Classroom Placements

As the current school year winds down, there are things that can be done to help get next school year off to a good start.  This is the time of year that parent and teacher input into a child’s class placement for September is important.

• Many schools go to great efforts to place students in classes so that they are “balanced” (e.g., number of boys and girls, the range of academic levels, children who have learning or behavioral difficulties, and other factors).

• Most schools cannot accommodate requests for a specific teacher. School administrators making placement decisions DO, however, typically take into consideration parents’ requests for a particular type of teaching style or environment, such as one that:

                     -  is well- structured (clarity of expectations & classroom procedures, organized).

                     – is inclusive – welcoming, supportive, and accepting of ALL children (including those with special

                             needs & learning/behavioral challenges).

                     –  is willing to communicate with and work closely with parents.

                     – will follow through with implementing IEPs, 504 Plans, or other recommended supports

                            and interventions.

                    – motivates students through engaging, active learning experiences/activities.

• It is recommended that factors you want considered when making next year’s placement decisions for your child be communicated to the principal in writing and also shared with the current classroom teacher.

• It is hard to know and predict which classroom may be best suited, or who may turn out to be the best teacher for a child any particular year.  Just because a certain teacher has a great reputation, does not mean that classroom will be the best placement for your child.

• It is often surprising how well a student performs with a teacher who may not appear to be a good match, and how sometimes a class placement that one would assume would be perfect turns out to be a disaster for a particular student.  So, be flexible, reasonable, and trust that the school staff also wants to place your child in a class with the best chances for success.

• If you wish to provide input and make any requests regarding your child’s placement the following school year, ask the school when you may do so.  Some schools communicate that information to parents, others do not.

Transitioning to a New School

During the last couple of months of the school year, parents of children who will be transitioning from elementary to middle school, or middle school to high school should consider the following:

• Be sure that the strategies and interventions that have been found successful for your child are documented. Many elementary schools do a very good job of accommodating children’s needs and providing supportive strategies without a 504 Plan or anything formal in place. At the middle school level, however, this might not happen.

• So, if your 5^th grade child with ADHD has needed and received informal accommodations for his or her success, but does not currently have a 504 Accommodation Plan, discuss with the school immediately. If your child qualifies for a 504 Plan, it is wise to put one into effect before moving to the middle school.

• If your child is moving to another school for any reason, arrange for a visit to the new school. A chance to walk through the building and meet with some key school staff such as the counselor, or resource teacher (if your child is in special education), is helpful.  Before the new school year begins, take advantage of any such opportunities to familiarize your child with the layout of the school campus, use of lockers, and so forth to ease anxiety about what to expect.

• It is recommended that you contact the school your child will be attending and set up an appointment to discuss his or her needs and ask for information.

This blog is from:  Rief, Sandra. (2008). The ADD/ADHD Checklist: A Practical Reference for Parents & Teachers, 2nd Edition.  San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

by Sandra Rief

Even when we are fully aware that a child/teen has ADHD – a neurobiological (brain-based) disorder, it is easy to misinterpret the behaviors we observe.  Here are 5 common behaviors of students with ADHD, the incorrect assumptions often made by teachers, and the reality of what is most likely the underlying cause(s) of these behaviors in students with ADHD:

1. 1.Difficulty working independently. When teachers give an assignment for students to work on after instruction, and the child just sits there not doing the work, it is often interpreted as the student being lazy or apathetic.  This issue is more likely due to:

• Working memory weaknesses – Students with ADHD often forget what they are supposed to do by the time they get back to their seats (unless they have some tangible visual prompt to remind them – like a checklist, task card, or written directions).
• Lacking the prerequisite skills to do the assignment.  Because of attention being in and out during the instruction, the student may have missed some of what has been taught to enable him or her to do the assignment without assistance. It’s important for teachers to check for understanding before giving independent work to do.
• Distractibility – Difficulty blocking out internal and external distractions to focus on the assignment and stay on-task.  Structuring or ‘engineering’ the classroom environment to minimize distractions is important for all students, particularly those with ADHD.

