AHDH homework tips
Parents, ADHD experts and ADHD children offer the following tips for making homework time a little easier for those with the disorder.
1 – Maintain Order
Sandler says one of the best techniques, regardless of age, is to have children do their homework in the same order, every day.
For example, if a child enjoys reading the most of all her subjects, make it the first one she tackles for homework. Follow it with math or another subject. Write the homework subject order down on a piece of paper the child can see.
“So when they come home, and it’s homework time, they know what to start with,” Sandler says.
The brain’s frontal lobe is the primary area responsible for attention, she says. By having a pre-established order, children use less frontal lobe energy deciding what to do next and have more attention energy for actual homework.
2 – Change the Scenery
Try doing each subject’s assignments in different locations, Sandler says. For example, do math homework at the kitchen table and spelling homework at a desk or dining room table.
“It starts to condition the brain,” Sandler says. “What should I be thinking about now because of where I am?”
And, not all homework needs to be done sitting at a table or desk, she says.
For Nick Innella, 17, an Elkridge resident and student at Mount Saint Joseph High School in Baltimore, the chairs near his backyard pond are ideal for reading homework.
“It’s less noise and distractions in terms of getting pulled away from a book,” he says.
Even removing the chair can make a difference, especially for fidgety children, says Stephanie Turnbach, founder of Severna-Park based Rapid Success Tutoring, which provides tutors for children with and without ADHD.
“It’s OK to stand up and do their homework or sit on an exercise ball,” she says.
3 – Take Breaks
For every hour of homework, give children a few one-minute breaks, Mahone says. That gives them a chance to grab a drink or snack or use the bathroom, he says.
In addition, Sandler recommends giving breaks after homework for each subject is finished. For younger children, physical breaks are best, she says. Activities like running or jumping on a trampoline energize their brain, helping it shift more easily to the next thing, she says.
For Doc, riding a bike for 15 minutes is enough to help him refocus on his next assignment, his parents say.
For older children and teens, 10-minute breaks to text or check e-mail may be all it takes to help them regain focus, Sandler says. But, she warns, don’t allow the phones to stick around during homework time. They then become more of a distraction.
4 – Find Purposeful Distractors
Purposeful distractors like quiet classical music, timers or even sugar-free chewing gum can help children with ADHD narrow their focus, Sandler says. By playing classical music in the background, a child’s brain can focus on the music and the homework and not on what to wear tomorrow or how to get to school, Sandler says.
Children can also use timers. For example, by setting the timer for 20 minutes, children have a visual timeframe to work from. In some cases, the closer the timer gets to zero, the more the child’s brain focuses on the homework, Sandler says.
5 – Spark the Frontal Lobe
Supportive aids like color transparencies can turn on the frontal lobe when a child is reading, Sandler says.
Find colors the child likes and then place the transparencies over the page. This allows the child to read through the color, keeping his brain stimulated.
“Color helps activate the attention,” Sandler says. “There’s a reason why brake lights are red.”
Sandler suggests alternating colors with each page to keep the child’s attention.
6 – Hire a tutor
Even with modifications in place, some children still need extra help.
Patti Kuhlman of Severna Park found tutors from Rapid Success Tutoring helped her son, JP, pass and even excel in his more difficult classes like math and chemistry. Throughout high school, specially trained tutors worked with JP on homework two to three nights a week.
One tutor even used sports and cars – two topics JP enjoyed – to illustrate chemistry and keep JP focused, Kuhlman says.
“She understood his mind and the way it worked,” she says.
Having one-on-one help from someone other than a parent can make a tremendous difference for children and teens with ADHD, Kuhlman says.
“It helps build their confidence that with the right person, they can get it,” she says.
Is It Typical Toddler Behavior or ADHD?
Many young children have trouble paying attention or concentrating. So how can parents recognize if their children are just typical toddlers, or if there are more serious reasons for concern?
“Research shows that children with ADHD have abnormal brain development, meaning that ADHD has a biological basis that often makes it a lifelong condition,” says Dr. Mark Mahone, director of the Department of Neuropsychology at Kennedy Krieger Institute in Baltimore. “We want to catch ADHD early because it has such a profound effect on learning and academic development. Children whose symptoms begin in early childhood are at the highest risk for academic failure and grade repetition.”
Could it be ADHD?
Mahone recommends parents observe their preschool aged children, watching for the following signs that are associated with ADHD diagnosis when children reach school age:
1. Dislikes or avoids activities that require paying attention for more than one or two minutes.
2. Loses interest and starts doing something else after engaging in an activity for a few moments.
3. Talks a lot more and makes more noise than other children of the same age.
4. Climbs on things when instructed not to do so.
5. Cannot hop on one foot by age 4.
6. Nearly always restless—wants to constantly kick or jiggle feet or twist around in his/her seat. Insists that he/she “must” get up after being seated for more than a few minutes.
7. Gets into dangerous situations because of fearlessness.
8. Warms up too quickly to strangers.
9. Frequently aggressive with playmates; has been removed from preschool/daycare for aggression.
10. Has been injured (e.g., received stitches) because of moving too fast or running when instructed not to do so.
Resources for kids with ADHD
According to estimates from the Centers for Disease Control, 1 in 11 school-aged children are diagnosed with ADHD.
For more information on the disorder or tools that can help, check out the following links:
www.kennedykrieger.org – Kennedy Krieger Institute’s web site offers an overview of ADHD, as well as information about faculty members who specialize in ADHD and ongoing ADHD research initiatives.
www.chadd.org – Children and Adults with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (CHADD) is a non-profit organization that serves people with ADHD and their families.
www.help4adhd.org – The National Resource Center on ADHD, a program of CHADD, is a clearinghouse for science-based information about ADHD.
www.nrsi.com – The National Reading Styles Institute’s online store offers tools like colored overlays or transparencies that can help children maintain focus while reading.
www.therapyshoppe.com – The Therapy Shoppe offers FitBall seating discs that provide children with movement and tactile stimulation without needing to leave their seats.
