Enrichment students with ADHD face a particular set of problems that, if tended to outside of the classroom, can be overcome.
While an enrichment program is a great solution to turn to, home-based strategies are also crucial – and nowadays, there are new strategies parents can employ to keep their ADHD children on the right track.
Here at e3 Consulting, our Academic Specialists have helped countless families accommodate their ADHD children’s needs over the past 20 years through our uplifting academic enrichment program.
In a presentation by Ann Dolin that e3 Consulting’s Academic Specialist Jason Mair recently attended, Ann shares these strategies and notes how with consistent work, executive functioning skills can be effectively sharpened.
Discover the insights from Dolin’s presentation, and reach out to e3 Consulting for a team of San Diego education consultants that’s committed to your child’s social, emotional, and academic health.
Helping ADHD Enrichment Students Reach Their Goals
Students with ADHD tend to have weak executive functioning skills, which can burden parents. There’s often a disconnect between what the parent wants for their child, and what their child is capable of – which may call for some behavioral work, lest they fall into the “doom loop.”
The “Doom Loop”
The “doom loop” is commonly faced by enrichment students with ADHD. It starts with a bad grade, which leads to criticism and potentially lowered confidence.
The resulting loss of confidence can then spiral into less overall effort, putting forth a cycle of poor grades and low self-esteem. This is precisely what we aim to reshape at e3 Consulting, where our San Diego education consultants work to boost your child’s self-advocacy and self-esteem, alongside academic performance.
While an afterschool enrichment program is beneficial for your child, at-home practice should be expected – and in the home setting, you’re the default teacher.
Parents: Guiding Your Children Outside of School
If your child has ADHD and is working to improve their behavior, their practice doesn’t stop once the bell rings. At home, it’s important to work on their understanding of routines, build focus by chunking homework assignments, and shape organizational skills with a “Launch Pad” and “Clean Sweep.”
Establish Routines
Parents are suggested to plan their ADHD children’s weeks out ahead of time, and preview the week on Sundays. This will help with keeping daily and weekly tasks on track and cementing those routines in your child’s mind.
Break Up Homework Assignments
To tend to your child’s focus, dividing homework assignments according to their allotted time may help. She breaks them up into three classes: Bites, Munchers, and Gobblers. Bites are small tasks that can be done quickly, Munchers are larger activities that may take hours, and Gobblers are multi-step projects that take days at a time to complete. This helps shape your child’s self-regulation outside of the classroom, a focal point of the academic enrichment program we offer at e3 Consulting.
Strengthen Their Organizational Skills
Finally, a “Launching Pad” that can be set near the front door that contains all your child needs for school the next day is a great way to build organizational skills. It can be a bin, box, any mid-sized or large container will do. This teaches children not only to stay organized, but to be prepared for the next day.
We’d also suggest a “Clean Sweep,” a weekly clean-up of your child’s items to build healthy habits from an early age. There are two levels to the Clean Sweep – physical and virtual – which clear out backpacks, rooms, and online files on desktops and calendars on a weekly basis. A cluttered room is a cluttered mind, and for children with ADHD, we understand that it’s all the more important to keep their vision clear.
e3 Consulting: Your Trusted San Diego Education Consultants
ADHD enrichment students require a unique approach, one that we’ve delivered at e3 Consulting for the past two decades. With our academic enrichment program, your child’s self-regulation, self-advocacy, and ability to focus will all be bolstered, leading to improved performance in the classroom.
Contact e3 Consulting today to request an academic consultation and get your child the help they need and deserve.