1. 2.Doesn’t follow directions.  When teachers give a direction and a student with ADHD appears to ignore or disregard what is being asked, that may easily be viewed by the teacher as deliberate noncompliance.  Instead, this is often an issue related to:

• Difficulty being able to interrupt and stop what he or she is currently doing (particularly if it was something of interest and motivating to the student) to switch gears and do something else (the teacher request/command).  Transitioning from one activity to the next is often problematic for kids with ADHD.
•  Inattention – with thoughts elsewhere, not hearing or attending to the direction(s).
• Poor working memory  - not recalling the full direction(s).
• Difficulty with activation – translating those directions into action.

1. 3.Repeatedly making the same mistakes.  When a student continues to demonstrate the same problematic behaviors (e.g., classroom disruptions) over and over – even though those behaviors have resulted in the past with negative consequences, it is easy to assume the child is doing so deliberately.  Teachers often assume the child’s behaviors are willful, and not realize that these kids are “repeat offenders” in spite of the consequences because of:

• Self-regulation weaknesses (neurobiological/physiological). The misbehavior is typically not intentional. 
• Poor inhibition– ability to stop, put on the brakes, and think before acting.  These kids often respond too quickly to refer to past experience.

1. 4.Poor work production – accomplishing tasks.  Teachers can easily view this issue as laziness, goofing off,  lack of effort or caring about work.  Instead, this common problem (which is a hallmark characteristic of ADHD) is a result of a number of executive function weaknesses:

• Poor organization and time management
• Difficulty initiating and getting started on tasks
• Resisting distractions
• Sustaining attention, focus and effort
• Poor working memory – forgetfulness
• Goal-directed persistence

1. 5.Being chronically late – missing deadlines/due dates.  Teachers often view students with these issues as being lazy and apathetic.  Instead, these issues for students with ADHD are direct results of:

• Executive function weaknesses.  These students have impaired sense of time (time awareness),  and commonly under-estimate by far how long tasks will take to complete. They often have significant difficulty judging and managing time, and staying on top of long range projects without reminders, monitoring, and assistance.

Note:  I have a lot more information about this topic and a wide range of practical, effective strategies for helping with these behaviors in my books and other resources.

I had the honor of speaking last week at the annual conference of the Southern California Tri-Counties Branch of the International Dyslexia Association in Riverside, California.  As always, I feel very privileged to meet at conferences such wonderful people, and be able to share ideas/strategies with other educators and parents.

One of the evening events was a viewing of the DVD entitled, “The Big Picture: Rethinking Dyslexia”.   I had heard of this documentary that apparently first aired on HBO in October, 2012.  I found the film to be uplifting and inspirational.   However, there was criticism from some people viewing with me that the documentary didn’t provide a realistic picture for many – as they only showcased and featured highly gifted, successful folks with dyslexia.   This is true.   Nevertheless,  I find the message of hope important for parents, teachers, and child.

There are countless success stories of people in this world with dyslexia, ADHD, or other disorders/disabilities.   What it takes for most to succeed involves:   a) a diagnosis and understanding the disorder that affects their life, b) receiving appropriate intervention and support, c) finding outlets for channeling their strengths & interests and compensating for their weaknesses, d) work on building and strengthening underdeveloped skills, and e) perseverance to achieve their goals in spite of the challenges.

This is part 2 of my blog on recommended do’s and don’ts for parents of children/teens with ADHD.  Part 1 was “Ten Tips for Parents of Kids with ADHD” that I posted on 2-13-13.  The content of this blog is excerpted from my books, The ADD/ADHD Checklist, 2nd edition  and How to Reach & Teach Children with ADD/ADHD, 2^nd edition.

1. Do not give up on using behavior modification techniques. Do know that these behavioral interventions  (although not easy to implement and follow-through with consistently) can be very helpful for your child and family.   An understanding of effective behavioral strategies is an important part of managing ADHD at home and school.  It is worth the time and effort to learn the behavioral strategies and parenting techniques that are known to be most effective for children with ADHD.  It’s fine if you’ve tried various techniques and stopped for one reason or another.  Sometimes your child loses interest and motivation, or you found yourself not following through.  When you’re ready to try again, know that there are a lot of variations of these methods that are worth exploring.

2. Do not respond or dole out negative consequences for your child’s misbehavior when you are in an angry, emotional state. Do wait until you have had a chance to calm down, regain your composure, and ability to think through an appropriate response before acting.

