’m 74 and still trying. Best takeaways: If you’re keeping it because you’re afraid it’s going to the landfill, your home is the landfill; and keep putting it away in the same place, like your toothbrush, and you will eventually always know where it belongs.”

“This seminar really made me reflect on how I have improved my skills regarding decluttering. I remember years ago when I used to ‘shut down’ whenever the time came to get rid of things. Now, I do things differently, and I feel pretty good about these changes in myself.”

Webinar Sponsor

The sponsor of this ADDitude webinar is…

Play Attention: Boost Brainpower and Regain Control. Overwhelmed by daily chaos? ADHD can make managing family life challenging, but there’s a solution. Play Attention’s personalized program is designed to help parents and kids alike improve executive function, focus, and organization. Our NASA-inspired technology, backed by research from Tufts University School of Medicine, helps you develop cognitive control to enhance organization, regulate emotions, and improve productivity, creating a calmer, more structured family life.

Ready to turn the mess into success? Take our ADHD test or schedule a consultation to kickstart your journey to sharper focus and a better quality of life with Play Attention. Call 828-676-2240 or visit www.playattention.com.

ADDitude thanks our sponsors for supporting our webinars. Sponsorship has no influence on speaker selection or webinar content.

Follow ADDitude’s full ADHD Experts Podcast in your podcasts app:
Apple Podcasts | YouTube Podcasts | Spotify | Google Play | Amazon Music | RadioPublic | Pocket Casts | iHeartRADIO | Audacy

Arguing and pleading with your student will not work. Giving them a voice in the process of prioritizing tasks and managing time will be more effective. To help build your child’s executive function skills, follow these steps.

1. Be a model.

Show your child how to plan and prioritize by working on a fun task together. For example, plan a trip to the ice cream shop: Walk or take the car, choose the route, take money with you, decide what flavor you want, and place the order. Model the planning of a desirable task so your child can see it in action and engage in the process.

[Get This Free Checklist: Common Executive Function Challenges — and Solutions]

2. Let your child plan.

Have your child plan an activity, breaking down all the steps from start to finish, and estimating how much time each step will take. Time estimation is an important life skill that seldom comes easily. At home and in the classroom, challenge your child to write down how long they think it will take to do various tasks and then record how long it actually takes.

3. Anticipate roadblocks.

As we teach children to plan, we must also help them to anticipate roadblocks that may interfere with their schedule. College students, I observed, would often plan to get to class with just enough time to print out an assignment, only to find that the network was down.

4. Apply the Premack Principle.

When students prefer one important task over another, use the Premack Principle: Have your student do the less preferred activity first to increase the odds that they’ll finish it to get to the preferred activity.

Here are other proven strategies for getting things done in class and at home:

[Read: How to Stack Habits to Improve Executive Functioning]

• Productivity gurus agree that the Eisenhower Matrix is a simple yet powerful way to set priorities and to focus your time and energy on what matters most. The matrix is divided into four quadrants according to two attributes: urgency and importance. Finishing a big work presentation for your boss that’s due tomorrow is both highly urgent and highly important. Washing your car is neither. Assigning each task to a quadrant helps students break up their to-do lists and truly see priorities.
• Getting started is often the hardest part of any assignment. The parent or educator can do the first step or two with a student, then have them continue the work alone. You can also alternate steps: the adult does one step, then the child does one, and so on.
• Play “beat the clock,” a game that can kickstart students with and without ADHD. One of my students would procrastinate by putting his head down on the desk. I learned to say, “Andrew, I bet that this will take you 10 minutes to do.” Guess what? He would get it done in five minutes to prove me wrong. This strategy may, however, be too stressful for students who have anxiety.
• Buddy systems, or doing a task with another person, can help motivate a student and keep them accountable.
• Charts and self-monitoring help students see their progress when completing a task with multiple parts. Crossing off items gives everyone a feeling of accomplishment.

How to Prioritize: Next Steps

• Free Download: The Eisenhower Matrix for Prioritization
• Read: The Educator’s Guide to Executive Functions
• Read: Be on Time! Teaching Sequence and Schedules

Beverley Holden Johns is an author and learning and behavior consultant. She has worked with students with learning differences for more than 30 years.

SUPPORT ADDITUDE
Thank you for reading ADDitude. To support our mission of providing ADHD education and support, please consider subscribing. Your readership and support help make our content and outreach possible. Thank you.

