The most inattentive of our inattentive boys once said that his attention was like an oscillating fan. Bright, artistic, forgetful, self-absorbed, creative, exasperating, determined, spacey...he could be the poster child for ADHD-I. His first year of school, he went to kindergarten without his backpack for days on end - and suffered the consequences. One day, we pulled out of the driveway before he realized he wasn't wearing a shirt. When he turned 18, however, he had matured so very much that it was almost sad. He began to carry on articulate conversations with us, his friends, and (the … [Read more...]
Take Five!
February 23, 2009 By Leave a Comment
It's amazing what can be accomplished in five minutes. When your child is feeling particularly overwhelmed, check his to do list, and point out one task that will only take five minutes. Set the timer, and watch the relief as one item can be crossed off as finished. This hint also works great for parents. If you have a small task you've been dreading or putting off - like washing a window or writing a thank you note - set the timer for five minutes and get it over with! Visit our websites at http://www.adhd-inattentive.com. Help your kids to be more focused, organized, encouraged and … [Read more...]
Organizing Kids for School Using Color
February 17, 2009 By Leave a Comment
Color is a great way to help keep your child organized for school. Choose one color for each subject - like green (money) for math - and use that color for the notebook, folder, and book jacket. In the folder, place a supply of paper for that class, and take a matching highlighter or marker and make a bold line on the edge of the paper. If your child neglects to put their paper back into the correct folder, the colored mark will make it easier for the paper to be found in the bookbag jumble. Many elementary school teachers require a certain format for paper 'headings': Kayla … [Read more...]
Television – The Great Satan?
February 16, 2009 By Leave a Comment
I've often thought that in 6 million years, archaeologists will marvel at the devotion the 21st century Earthlings had to their household gods. Excavation will show these deities in virtually every home, obviously objects of devotion, the focal point in a room. The gods were believed without question. Families emulated them, discussed them, and scheduled their lives around them. The parent was secondary in influence to the various versions of these boxes with a glass screen that captivated an entire civilization. Despite the title of this article, I do not really think that we are all … [Read more...]
The Chore of Chores
February 13, 2009 By Leave a Comment
Chores. Do you ever feel like giving chores is more of a chore for you than for your kid? My boys never got over the need to be nagged to do their chores. We had a checklist*, which helped immensely, but the boys themselves never morphed into creatures that walked in from school and immediately started to empty the trash. Chores, however, are very important - for several reasons. ADHD children are, by nature, self-centered. They often lack the ability to feel what someone else is feeling, or think like someone else. So they reckon that if they aren't upset by the dirty pair of underwear … [Read more...]
ADHD and Nutrition – Food For Thought
February 11, 2009 By Leave a Comment
I've always tried to give my family healthy foods. I 've limited sugar intake, cooked 'from scratch', and made recipes as low calorie as possible. As the years have gone by, I've become even more careful about what foods I prepare. I thinkI've completely cut out MSG, for example, although I keep discovering it on labels (like Campbell's Chicken Noodle Soup). And I rarely buy anything with nitrates - like bologna or hot dogs, with the great exception of frozen pepperoni pizza. I don't know if it's helped my kids focus any better, but it certainly hasn't hurt anyone. We all know that there … [Read more...]
Standardized Test Hint – Know When to Fold
February 4, 2009 By Leave a Comment
Here's a great hint that will help your child during a standardized test. Though this year's tests are still a good way off, this strategy requires a bit of practice. So, take notes! When taking a test, each child is given at least one piece of plain paper for scrap. The paper is most often unlined. Students should, just as they begin to take the test, fold that paper in half, in half again, and in half again. For a reading test, children can use it as a place holder while they are reading. They can also jot down relevant points on one section of the folded paper. They'll use the notes … [Read more...]