3. Do not be adversarial, accusatory, or hostile with school personnel. Do remain polite and diplomatic, and always try to build/maintain positive rapport with teachers and other school staff.  Casting blame or being confrontational is almost always counter-productive.

4. Do not bypass the classroom teacher by going directly to the administrator with issues or concerns.  Do grant the teacher the courtesy and professional respect to first meet, share concerns, and try to resolve problems directly with the teacher.

5. Do not be unrealistic or overly demanding of teachers with regard to the individual attention and degree of accommodations you expect for your child.  Do understand the teacher’s responsibility to ALL students in the classroom, and keep in mind what is “reasonable” when making requests of teachers.

6. Do not enter meetings with school personnel with preconceived ideas, or the thought that the school does not have your child’s best interest at heart.  Do enter school meetings with an open mind and cooperative attitude. Be willing to share your opinions, feelings, observations, suggestions, and information about your child or family that may help with planning and intervention.

7. Do not use the services of professionals if you doubt their knowledge and expertise about ADHD. Do choose professionals (e.g., physicians, psychologists, tutors) with whom you feel comfortable and who have experience and training working with kids who have ADHD.  Build a team with clinicians and other professionals who are committed to a multimodal treatment approach, and are willing to communicate and collaborate closely with you and the school.

8. Do not believe what you hear or read about ADHD if not coming from reputable, reliable sources.  There are a lot of myths and misinformation about this disorder.  Do seek out information that is based upon evidence from the scientific research into ADHD and proven treatments.

9. Do not stop learning all you can about ADHD.  Do educate yourself through any number of avenues (e.g., attending ADHD conferences and seminars, reading books and other publications, gaining information available on ADHD-related web sites, attending parent support groups and organizations, receiving training from specialists in the field). Knowledge about ADHD and treatments that are proven to work will empower you with confidence, hope, and the skills you need.

10. Do not be daunted by your role as the leader and administrator of your child’s care team.  Do assume this parental responsibility by:

- knowing enough about the school and factors that make a difference for school success to help make informed decisions regarding your child’s education

-  learning about your child’s rights under the federal laws (IDEA and Section 504) that protect children with disabilities

-  maintaining frequent and regular communication with teachers

-  facilitating communication between all parties involved in your child’s education, treatment, and care

-  keeping an updated and accessible file of your child’s important records/data (e.g., health history, report cards, testing/reports, correspondence to and from the school, meeting summaries).

Source of this blog:

Rief, Sandra (2008). The ADD/ADHD Checklist: A Practical Reference for Parents & Teachers, 2^nd edition . San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.

Rief, Sandra (2005). How to Reach & Teach Children with ADD/ADHD, 2^nd edition. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.

The following are 10 recommended do’s and don’ts for parents of children and teens with ADHD, adapted from my book: The ADD/ADHD Checklist, 2nd edition.  This is a 2-part blog.  I will be sharing additional tips for parents in my next blog later this month.

1. Do not be misled or fooled by your child’s inconsistent performance. It can be very frustrating and puzzling to see your child one day or minute able to perform a task with ease, and unable or struggle to perform that same task at a different time.    Do understand that variability of performance is a key characteristic of ADHD, and it is to be expected.

2. Do not set your radar and overly focus on your child’s misbehaviors.  Do consciously make an effort to notice and pay attention to your child with far more frequency when he or she is behaving appropriately.  In other words, “catch your child being good”, and give your positive feedback and attention at those times.

3. Do not forget or overlook how essential it is to cultivate and nurture your son or daughter’s areas of strength and interest.   Do involve your child in opportunities to build upon his or her talents, interests, and passions. Help your son or daughter gain confidence and competence through those activities in life that give him or her joy.  Avoid making your child’s participation in these activities contingent on his or her behavior/school performance.

4. Do not focus on what you cannot control – someone else’s (e.g., your child’s) behaviors. Do work on what you can take control over: your own responses to your child’s behavior, your own education and knowledge about ADHD and ways to help; and the structuring, management, and discipline practices you choose to employ.

