12 Tips For Helping Disorganized Children
by Gail Miller

If your child suffers with poor planning abilities, impulsive
behavior and disorganization, the following tips will help
them (and you to stay patient with them).

Set times for homework. By setting 'chunks' of time for
each assignment (this could be quarter or half hour slots)
it enables your child to stay fresh an not get too bored with
doing the same piece of work for long periods. Make sure
you know which assignments have to be handed in the
soonest though and ensure they concentrate on them first.

Help them to get into the habit of writing lists. This could
be for homework, household chores or reminders of things
to do or stuff to take into school. Buy them a little notebook
which will fit easily into the pocket and can be carried around
at all times.

Plan the next day and discuss it with your child before they
go to bed. Help them to lay their school uniform out and
ensure they have their bag packed ready for school. This
eliminates those horrendous mornings when you end up
running round like a headless chicken looking for ties, school
bus passes, matching pairs of socks etc.

Set a position in their room for homework. Ensure they have
a desk or some sort of flat surface where they can do their work,
(although this can be anywhere in the house. It doesn't have
to be in the bedroom). Keep plenty of pans and pencils available
for them to lay their hands on at all times.

Leave notes for your child if he or she is old enough to read.
"Bring your hot waterbottle down" or "Dirty washing goes in
the wash-basket" act as gentle reminders for the child who
tends to be messy and constantly puddled.

Help your child catalogue work, magazines etc by providing
box files, ring binders or folders. Encourage them to keep their
things together neatly for when they cont to need them the
next time.

Provide plenty of storage in the way of wire baskets, plastic
crates or shoe boxes for them to keep their toys or belongings
in. Hang plastic hooks behind their bedroom door to hang their
clothes on to save them being strewn all over the bedroom floor.

Children like these usually have bedrooms which look like they
have been burgled. So to keep the mess at least manageable,
every week have a mining session. Usually their draws (and
often the floor) are full of small pieces of rubbish, sweet
wrappers, broken Lego, pens without tops etc. So when this
is the case, take the draw (crate, box or bag) and tip everything
out onto some large sheets of newspaper. Then 'mine' all the
useful items and put them in a container. Everything that is left
stays on the newspaper. This is then wrapped up and put
straight into the bin!

Try to keep mealtimes to round about the same times every day.
This establishes routine and makes children secure in knowing
that things will happen the same every day. The same goes for
bedtimes. Keep turning in to the same time every night.

Always use, so therefore encouraging your child(ren) to use,
a calendar for your commitments and any family birthdays or
anniversaries. Wall planners are good as you can see at a glance
what you have planned without having to flick through pages.

Provide support and encouragement in your child's efforts to
become more organized by helping them plan checklists and
taping them up where they are easily accessible. Give gentle
reminders to your child to enter things on his or her calendar
and don't nag, but gently persuade them to keep their rooms
tidier.

Finally, encourage good habits by letting your children help
you with your own chores and always reward for a job well
done. If your kids have at least tried to keep things tidy, you
should let them know how you have noticed this with a
reward and encouragement to do it again the next time.


Gail Miller is author of  "WILD CHILD - A Mother, A Son
And ADHD" http://home.freeuk.net/theadhdgazette/wild.html
and webmistress of THE ADHD WEBSITE
http://home.freeuk.net/theadhdgazette and
SPECIAL NEEDS UK http://home.freeuk.net/specialneedsuk