Each Fall, many families dive headfirst into big ideas for doing things differently in the new school year… only to see those hopes and ambitions unravel before Halloween. Kids get out of bed grumpily, arrive late to school, struggle to do homework, and fight about their chores. The constant cycle of arguments, reminders, and stress leaves everybody frustrated and unhappy. What if you could nurture cooperation and accountability in your family instead? You can — by learning how to begin this school year with practical tools for a smooth transition.

In this webinar, Dr. Sharon Saline will show you how to change self-defeating cycles by improving key executive functioning skills related to productivity for students. Many children and teens with ADHD become so easily frustrated or overwhelmed that they cannot engage in the organizational tools that would help them. Beginning with methods for understanding and managing time, Dr. Saline shows you how to collaboratively teach realistic planning and effective prioritizing. When kids know how to realistically assess the amount of time they need for an activity, and then arrange tasks according to urgency, importance, and level of difficulty, they develop the independence needed for success at school and at home.

In addition to our standard question-and-answer period, we’ve added a live “Solve My Problem” portion of the webinar where Dr. Saline will address three specific scenarios submitted by ADDitude readers during the webinar registration process. You will leave this webinar with a set of practical strategies and solutions to use right away!

In this webinar, caregivers and educators will learn how to:

• Identify the executive functioning skills that affect productivity, organization, and follow-through
• Use tools for improving time management, planning, and prioritizing
• Develop strategies for effective decision-making that reduce stress and negativity
• Create effective routines with meaningful incentives that foster performance and goal-directed persistence
• Increase cooperation and reduce pushback for challenging tasks

Watch the Video Replay

Enter your email address in the box above labeled “Video Replay + Slide Access” to watch the video replay (closed captions available) and download the slide presentation.

Download or Stream the Podcast Audio

Click the play button below to listen to this episode directly in your browser, click the  symbol to download to listen later, or open in your podcasts app: Apple Podcasts; Audacy; Spotify; Amazon Music; iHeartRADIO 

Time Blindness & Executive Function in ADHD Students: More Resources

• Sign Up: ADHD @ School: A Free Class for Parents
• Read: Prioritize & Organize With These Planner Pointers
  
• Read: Activity Ideas to Hone Brain Skills
  
• Read: Teaching Sequence and Schedules
• eBook: A Parent’s Guide to Effective Routines
  

Obtain a Certificate of Attendance

If you attended the live webinar on August 28, 2024, watched the video replay, or listened to the podcast, you may purchase a certificate of attendance option (cost: $10). Note: ADDitude does not offer CEU credits. Click here to purchase the certificate of attendance option »

Meet the Expert Speaker

Sharon Saline, Psy.D., clinical psychologist and author of the award-winning book, What Your ADHD Child Wishes You Knew: Working Together to Empower Kids for Success in School and Life and The ADHD Solution Deck, specializes in working with children, teens, emerging adults and families living with ADHD, anxiety, learning disabilities, autism, twice exceptionalism, and mental health issues. (#CommissionsEarned) She lectures and facilitates workshops internationally on topics such as understanding ADHD, executive functioning, anxiety, motivation, different kinds of learners, and the teen brain. Dr. Saline is a regular contributor to ADDitudemag.com, among many other leading publications.

Learn more at www.drsharonsaline.com.

#CommissionsEarned As an Amazon Associate, ADDitude earns a commission from qualifying purchases made by ADDitude readers on the affiliate links we share. However, all products linked in the ADDitude Store have been independently selected by our editors and/or recommended by our readers. Prices are accurate and items in stock as of time of publication.

Listener Testimonials

“This will really complement my work as a Children’s Wellbeing Practitioner as well as help my family.”

“Dr. Saline is outstanding! Thank you so much. From a family with a momma with ADHD and 2 daughters — a teen and a tween!”

“Exceptionally helpful and uplifting discussion. Thank you for all that you do, Dr. Saline and ADDitude Magazine team!”

Follow ADDitude’s full ADHD Experts Podcast in your podcasts app:
Apple Podcasts | YouTube Podcasts | Spotify | Google Play | Amazon Music | RadioPublic | Pocket Casts | iHeartRADIO | Audacy

I hear from parents who are struggling to give their children what they need while also coping with their own stressors. Many feel ill equipped to fill the roles of parent, teacher, coach, playmate, and everything else — all at once and all at the same time. But while toilet paper, hand sanitizer, and flour may feel essential, the thing our kids need most right now is something well within reach: our presence.