5. Do not keep your child’s ADHD a secret from those who spend much time with your son or daughter (e.g., babysitters, teachers, coaches, relatives, close family friends).  Do inform those people who will benefit from having a better understanding of ADHD, and what is driving some of your child’s behaviors that are difficult to deal with and understand.  It is helpful to share, as well, some key strategies you find effective in preventing or minimizing some of the challenging behaviors.

6. Do not accept an evaluation or diagnosis by any clinician who does not adhere to the diagnostic and treatment guidelines for ADHD set forth by the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) and the American Psychiatric Association (APA).   Do ask questions and make sure that whoever evaluates your child is well qualified to do so, and is familiar with accepted clinical diagnostic and treatment protocol.

7. Do not doubt your parenting abilities, or be hard on yourself for what might have or have not taken place so far.   Do know that it is never too late to learn, make changes, and move ahead. You are not to blame for your child’s ADHD, or for not acting upon what you did not yet know.

8. Do not think you are alone, and have no other parents to share with who understand your child or family needs.   Do know that it is generally very helpful to connect and network with other families who have kids with ADHD.   If there is a local CHADD chapter in your community (Children & Adults with Attention Deficit Disorders – www.chadd.org ), go to at least one of their meetings.   It is well worth the time and effort, and you will likely find a lot of useful resources, information, and support.

9. Do not neglect yourself or your own needs (e.g., for good physical/mental health, nurturing, respite, and support).   Do take time for yourself, seek help, and find ways to recharge, and fulfill your own personal needs.  This is important for everyone – especially parents who live with the daily stress that is so common in families of children with ADHD. You are best able to parent and care for your family when you are happy and healthy.

10. Do not act upon the advice from others (as well intentioned as they may be) who are not truly knowledgeable about ADHD.   Do have the confidence to follow your own best judgment.  After learning from expert sources, then make an informed decision on how to best treat, educate and manage your child’s ADHD.

Source of this blog:

Rief, Sandra (2008). The ADD/ADHD Checklist: A Practical Reference for Parents & Teachers, 2^nd edition.  San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.

Homework time is often a nightmare in homes of children with ADHD and Learning Disabilities.  It typically takes kids with ADHD and/or LD much more time to do their homework than the average student – even with parental supervision and direct assistance.  Assignments that take 15-20 minutes for most of their classmates to complete can easily be an hour of work for these students. There are many ways teachers can be supportive and build home/school relations in the process.

• Be responsive to parents reporting great frustration surrounding homework. Be willing to make adjustments so that students with ADHD and/or Learning Disabilities spend a reasonable, not excessive, amount of time doing their homework.  For example, shorten the assignment or reduce the amount of writing required.
• Realize that students with ADHD who receive medication during the school day to help them focus and stay on task are often not receiving medication benefits after school or in the evening hours. It is an unreasonable expectation that parents be able to get their child to produce at home what you weren’t able to get them to produce all day at school.
• Be willing to make homework accommodations and modifications for students with ADHD and/or LD – particularly reducing the written output required.  Ask yourself: “What is the goal?” “What do I want the students to learn from the assignment?” “Can they get the concepts without having to do all the writing?” “Can they practice the skills in an easier, more motivating format?” “Can they practice the skills doing fewer?”
• Many teachers have a practice of sending home all unfinished class work.   Avoid doing so when possible.  Of course, some in-class assignments will need to be completed at home, but try to find alternatives for your students with ADHD and/or LD.   Provide the necessary supports so that in-school work is in-school work, and homework is homework.
• Remember that homework should be a time for reviewing and practicing what students have been taught in class. Don’t give assignments involving new information that parents are expected to teach their children.
• Do not add on homework as a punishment for misbehavior at school.
• Visually post all homework assignments.  In addition to explaining them, write the assignments clearly in a consistent location of the classroom (corner of the board, chart stand).
• If you have extra copies of text books to loan parents, do so for those students who are forgetful and frequently leave the books they need at home or school.

