How to Help your ADHD-I Child Greet the Dawn…or at least the School Bus

Posted by Brock
wake up light for adhd child

If your idea of a good morning is one where you don’t have to get your children up, you must be a parent. The same erratic sleep patterns that can wreak havoc with an established bedtime also make wake-up calls a repeated, frustrating exercise. Some folks take mornings better than others, but unless everyone in your family has agreed to take night jobs and night classes, getting up in the morning remains a necessity of life. Take a look at these tips to keep mornings more civil for all involved: 1. Pay attention to alarming details. First of all, you shouldn’t be the token alarm … [Read more...]

Fun With Figures

Posted by Kayla
fun with math figures

Another terrific resource is called Fun With Figures. This fascinating book will teach your child – and you – to do mental math with speed and great understanding. You’ll discover some really simple but highly effective techniques that will teach your child to do math in her head. Plus, it truly will help your child understand how math works. Our family loved this amazing book!   Get your copy of Fun With Figures     … [Read more...]

Update on Kindle for ADHD

Posted by Kayla
kindle

Well, Joe reports that he broke his Kindle, and sent it back for a refund. I've never heard of anyone else breaking one, but whatever. BUT Joe really enjoyed it while he had it, and said he read Michael Crichton and Star Wars books. (Does that make you laugh as much as it does, me? He's 22, remember.) Despite his experience, I still think it's a worthwhile option to explore. If you want to test out an e-reader, I've learned that you can actually loan Kindle books, and the borrower does not need to own a Kindle, because Kindle books can be read using free Kindle reading applications for PC, … [Read more...]

Joe’s Reading!

Posted by Kayla
kindle for adhd

Wonder of wonder. Joe is reading. He's deployed at the moment, and boredom may have something to do with it, but I suspect that the biggest difference is that he bought a Kindle! Once again, electronic devices have won out with him. Have any of you tried a Kindle with your ADHD child? … [Read more...]

Timers for ADHD

Posted by Kayla
triple tell timer

Looking back over the last ten years, one piece of equipment keeps showing up - the TIMER. Timers have been essential in our house. There are all sorts of timers - free ones on the computer or your microwave. Timers that come as a function on a watch or a cell phone. iPhones have special timer applications. There are visual timers, timers that buzz/flash/beep, timers that sing. (Here's a whole page of reminder clocks.) We've used timers for all sorts of things - like on Halloween night we set the countdown for 30 minutes and let the kids eat all the candy they wanted. That is NOT a … [Read more...]

Wii For ADHD?!

Posted by Kayla

A parent recently made a blog post on the ADDITUDE website, telling about how two medical professionals had recommended that she get a Wii for her ADHD daughter. More and more, I'm hearing that the latest generation of games is helping kids with their focus. If any of you have experienced success with video games - the Wii or something like PlayAttention - please share it below. In particular, what Wii games would you recommend? And yes, as I mentioned in the newsletter, part of me remains skeptical, probably because my boys will STILL hyperfocus on video games and do nothing else for … [Read more...]

Clocks for ADHD

Posted by Kayla

When Ron was in his second year of college, he signed up for his first 8:00 class. This was a huge deal for him, as he has always been a chronic oversleeper. Lots of ADHD kids are. Nevertheless, I quit waking him up while he was in high school; when he oversleeps, it's his problem. (He has walked the four miles to school.) At the beginning of college, Ron simply scheduled later classes. But one semester a class he really wanted to take was only offered at 8:00. So he signed up. To make sure he wakes up, he has set THREE alarm clocks and his cell phone. He also has asked my husband to check … [Read more...]

Time Saving Hint for ADHD Moms

Posted by Kayla

A long time ago, a friend of mine had the coolest system that she used to simplify her life during school. She cooked all at once on the weekend, and made meals for the entire week. Then she stuck the meals in her freezer, and used them on those busy school nights when she would have ordinarily gone out for fast food. It's an idea whose time has come back around. With the busi-ness of school, the tightness of our pocketbooks, and the new awareness of just how unhealthy restaurant food can be, it's really time to give home-cooked meals a second chance. Those of us with ADHD kids have added … [Read more...]

Free Learning Styles Assessment Test

Posted by Kayla
test for learning styles

A Learning Styles Assessment is right for you if you answer most of these questions "Yes!" •Are you frustrated with your child's low grades or lack of motivation? •Is your homelife stressful due to homework hassles and poor report cards? •Have you tried absolutely everything to help your child get higher grades? •Do you have a bright child who seems to know information, then forgets it during the test? •Are you truly serious about doing something different to help your child succeed? Finding out your child's learning style with is key to helping your child really … [Read more...]

From the Archives…A Homework Nightmare

Posted by Kayla

I'll be blunt. I hope your week has been better than ours. Without going into the gory details, well…let's just do Thursday night. After we discovered that two of the boys had projects due Friday involving poster board, my husband volunteered to go buy extra. He came home with three science boards. Thankfully, we had just enough poster board in our supply closet. Somebody remind me to buy more before the next crisis occurs. Ron had two projects due that he hadn't started (she types with clenched teeth). One was a collage. My husband and I were up after midnight helping him find and … [Read more...]