Here are four rules to keep in mind as we navigate the “Global Pause” with our children:

1. Practice Self-Compassion

In navigating this crisis, our kids are demanding more of us, even as we’re juggling more than our fair share of roles and responsibilities. We won’t balance and execute it all perfectly, but we can help ourselves by tending to our emotional, mental, and physical wellbeing — and prioritizing self-care, even (or perhaps especially) when things feel so messy.

[Click to Read: 3 Good (and Curable) Reasons Your Family is So Stressed Out]

The truth? There is no “right way” to get through this pandemic. We don’t have to be productive, or revisit an old hobby, or even change out of our pajamas (unless we want to). Instead, let’s aim for:

1. Doing our best every day
2. Practicing relentless self-compassion

This is not only how we’ll best support our kids; it is also how we powerfully model how to get through hard things. I can’t think of a better takeaway.

2. Keep Yourself Emotionally Present

We may be physically sharing space with our kids all day every day, but that doesn’t automatically translate to emotional presence. And regardless of how they’re coping — shutting us out, distracting themselves with technology, immersing themselves in a project — there will be times when they need us to be all there to listen, play, process, and support.

[Get This Free Download: Your 13-Step Guide to Raising a Child with ADHD]

What this looks like will depend on your child: It could be an invitation to play a game or a philosophical conversation started just after the lights go out. It might even be an offer to help cook dinner, garden, or clean (hey, a girl can dream, right?). Regardless, we want our response to be the same: prioritize family over everything else and be present. Our kids are going to need us when they need us. By being emotionally present for them, we’re contributing to their sense of safety.

3. Choose Your Words Carefully

It’s important that parents have honest, age-appropriate conversations with their kids about what’s happening in the world, but it’s important that we do so from a place of calm. Our kids need to know that they’re safe and that we are here to take care of them; that they don’t need to take on worries that are beyond their control.

Still, we may not be feeling safe ourselves, and it’s important for us to acknowledge those feelings, too… just not to or around our kids. My husband and I have a rule that we talk about our end-of-days irrational fears, worries over health, and concerns about the economy and jobs during our daily couple-only walks or runs, never in front of our son.

4. Listen, Empathize, and Listen Some More

Processing complicated feelings like sadness, disappointment, or fear is likely going to happen out loud for our kids in the form of grumbling, complaining, whining, catastrophizing, raging. Sound familiar? Because our own current stressors feel much more immediate and critical, our knee-jerk reaction to our kids’ venting might be to get annoyed, minimize their experience, or shut them down.

Safely expressing those big, hard feelings to us is exactly what they need. Our job right now is to listen and empathize with their experience: “You are really having a hard time right now. You’re really missing your friends. It’s hard when you can’t do the things you enjoy doing the most”). And be sure they know we’re always available to listen some more.

[Read This Next: The ADHD Soul Shine Kit: Build Your Child’s Self Esteem]

Deborah Reber is a New York Times bestselling author, speaker, and the founder of TiLT Parenting, a resource for parents raising differently wired children. Her TiLT Parenting Podcast—on which she interviews high-profile thought leaders in parenting and education—has grown to be a top podcast in iTunes’ Kids and Family category, with more than 2 million downloads. Before launching TiLT, Debbie spent 15 years writing inspiring books for teen girls, including her most recent, Differently Wired: A Parent’s Guide to Raising an Atypical Child with Confident and Hope. Debbie, her husband, and 15-year-old son live in New York City.

THIS ARTICLE IS PART OF ADDITUDE’S FREE PANDEMIC COVERAGE
To support our team as it pursues helpful and timely content throughout this pandemic, please join us as a subscriber. Your readership and support help make this possible. Thank you.

Kids are better able to focus on schoolwork when the home they live in is organized and conducive to learning. For children with ADHD, and their caregivers with ADHD, that order is easier said than achieved. It’s important to create a structured environment, with effective supports to build time management, so that messy backpacks and homework battles no longer dominate your nights.

In this webinar, Ann Dolin, M.Ed., will explain the unique challenges that parents with ADHD may face in helping their children get organized and manage their time effectively for school — and provide approaches for neurodivergent caregivers that turn chaos into calm and lead to improved academic performance.