Communicate Clearly

• Make sure you have explained the homework carefully and clarified any questions.
• Communicate electronically the homework and project expectations and timelines (e.g., via homework hotlines, teacher web pages or other Internet class websites, voice mail).  Keep information to parents and students up-to-date.
• Communicate regularly with parents of students who are falling behind in homework. Don’t wait until the student is so far behind in completing work that it’s almost impossible to get caught up.  For example, use a home/school monitoring form such as this Daily Monitoring Report  -  indicating missing assignments, or notify parents (e.g., via phone or email) when you notice there are a few missing or incomplete assignments.
• When you assign a long-term major project or report, consider calling the parents of some parents. Just because you have talked about it a lot in class, and provided written information, does not mean the parents know a thing about the assignment. You may call to ask parents to check the notebook for the written information about the project, or volunteer to send another copy to post at home. A few well-meaning phone calls, text messages, or emails offering your support and assistance can make a big difference.
• Communicate with other teachers in your team. Students who have several teachers are often assigned a number of tests, large projects, and reading assignments all at the same time from their different classes. Be sensitive to this. Stagger due dates, and coordinate whenever possible with other teachers to avoid the heavy stress of everything being due at the same time.

Monitoring & Support

• Supervise your students with ADHD & LD before they walk out the door at the end of the day.  Make sure they have materials, books, and assignments recorded and in their backpacks.
• Assign a study buddy (or two) to your students with ADHD &/or LD – responsible and willing classmates they can contact in the evening regarding homework questions or to find out what      they missed on days they were absent.
• One of the most important things you can do to help ALL students (and their parents) keep on top of homework, tests, and long-term projects is to require use of an assignment sheet, calendar, or planner.  Then guide, walk-through, and monitor the recording of assignments. If this is a daily expectation and routine, it will help everyone considerably.
• With some students you will need to check and initial their assignment calendar/sheet/planner.
• Also have parents initial the assignment planner/calendar/sheet daily.  There can be a place for parents and teacher to write notes to each other, as well.   This makes an excellent home/school communication system.
• Establish a system for directly collecting homework from your students with ADHD and LD.  Even when they have spent hours on homework assignments, it is very common for these students to forget to turn them in and credit for the work they did.
• Work with your school about the possibility of having supervised study halls, homework labs/clubs, tutorials, and other assistance available for students who need it.
• Be sure to collect homework and give some feedback. It is very frustrating to students and parents to spend a lot of time on assignments that the teacher never bothers to even collect.
• Allow the student to email to you his or her homework to avoid assignments getting lost ( a very common problem of students with ADHD).

Increase Motivation

• Try to make the homework assignments more interesting.  One way to add interest and increase motivation to work on homework is to build in the component of student choice.  For example: Select 3 of the 5 questions to answer; choose from topics A, B, or C; and so forth.
• Include some homework that incorporates an element of play or fun – such as a learning game to reinforce or practice a skill.
• Reward students for completed and turned in homework (e.g., extra points, tangible treats, “one free homework” pass, “one late homework without penalty” pass, special privileges, or whatever students find positively reinforcing.
• Write a goal for improvement in homework performance together with the student and parent that is realistic and achievable.  If, for example, the child turns in less than 50% of homework assignments during the typical week, the initial goal might be to turn in 65- 70% of weekly assignments - then raising the goal/performance standard to 80% then 90% as the student achieves success. 
• Write the goal into a contract or Daily Report Card (DRC), with rewards for achieving the goal.  See examples of DRCs  on the Tips from Sandra page. 

Keep Things in Perspective

• Realize how critical it is for students with ADHD and/or LD to participate in extracurricular activities. They need every opportunity to develop areas of strength and interest (athletics, dance, arts/crafts, music) that will be their source of self-esteem and motivation. These non-academic, after-school activities are very important to their development, and the child should have the time to participate.  So, be flexible and willing to make adjustments in the homework load – differentiating homework assignments, as needed.
• Also keep in mind that many students with learning/attention difficulties have tutors, work with other professionals in the community (e.g., counseling), and participate in additional academic training programs outside of school.  Factor that in when assigning homework to these students, as well.

