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Jingle Bells, Homework Tales and Projects All the Way

Posted by Brock
adhd and the holidays

I love this time of year. The blinking lights on the front walk, the aroma of freshly baked cookies and spiced cider from the kitchen, and the sounds of our favorite Christmas music playing in the background create an exciting environment. As wonderful as they are, the holidays usher in huge distractions for children. She's trying to muddle through geometry homework while deciding what to wear as a "helping elf" for the special Christmas photos in the community. Or perhaps he's perfecting his Christmas list when you thought he was working on vocabulary words. And both your kids are trying to … [Read more...]

Filed Under: School and ADHD-Inattentive Tagged With: , ,

Ten Classroom Strategies to Help Focus

Posted by Brock
504 plan

Everyone struggles to focus at some point. At the most recent back-to-school night, as I shuttled from 9th grade classroom to classroom, I was reminded of how much listening a student does in any given day. Because I've heard so many "back-to-school" speeches, I noticed that I was zoning out after the first few minutes, and suddenly I had renewed empathy for anyone diagnosed with ADHD.   While no one helpful hint is a cure-all or expected to work every time, it helps to have a ready arsenal of creative ideas to initiate or regain a child's focus. Take a look and see what works for … [Read more...]

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How Do You Help Your Child Focus?

Posted by Kayla
organize

Teaching our kids to focus appropriately is one of the most valuable skills we'll share with them. ADHD - hyperactive and inattentive - is defined by the inability to sustain attention. But paying attention is a key piece to success in school, in relationships, at work - for life in general. What hints do you have to help your child focus? Share them in the comments below! Get 100 Ways to Help Your Child Pay Attention in Focus, Pocus! … [Read more...]

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Ten Years of ADHD

Posted by Kayla

This year marks the ten year anniversary of our first ADHD diagnosis. Before then, I thought ADHD referred to wild, undisciplined children who couldn't be still or shut up mainly because they were hyped up on sugar and needed a firm hand. Joe was a calm, spacey child who had never (not even once) got his name on the board or been in any sort of trouble. Sure, he occasionally forgot to wear a shirt, couldn't keep track of anything, and zoned out during class. And, yes, he was pretty annoyed at loud noises, had a terrible time getting a good night's sleep, and approached learning in a strange … [Read more...]

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College Homework and ADHD

Posted by Kayla
help your child pay attention

Recently, our oldest came home from college for a weekend, homework in tow. I know the child is 23 years old, but I was happy that he was able to find the assignment (okay, so it was online, but still). I was even happier that he had the correct book. Ron's homework was to write a comprehensive summary of three chapters in one of his business textbooks. Talk about boring. He's pretty interested in it, though. He explained enough to show me he had a good grasp of the subject, although for the life of me I can't remember what it was. We had a good discussion about how hard it is for him to … [Read more...]

Filed Under: School and ADHD-Inattentive Tagged With: , , , , ,

Five Focusing Hints – A Preview

Posted by Kayla
help your child pay attention

Here are some of the helpful hints from Focus Pocus - 100 Ways to Help Your Child Pay Attention. 7. For multi-step tasks, have kids pair a task to a finger. If you want your son to pick up the bathroom, empty the trash, feed the dog, then sweep the front porch, have him ‘put’ one task on each of his fingers. Then have him count back to you – as he holds up the first finger, he says, “Pick up the bathroom.” On second finger, he should say, “Empty the trash.” This will help him remind himself, and ensure that he heard you in the first place. 13. Pick your fidgety child to be … [Read more...]

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Focus Pocus

Posted by Kayla
focus pocus

"Focus Pocus" was Ron's Facebook status the other day. I didn't ask him about it, but I can only imagine why he posted. Maybe in the throes of studying, Facebook beckoned. More likely, in the throes of Facebooking, his conscience called him to study. Anyhow, it's a great title. There are many little 'magical' strategies that help improve focus. None of them work all of the time - nothing works all of the time for our kids! All of them work some of the time, and chances are one of the following will work for you today: Limit the Viewing Area - Cut down on distractions by limiting what the … [Read more...]

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Paying Attention is a Balancing Act

Posted by Kayla
balance ball chair for adhd

In their quest to pay attention, ADHD kids are often fidgety. They have all those annoying habits, like tapping their pencil, chewing on their pigtails, shaking their leg, picking at scabs, or doodling. One of our boys' teachers combatted his fidgets by simply letting him stand up. Other teachers have found the benefit of letting kids sit on a cushion, or even on one of those ball chairs. I read an article this morning in the Star Tribune about a middle school classroom that is completely outfitted with these bouncy chairs. I know that they are useful for schools (and offices), but have … [Read more...]

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