In this webinar, you will learn about:

• Strategies for breaking down tasks into smaller, manageable steps to help parents with ADHD and their children stay on top of assignments, deadlines, and schedules
• The importance of using visual aids, like timers and calendars, to help parents with ADHD and their children stay organized and focused
• How to use strategies called the 3-to-1 Ratio and Nag-Free Zones to make after-school time more positive and productive
• How students can best communicate with the teacher to advocate for their academic needs, especially if they have a 504 Plan or IEP

Watch the Video Replay

Enter your email address in the box above labeled “Video Replay + Slide Access” to watch the video replay (closed captions available) and download the slide presentation.

Download or Stream the Podcast Audio

Click the play button below to listen to this episode directly in your browser, click the  symbol to download to listen later, or open in your podcasts app: Apple Podcasts; Google Podcasts; Audacy; Spotify; Amazon Music; iHeartRADIO.

More on Motivating Students with ADHD

• Download: Transform Your Teen’s Apathy Into Engagement
• Read: Your Child’s 7 Executive Functions — and How to Boost Them
• Read: Same Family, Different ADHD Symptoms

Obtain a Certificate of Attendance

If you attended the live webinar on October 10, 2023, watched the video replay, or listened to the podcast, you may purchase a certificate of attendance option (cost: $10). Note: ADDitude does not offer CEU credits. Click here to purchase the certificate of attendance option »

Meet the Expert Speaker

Ann Dolin, M.Ed., has nearly 30 years of experience working with students. She is a former public school special education teacher and author who founded Educational Connections in 1998. The company specializes in helping students, especially those with ADHD, build executive function skills and study habits to perform better in school and, ultimately, in college.

She and her team of more than 120 tutors, executive function coaches, college consultants, and parent coaches provide virtual support to families with kindergarten to college students throughout the country.

Ann is the author of Homework Made Simple: Tips, Tools, and Solutions for Stress-Free Homework and Getting Past Procrastination: How to Get Your Kids Organized, Focused and Motivated…Without Being the Bad Guy. (#CommissionsEarned) She also is past president of CHADD of Northern Virginia and is an advocate for students with ADHD.

#CommissionsEarned As an Amazon Associate, ADDitude earns a commission from qualifying purchases made by ADDitude readers on the affiliate links we share.

Listener Testimonials

“It was great! Loved the content and delivery.”

“I loved the practical strategies, and the Q/A at the end where she made a point to differentiate between challenges with content vs executive functioning skills to complete a task they can do!”

“I am excited to put the tools learned into practice with my family. My daughter is in 6th grade and this is the perfect time to start setting up some of the routines discussed.”

Webinar Sponsor

The sponsor of this ADDitude webinar is…

Play Attention: Backed by research conducted by Tufts University School of Medicine, Play Attention provides the most advanced NASA Inspired technology that improves executive function & self-regulation. Turn your ADHD into your Superpower! Our digital trainer will teach cognitive skills so you can improve attention, productivity, organization, and executive function. Your personal executive function coach can customize a Play Attention program for each family member. Your program will include a Personal Executive Function Coach to customize your plan along the way. Home and professional programs available. Call 828-676-2240 or click here to schedule your free 1:1 consultation! | www.playattention.com

ADDitude thanks our sponsors for supporting our webinars. Sponsorship has no influence on speaker selection or webinar content.

Follow ADDitude’s full ADHD Experts Podcast in your podcasts app:
Apple Podcasts | Google Podcasts | Spotify | Google Play | Amazon Music | RadioPublic | Pocket Casts | iHeartRADIO | Audacy

The academic potential of twice exceptional students is considerable — strong memories, large vocabularies, unusual emotional depth, divergent thinking — but coexisting conditions like ADHD can complicate learning and teaching. In class, 2e children may perform above average in some areas and below average in others. The strengths and challenges can be unpredictable, making life feel chaotic and overwhelming for some students.

Identifying students who are twice exceptional, and understanding the impact of their unique hurdles, is the first step to coping with stress and avoiding burnout.

In this webinar, 2e families and teachers will learn:

• How to work with time, structuring weeks, days, and minutes to make it less abstract to students
• How to create systems that support your child’s success
• How to recognize early signs of stress and prevent burnout

Watch the Video Replay

Enter your email address in the box above labeled “Video Replay + Slide Access” to watch the video replay (closed captions available) and download the slide presentation.

Download or Stream the Podcast Audio

Click the play button below to listen to this episode directly in your browser, click the symbol to download to listen later, or open in your podcasts app: Apple Podcasts; Google Podcasts; Audacy; Spotify; Amazon Music; iHeartRADIO.