The content of this blog is adapted from Sandra Rief’s books, published by Jossey-Bass:

The ADD/ADHD Checklist: A Practical Reference for Parents & Teachers, 2^nd edition

The Dyslexia Checklist: A Practical Reference for Parents & Teachers (co-authored with J. Stern)

How to Reach & Teach Children with ADD/ADHD, 2^nd edition

In most homes of children and teens with ADHD, homework is problematic and a source of great frustration for both the child and parents.  It is important for parents and teachers to understand the impact of inattention and executive function weakensses on these children and provide the structure and supports to enable these kids to have greater success with homework.  This blog will address strategies parents can implement at home.  My next blog will share what teachers can do to help with homework.

Homework Routine and Schedule

· Together with your child, design/create a homework location.  Make sure your child has a quiet, organized work area with adequate lighting, and is as free from distractions as possible.
· Schedule with your child a specific time for doing homework. In order to develop a homework habit, it is important to adhere to a homework schedule as closely and consistently as possible.
· Consider a variety of factors when scheduling for homework: extracurricular activities, medication effects at that time, meal and bedtimes, other chores and responsibilities, your availability to supervise/monitor, and your child’s individual preferences and learning styles.
· Some children prefer and are more productive if they start homework shortly after they come home from school. Others need time to play and get some physical activity or relax first, and then start homework later. However, it is recommended to NOT wait until the evening to get started.
· Help your child get in the habit of putting the homework to be turned in to the teacher in a consistent location (e.g., specific homework folder or pocket in the binder), and make sure the homework(along with all books, notebooks, signed notes, and other necessary materials) are placed inside the backpack before bedtime.
· Place the backpack in a consistent location (e.g., by the front door) that your child cannot miss seeing or tripping over when leaving the house in the morning.

Know the Homework Expectations

· Expect your child to have all assignments recorded. Request the teacher’s help in making sure all assignments are recorded daily – perhaps to initial or sign the student calendar/assignment sheet or other system.
· Be sure to follow through by reviewing the recorded assignments with your child.
· Emphasize the importance of not leaving school until your child has double-checked the assignment sheet/calendar and made sure the backpack is loaded with all books and materials needed to do the homework.
· Have your child take the phone numbers of a few responsible students who may be called or texted if there is a question about school work.
· Many schools help in this regard with homework hotlines, recording daily assignments on teachers’ voice mail, classroom websites – with teachers posting assignments on-line.
· Help your child to first look over all homework assignments for the evening and organize materials needed before beginning.

Help During Homework

· The amount of direct assistance required during homework will depend upon the specific needs of your child.
· Assist your child in getting started on assignments (e.g., reading the directions together, color highlighting the key words in the directions, doing the first few items together, observing as your child does the next problem/item on his or her own, offering feedback and help, if needed). Then get up and leave.
· Monitor and give feedback without doing all the work together. You want your child to attempt as much as possible independently.
· Even with younger children, try to get your child started, and then check and give feedback on small segments of his or her independent work (e.g., after every few problems, or one row completed). Being available to help and assist as needed is wonderful. But, try not to get in the habit of having your child rely on you overseeing every minute.
· As tempting as it may be, even when homework time is dragging on and on, do not do the work for your child.
· Work a certain amount of time and then stop working on homework. Do not force your child to spend an excessive and inappropriate amount of time on homework. If you feel your child worked enough for one night, let the teacher know (e.g., write a note to the teacher or send an email).
· If your child struggles in writing, your son or daughter may dictate and you write and record his or her responses. These accommodations to help bypass writing difficulties are reasonable for children with ADHD. Speak to the teacher.
· Help your child structure and stay on top of timelinesfor long-range assignments (reports, projects).  This requires frequent monitoring and support from start to completion.
· As homework supervisor and coach, praise your child for being on-task, getting to work, and taking responsibility. Give extra praise (and other rewards) for accomplishment and progress.

Increasing Motivation and Work Production

· Use a timer to challenge your child to stay on task, and reward work completed with relative accuracy during that time frame. Tell your child that you will come back to check his or her progress on homework when the timer rings.
· A “beat the clock system” is often effective in motivating children to complete a task before the timer goes off.
· Ask to see what your child has accomplished after a certain amount of time, or to show you when a particular assignment is done. Praise and reward work upon completion.
· Help your child in setting up mini-goals of work completion (read x number of pages, finish writing one paragraph, complete x number of math problems).  When accomplishing the goal/task, your child is rewarded with perhaps points/tokens or other reinforcer.
· Remind your child to do homework and offer incentives: “When you finish your homework, you can ______”.
· Allow your child a break between homework assignments. In fact, your child can reward him or herself with a snack and play/exercise break after completing each assignment or two.
· A contract for a larger incentive/reinforcer may be worked out as part of a plan to motivate your child to persist and follow through with homework (e.g., “If you have no missing or late homework assignments this next week, you will earn. . .).
· Avoid nagging and threatening, and instead use incentives to support and motivate your child through the difficult task of doing homework.
· Enforce consequences such as loss of points (on token economy/behavior modification system) when your child fails to bring home needed assignments, materials, to do the homework.
· Withhold privileges (e.g., no T.V./other screen time or access to their phones and other electronic devices) until a reasonable amount of homework has been accomplished.

Communicate with Teachers about Homework Issues

· If the homework is too confusing or difficult for your child to do (or for you to understand from the directions what is expected), let the teacher know.
· If homework is a frequent cause of battles, tears, and frustration in your home, seek help. Make an appointment to discuss the homework problems, and request reasonable modifications and adjustments in homework assignments.
· Communicate with the teacher and try to come to a reasonable agreement about daily homework expectations. Remind the teacher that children with ADHD often take 2-3 times longer (or more) to output the same amount of work as their peers, and some of the homework demands might exceed your child’s capacity without enormous stress.
· Let the teacher know your child’s frustration and tolerance level in the evening. The teacher needs to be aware of the amount of time it takes your child to complete tasks, and what efforts you are making to help at home.
· Ask for progress notes or use of a daily/weekly report card that keep you appraised as to how your child is doing. See Daily Report – B for an example.

Other Ways Parents Can Help

· If your child is on medication during the school day, but cannot get through the homework once the medication effects wear off, consult with your doctor. Many children with ADHD are more successful with homework when given a small dosage of medication in the late afternoon, or switching to a prescription that is a long-acting formula.
· Many students with ADHD need homework accommodations written into a 504 Plan or IEP.
· It is common for students with ADHD to fail to turn in their finished work. Naturally, it is very frustrating to know your child struggled to do the work, and then never got credit for having done it. Supervise that completed work leaves the home and is in the notebook/backpack. You may want to arrange with the teacher a system for collecting the work immediately upon arrival at school.
· Help your child study for tests. Use memory strategies to increase recall and retention of material. Practice and study using a variety of multi-sensory formats and memory techniques.
· Many parents find it very difficult to help their own child with schoolwork. If that is the case, find someone who can. Consider hiring a tutor. Often a junior or senior high school student is ideal, depending on the need and age of your child. There are a variety of tutorial services available in every community. You will, of course, want to check references.
· Encourage your child and emphasize effort as the most important criteria when doing his or her homework.

This blog is adapted from the content in Sandra’s books:
Rief, Sandra (2008). The ADD/ADHD Checklist: A Practical Reference for Parents & Teachers, 2nd edition. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
Rief, Sandra (2005). How to Reach & Teach Children with ADD/ADHD, 2nd edition. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
Rief, Sandra (2003).The ADHD Book of Lists. San Francisco: CA: Jossey-Bass.

High school teacher, Earl Chen, shared this strategy that he uses to support his students with ADHD and/or Learning Disabilities.  He helps students in need of daily reminders to create a 1-page list of materials and items required for each of the classes in their schedule.  (See sample attached.)  I think this is a great aid for middle and high school kids who have difficulty with organization and remembering what they need to bring to each of their different classes every day.  Of course, coming unprepared to class significantly impacts students’ academic success.  I recommend that a copy of this Daily Reminders Items List be kept in a few visible locations (front page of their binders, laminated and posted in their locker, posted at home, and on computer or other electronic device that the student is using).

Many of the difficulties people with ADHD experience are due to not only the core symptoms of the disorder (inattention, impulsivity, and hyperactivity), but also weaknesses in some or many of their “executive functions”.  In fact, it is estimated that children and teens with ADHD have a developmental delay in their executive functions of approximately 30 percent.   Inattention and executive functioning weaknesses are the main causes of academic performance difficulties for students with ADHD.