More on Twice Exceptionality

• Download: “An Introduction Letter to My Teacher”
• Read: What Does Twice Exceptional Even Mean?
• Read: High Expectations — Stories of 2e Students Desperately Seeking Support

Obtain a Certificate of Attendance

If you attended the live webinar on August 17, 2023, watched the video replay, or listened to the podcast, you may purchase a certificate of attendance option (cost: $10). Note: ADDitude does not offer CEU credits. Click here to purchase the certificate of attendance option »

Meet the Expert Speaker

Mary Ruth Coleman, Ph.D., is a Senior Scientist Emeritus at the FPG Child Development Institute, UNC-Chapel Hill, where she directs Project U-STARS~PLUS (Using Science, Talents and Abilities to Recognize Students ~ Promoting Learning in Underrepresented Students).

As a child she was held back in the 3^rd grade because she could not read. She then graduated from high school early and began college at age 16. Her experiences as a student, a teacher, and researcher have been central to the support she has offered to others who are 2e.

She has numerous publications including Educating Exceptional Children, 15^th (with the late Samuel A. Kirk and James J. Gallagher) and Implementing RtI with Gifted Students with Susan Johnsen. (#CommissionsEarned)  She served three terms (9 years) on the Board of National Association for Gifted Children; two terms (6 years) on the Board of the Council for Exceptional Children; and was president of the CEC in 2007. In 2017, she was among the first group inducted into the “2e Hall of Fame.”

#CommissionsEarned As an Amazon Associate, ADDitude earns a commission from qualifying purchases made by ADDitude readers on the affiliate links we share. However, all products linked in the ADDitude Store have been independently selected by our editors and/or recommended by our readers. Prices are accurate and items in stock as of time of publication.

Listener Testimonials

“This was the best webinar I’ve watched in a while. If I could have given it 10 stars, I would have.”

“Dr. Coleman is awesome! All educators should be so thoughtful and compassionate!”

“I found the mindful minutes strategies to be very concrete and helpful for different ages of my students.”

Follow ADDitude’s full ADHD Experts Podcast in your podcasts app:
Apple Podcasts | Google Podcasts | Spotify | Google Play | Amazon Music | RadioPublic | Pocket Casts | iHeartRADIO | Audacy

Ninth grade is a big leap for kids with ADHD, whose emotional maturity and executive functioning may lag a few years behind that of their neurotypical peers. Your teen will be navigating a new school (and the stress of finding classrooms), new teachers, new peers, and more advanced classwork while undergoing hormonal changes and new social dynamics. These pressures can exacerbate ADHD symptoms or reveal related difficulties.

6 Tips for 9^th Grade

Help your teen meet the new challenges of high school with the following tips:

[Free Download: Transform Your Teen’s Apathy Into Engagement]

1. Build skills. Identify your teen’s true emotional maturity. For example, does your 8th grader relate to others on a 5th-grade level? Consider what skills will be essential in high school and what you can do together to build them. For example, you might coach your teen on how to respond to teachers and role-play the interactions so he can practice using a respectful tone. Reflecting on situations your teen has navigated successfully in middle school also builds confidence. Offer reassurance and support.
2. Get organized. Buy school supplies early, if possible, and set up a desk or a quiet place in the home for your teen to do his schoolwork. Create a routine for organizing your teen’s backpack and notebooks. Get familiar with the school’s website and apps for viewing classes, assignments, events, and grades.
3. Review accommodations. You and your teen should review his IEP or 504 Plan before school begins to ensure he has appropriate accommodations. If these supports fall short, your teen should be prepared to advocate for himself.
4. Listen up. After a tiring day of holding it together in school, your teen’s anxiety may worsen when he gets home. Be calm and accepting. Ask open-ended questions to gain insight. Create an atmosphere where your teen feels heard and can safely express his fears and concerns.
5. Work on time management. Help your teen assess the time required to complete a project or assignment. Then use time-tracking apps that let your teen set time markers for each step of a task from beginning through completion.
6. Encourage study buddies. Study groups and tutors can help lighten your teen’s memory load. Peer support and mentor programs may also help teens with ADHD navigate the social dynamics at school. Is your teen interested in tennis or swimming? Joining a sports team and pairing up with an older student on that team can foster a feeling of belonging and support.

9th Grade Readiness: Next Steps

• Learn: 50 High School Accommodations for Every ADHD Challenge
• Read: Your High School Get-It-Together Guide
• Free Download: Boost Your Teen’s Executive Functions
• Watch: High School Success: How to Prepare for the Transition from Middle to High School
• Sign Up: ADDitude’s Free Parenting Class: Everything You Need to Know About Raising a Child with ADHD 

Caroline Maguire, M.Ed., ACCG, PCC, is the author of Why Will No One Play with Me?

SUPPORT ADDITUDE
Thank you for reading ADDitude. To support our mission of providing ADHD education and support, please consider subscribing. Your readership and support help make our content and outreach possible. Thank you.

Does your tween or teen seem to lack all motivation? Do they need aggressive reminders to begin tasks — especially those they’ve put off for as long as possible? Is it almost always a struggle to finish?

Many adolescents with ADHD stall out when trying to start and/or complete assignments and tasks, especially when they are no fun, boring, or challenging. ADHD-related procrastination and disorganization, combined with perfectionism and low self-esteem, can hamper their ability to complete work or remember to turn in what they have accomplished. Successfully motivating and supporting these students means following a strength-based, collaborative approach that synthesizes cognitive behavioral interventions with practical routines and mindful awareness.

In this webinar, Dr. Sharon Saline, award-winning author, international speaker and consultant, explores how to motivate teens with ADHD and offers effective strategies for offering effective support while helping them build life-long skills.

In this webinar, you will learn:

• How to identify the executive functioning skills that affect motivation
• About strategies for developing enduring time-management skills, organizational skills, and goal-directed persistence
• About effective, collaborative routines with meaningful incentives to reduce procrastination and perfectionism
• How to reduce overwhelm and anxiety by increasing confidence and resilience
• How to determine appropriate levels of parent participation in kids’ lives
• How to help tweens and teens with ADHD develop the accountability and autonomy that fosters success in school and in life

Watch the Video Replay

Enter your email address in the box above labeled “Video Replay + Slide Access” to watch the video replay (closed captions available) and download the slide presentation.

Download or Stream the Podcast Audio

Click the play button below to listen to this episode directly in your browser, click the symbol to download to listen later, or open in your podcasts app: Apple Podcasts; Google Podcasts; Stitcher; Spotify; Amazon Music; iHeartRADIO.

More on Motivating Teens with ADHD

• Download: Transform Your Teen’s Apathy Into Engagement
• Read: How Can I Make My Teen Care About School?
• Read: The Roots of ADHD Motivation Problems

Obtain a Certificate of Attendance

If you attended the live webinar on January 11, 2023, watched the video replay, or listened to the podcast, you may purchase a certificate of attendance option (cost: $10). Note: ADDitude does not offer CEU credits. Click here to purchase the certificate of attendance option »

Meet the Expert Speaker

Sharon Saline, Psy.D., clinical psychologist and author of the award-winning book, What Your ADHD Child Wishes You Knew: Working Together to Empower Kids for Success in School and Life (#CommissionsEarned) and The ADHD Solution Deck (#CommissionsEarned) specializes in working with children, teens, emerging adults and families living with ADHD, anxiety, learning disabilities, autism, twice exceptionality and mental health issues. Her unique perspective – as a sibling in an ADHD home, combined with decades of experience as a clinical psychologist and educator/clinician consultant – assists her in guiding families and adults towards effective communication and closer connections. She lectures and facilitates workshops internationally on topics such as understanding ADHD, executive functioning, anxiety, motivation, different kinds of learners and the teen brain. Click here to read her full bio.

#CommissionsEarned As an Amazon Associate, ADDitude earns a commission from qualifying purchases made by ADDitude readers on the affiliate links we share. However, all products linked in the ADDitude Store have been independently selected by our editors and/or recommended by our readers. Prices are accurate and items in stock as of time of publication.

Webinar Sponsor

The sponsor of this ADDitude webinar is….

The first college in the U.S. to exclusively serve students who learn differently (dyslexia, ADHD, autism, executive function challenges, etc.), also offers short-term programs that help neurodivergent high schoolers make the successful transition to college, academically and socially. Visit www.landmark.edu/teen to learn more about residential and online options.

ADDitude thanks our sponsors for supporting our webinars. Sponsorship has no influence on speaker selection or webinar content.