For all people, the executive functions (located in the prefrontal region of the brain) act as the “CEO” or “overseer”  – responsible for the self-directed actions we use to help maintain control of ourselves and accomplish goal-directed behavior.  These are the range of central control processes in the brain that activate, organize, focus, integrate, and manage other brain functions.  Working memory (the ability to hold information in your head long enough to act on it), planning, organizing, prioritizing, getting started on tasks (activation) and sustaining the level of alertness and effort to get through them, strategy monitoring and revising, emotional control and self-regulation are believed to be among the various components of executive functioning.  In those with brain-based disorders (the “hidden disabilities”), in which various regions of the brain are affected, EF weaknesses are typical and often misunderstood by teachers or parents.  Executive functioning weaknesses affect every aspect of school life.  Problems we see in students with ADHD with forgetfulness, lateness, missing deadlines, losing belongings, not finishing projects, poor work production, etc. are often unfairly misinterpreted as the student being apathetic, lazy,  irresponsible, or having a poor attitude.

For students with ADHD, we know from an abundance of research that the prefrontal cortex is underactivated and there are some structural differences in this region of the brain, as well.  We know that this area of the brain is slower to develop.  So, what does this approximate 30 percent delay in executive functions mean for us as teachers and parents of children/teens with ADHD?  It means that these kids can’t “act their age”, and it is important to adjust our expectations that they be able to do so.  One teacher I know referred to this as the “illusion effect”,  because we might see a 12 year old boy, and the illusion is everyone would expect 12 year old behavior from him.  However, this boy may be 12 but have the maturity and executive skills of an 8 or 9 year old child.    A 10-year old with ADHD will typically behave more like a 7 year old, and a kindergartner have the self-regulation of a preschooler.  Teens with ADHD may be 4-5 years less mature in some or many of their executive skills than their classmates.  Regardless of how knowledgeable, intelligent,  and academically capable they may be (and often are), kids with ADHD are significantly more immature developmentally in their executive skills than their age-level peers. As such, they typically need a much higher degree of support and assistance from parents and teachers than other children and teens will require for success.

It is also important for parents and teachers to directly and explicitly teach and reinforce executive skills, as all skills can be developed and enhanced with practice and feedback.  This is beneficial for all students, but particularly so for those with ADHD, Learning Disabilities, and others with EF weaknesses.  There are a number of resources full of specific, practical strategies for helping students build executive skills, and compensate for EF weaknesses, including my books: How to Reach & Teach Children with ADD/ADHD (2nd ed.) , The ADD/ADHD Checklist: A Practical Reference for Parents & Teachers. and laminated card – Executive Function: Practical Applications in the Classroom.

When students have been taught a new skill or concept, it is very important to provide a maximum amount of feedback as they practice to ensure they practice correctly.  There are a variety of techniques that can be used in the classroom to make sure students aren’t working on an assignment incorrectly, because feedback came too late.   For example, when math problems are assigned, students may work with partners to solve a couple of problems and then check their work against the work of another set of partners.  If both sets of partners have the same answer, then they may continue with the next 2-3 problems.  But, if there are discrepancies in their answers, then all four students either rework those problems together to solve, or request teacher assistance.  It is particularly important for students who are having difficulty to clear up any confusions early.  Working a few problems and then checking for understanding, working a few more and checking is key…until that high degree of monitoring and feedback is not needed.

Middle school math teacher,  Karen M. shared with me a strategy she uses for providing feedback to students while working on their in-class assignments, and helping to ensure they are completing the work correctly.  She calls it the “yellow-light, green-light” strategy, which she finds particularly beneficial for struggling students who need frequent and immediate feedback as they are practicing a new concept or skill.  When a lesson is taught and students are then given problems to work on in class, everyone is on “yellow-light”.  They are to work a few problems on the page, and then the teacher checks them.  Students who are on the right track and don’t need assistance are given the “green-light” to finish the assignment.  For those who are having some difficulty, she provides more instruction (herself or peer assistance), then tells those students that they are still on “yellow-light”, and to try a few more problems before she checks them again.   For those kids who are really struggling, she works alongside them.  They do the problem on their page while the teacher works the problem on her page; then they compare answers.  Students are told that there is no such thing as “red light”, because they are never to stop trying.