Follow ADDitude’s full ADHD Experts Podcast in your podcasts app:
Apple Podcasts | Google Podcasts | Spotify | Google Play | Amazon Music | RadioPublic | Pocket Casts | iHeartRADIO | Stitcher

It is essential that your son pack up his backpack the night before and leave it by — maybe even blocking — the door he exits. For things he takes every day, I suggest making a mnemonic sung to the tune of “head, shoulders, knees, and toes” but modified to his items. So it could be: “Lunch, homework, keys, and phone.” Of course, this doesn’t address one-time items, such as permission slips, or weekly items, like gym shoes and musical instruments.

Weekly and regular routines can go on a large weekday matrix that is hung by the door, so he knows on Tuesday night to pack his shoes for gym on Wednesday. One-time items can be jotted on a neon Post-It or noted on a phone with a reminder text or a memo, whichever is most convenient and effective for him at the moment. His most valuable tool, however, is you.

[Read: The Messy Student’s Guide to Order]

It may take a month to get him in the habit of packing up the night before, checking the matrix and reminder notes, and placing everything in front of the door. You should be there in the morning to “run the tune.” A good month of this should make it a habit. You might not completely eliminate your trips to the school, but they should become fewer. And best of all, Mom, you will have taught him a valuable organizing system that he can use for the rest of his life.

School Organization: Next Steps

• Download: Your Free Guide to School Organization
• Read: This School Year, Get It Together (and Keep It There)
• Listen: How to Start (and End) The School Year Organized

Susan C. Pinsky is a professional organizer specializing in ADHD. She is the author of Organizing Solutions for People with ADHD and The Fast and Furious 5 Step Organizing Solution(#CommissionsEarned).

#CommissionsEarned As an Amazon Associate, ADDitude earns a commission from qualifying purchases made by ADDitude readers on the affiliate links we share. However, all products linked in the ADDitude Store have been independently selected by our editors and/or recommended by our readers. Prices are accurate and items in stock as of time of publication.

SUPPORT ADDITUDE
Thank you for reading ADDitude. To support our mission of providing ADHD education and support, please consider subscribing. Your readership and support help make our content and outreach possible. Thank you.

Hi HopelessMom:

It’s exhausting and frustrating to share tips and tools to help your child, only to be repeatedly rebuffed or shut down.

So, what is the right thing to do? How much should you push vs. back off? And can you really teach him the skills he needs to be successful? The short answer: Absolutely!

The long answer: Time-management challenges affect most teens — especially those with attention deficits and executive dysfunction. I’ve heard countless stories from parent-coaching clients and friends about their teens — tales of research papers written the night before they were due, struggles to get out the door in the morning, or consistently being late for activities — that, when examined closely, are all centered around time-management issues. And unfortunately, these issues — and parents’ efforts to address them — tend to create a very toxic environment in the household.

While this problem is ubiquitous, common ground can be found. Because though teens will insist, “It’s not a problem,” or “I’ve got everything under control,” or worse, “I don’t need your help,” very few teenagers enjoy all-nighters, last-minute scrambles, or constant arguments with their parents.

[Free Resource: Transform Your Teen’s Apathy Into Engagement]

Teens want to do well. And succeed. They just don’t always know how or want to do it their way. If we start with those understandings, we can get on the path to success. Together.

I’m often asked if all my student coaching clients are “success stories.” No, of course not. But many are. Here are the three important lessons I’ve learned along the way.

Lesson #1: Neither Helicopter Nor Hands-Off Parenting Is 100% Right

Parent involvement is critical to helping a student succeed. I don’t mean you need to turn into a helicopter parent and hover over your teen each minute. It also does not mean being completely hands-off and letting your teen figure out everything on their own. Granted, your degree of involvement will depend on your teen. But whether you’re offering support and guidance from the sidelines or providing scaffolding every step of the way, creating the proper nurturing, collaborative, and positive environment in which your teen can reinforce what they’ve learned is essential for them to master these skills.

Lesson #2: Time-Management Skills Take Practice

Time-management skills are not something to be taught once, mastered, and moved on from. They are LEARNED skills. To master a learned skill, one must PRACTICE. A lot. There is no magic elixir here; consistency is key. Trust me on this one.

[Self-Test: Does My Child Have ADHD?]

When my son was younger, I made every available opportunity and situation into a teaching moment. “Eli, if you need to be at play rehearsal at 5:15 p.m., what time do you need to leave the house?” “We’re leaving the house at 8 p.m. How much more time do you have to get ready?” And my favorite, “What’s your plan on studying for your math test on Friday when you don’t get home from play rehearsal on Thursday night until 9:30 p.m.?” And on it went.

Lesson #3: The Best Teacher Rarely Helicopters

Know when it’s time to bring in professionals.

Your teen needs to be on board and willing to work with you for any strategies to work. And, truthfully, parents aren’t always the best teachers for their children. Whether emotions get in the way or you don’t have the skill set to teach your teen, don’t be hard on yourself. An ADHD/student coach or executive functioning tutor may be the answer. How often have you said, “He won’t listen to me, but he’ll listen to his coach/teacher/tutor!” In my years of practice, even the students most resistant to their parents’ help came around. It just took time.

Don’t get discouraged. Trust yourself — and your son. Try different approaches until you find one that works. Learn together if he will let you. Just keep the lines of communication open. Remember, if it doesn’t work out, you can always bring in a professional. This is only the beginning.

Good Luck.

Helicopter Parent vs. Hands-off: Next Steps

• Free Download: What Are Your Teen’s Weakest Executive Functions?
  
• Learn: How Not to Helicopter Parent Your Teen with ADHD
• Read: What Is Helicopter Parenting vs. Scaffolding?
• Read: 5 Ways to Manage Paper at Home

ADHD Family Coach Leslie Josel, of Order Out of Chaos, will answer questions from ADDitude readers about everything from paper clutter to disaster-zone bedrooms and from mastering to-do lists to arriving on time every time.

Submit your questions to the ADHD Family Coach here!

SUPPORT ADDITUDE
Thank you for reading ADDitude. To support our mission of providing ADHD education and support, please consider subscribing. Your readership and support help make our content and outreach possible. Thank you.

Chore charts, when tackled consistently, may improve childhood executive function skills. The regular completion of family and self-care chores for kids was associated with gains in inhibition, planning, and working memory, according to a new study by researchers at La Trobe University in Melbourne, Australia, and published in Australian Occupational Therapy. ¹

The “successful attainment of these skills in early childhood is associated with later reading performance and mathematical ability and is a predictor of overall academic achievement in later childhood,” the researchers wrote.

The study examined the number of chores completed daily by 207 neurotypical and neurodivergent children between the ages of 5 and 13 in 2020, based on questionnaires filled out by their caregivers. The researchers found that kids’ engagement in routine chores predicted improved working memory and inhibition (the ability to think before acting).

The questionnaires measured completion rates for chores related to self-care, family care, and pet care. After controlling for age, gender, and disability, self-care and family care-related chores were found to significantly predict working memory and inhibition. No relationship was found between pet care chores and executive functioning skills, which was unexpected “based on research suggesting that animals act as a social support and can improve mood, which is associated with optimal cognitive functioning,” the researchers wrote.

“It is, however, possible that tasks such as pouring kibble or water into a bowl are not complex or challenging enough to aid in the development of executive functioning, compared with chores like cooking that require multiple steps.”

Cooking and gardening appear to be particularly beneficial to the development of executive function skills generally, according to available literature.^{2, 3, 4} In a study of older adults, computer-simulated cooking interventions improved executive functioning.² No research is available involving children, “but child-focused cooking and gardening programs have found improvements in children’s self-confidence, self-efficacy, and team building, suggesting such programs have transferrable benefits that may expand to executive functioning,” the researchers wrote.

Additional results from the study showed females and older children engaged in more chores than males and younger children. Gender distribution was relatively equal (52.2% were male children). Most parents reported that their child was completing the same number of chores as before the pandemic. Approximately 11% of children had a disability: autism spectrum disorder, dyslexia, and ADHD were the most commonly reported.

Sources

¹Tepper, D. L., Howell, T. J., & Bennett, P. C. (2022). Executive functions and household chores: Does engagement in chores predict children’s cognition? Australian Occupational Therapy Journal, 1– 14. https://doi.org/10.1111/1440-1630.12822
²Wang, M. Y., Chang, C. Y., & Su, S. Y. (2011). Whats cooking?—Cognitive training of executive function in the elderly. Frontiers in Psychology, 2(228), 1–11. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2011.00228
³Davis, K. L., & Brann, L. S. (2017). Examining the benefits and barriers of instructional gardening programs to increase fruit and vegetable intake among preschool-age children. Journal of Environmental and Public Health, 2017(2506864), 1–7. https://doi.org/10.1155/2017/2506864
⁴Utter, J., Fay, A. P., & Denny, S. (2017). Child and youth cooking programs: More than good nutrition? Journal of Hunger & Environmental Nutrition, 12(4), 554–580. https://doi.org/10.1080/19320248.2015.11127