– How to improve executive function by developing “domino” habits
– How to foster a positive learning environment that leans more heavily on praise
– How to design a neurodivergent-friendly classroom
– How to model good planning and prioritizing skills for your child
– How to capture wandering attention without embarrassing students with ADHD
– How to use a daily report card system effectively
– How to manage multiple students’ accommodations efficiently
– How to spot and avoid burnout in twice-exceptional students who are gifted and have ADHD
– How to reduce screen-time battles and use music to spark focus

Get all of these resources and more in this concise, practical, 12-page guide to building stronger executive functions in children with ADHD.

Print it, share it, use it, and start off the new school year smart!

NOTE: This resource is for personal use only.

Strengthening a Teacher-Student Relationship

Q: “How can I encourage my child to ask their teacher for help when needed?”

The skill of self-advocacy is both critical and elusive for many students with ADHD. They can benefit greatly from the student-teacher communication that they are terrified to initiate. Most educators are eager to hear their students’ needs and concerns; many adolescents, however, feel embarrassed, anxious, and/or unsure about face-to-face meetings.

Enter the dialogue journal — a blank book, usually kept in a designated space, that a teacher and student can use to correspond back and forth. This simple but powerful tool offers students a low-pressure way to express their thoughts, concerns, and needs without feeling put on the spot. It also allows teachers to digest the information when it’s convenient for them and not when they’re juggling a dozen other things.

A student could share, “I’m having a hard time focusing at my table,” “I struggle when you call me out for not paying attention in front of everyone,” or “I didn’t understand the math today.” The teacher can ask follow-up questions to get more info, offer solutions, or suggest having a face-to-face conversation.

[Get This Free Download: Explaining ADHD to Teachers]

Perhaps most importantly, the dialogue journal gives teachers the chance to offer positive feedback to students with ADHD, who respond best to praise but seldom receive it. Comments like, “Thanks for helping clean up the paints today,” or “I really enjoyed your observation in Social Studies,” can boost confidence, improve motivation, and significantly enhance the teacher-student relationship.

Homework Solutions: Starting and Finishing Assignments

“What’s the best way to help my student start and finish their homework?”

Completing homework requires sustained attention, focus, and working memory. These executive functioning skills develop more slowly in students with ADHD, creating stress and erecting barriers as a child tries to initiate and complete their assignments on time.

Here are some tips to help your student avoid the frustration that often accompanies homework assignments. Encourage your child to:

• Decompress. When you get home from school, take 40 minutes to eat a healthy snack and refuel your brain. Then take out your books or review your homework assignments within your classroom portal.
• Work in increments. Start with the hardest subject first. Set a timer for 30 minutes, work, then take a 10-minute break. Consider stretching and moving your body during the break to recharge. Then return to the task for another 30 minutes. Your goal is to finish each assignment before it is due. If it doesn’t get done, submit what you have, even though it’s not completed.
• Work backward. This is an awesome strategy: Put the assignment due date on your calendar and break the project into smaller parts to determine the steps you need to finish it. Then set a deadline for completing each step. You may want to create a to-do list and mark off each step as you go for a feeling of accomplishment.

Teacher-Student Relationship: Next Steps

• Sign-Up: Free Teacher Training Program
• Download: Solving Classroom Challenges 
• Read: 4 Secrets to More Positive Teacher-Student Relationships
• Listen: “Meet the Teacher — How to Build Relationships This School Year”

Kristin Seymour, MSN, R.N., AHCNS-BC, is a board-certified Clinical Nurse Specialist at the Washington University and Barnes-Jewish Heart & Vascular Center in St. Louis.

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Q: How can I, as a teacher, more effectively and efficiently implement many Individualized Education Program (IEP) and 504 Plan accommodations for multiple students with learning differences in one classroom?

Many students with learning differences benefit from classroom accommodations, but managing them all can challenge any educator. This is especially true today, as the number of students requesting accommodations has increased dramatically. In fact, it’s one of the top reasons cited by educators for burnout.

If I teach 100 students, about 30 will have an IEP or 504 Plan, with two to three accommodations for each student. Teachers are tasked with figuring out how to implement and track these, while also covering all the course content, engaging young minds, and maintaining rigor. It’s a lot to manage.

To tackle multiple accommodations at once, take the time to carefully organize your online classroom portal. By uploading your notes in advance, for example, you can knock off several accommodations, such as “provide notes to students” and “offer different instructional strategies.”

[Read: 27 Classroom Accommodations That Target Common ADHD Challenges]

Along those lines, set clear due dates in advance for students who are given extra time to complete assignments. Doing so offers a clear structure, which is comforting and motivating for students; for teachers, it streamlines an otherwise unwieldy process.

Q: I see my students with ADHD struggling to focus. How can I help them pay attention without embarrassing them in class?

When teachers tell students with ADHD to pay attention,” most of the kids don’t know what that looks like. This is where we can turn to the SLANT model, developed by Doug Lemov, author of The Coach’s Guidee to Teaching.

[Free Poster: What Every Teacher Should Know About ADHD]

The SLANT strategy details the behaviors necessary for students to pay attention:

• Sit up
• Listen or lean forward
• Ask or answer questions
• Nod your head
• Track the speaker with your eyes

The benefits of this approach are twofold. First, these behaviors enhance the ability of the student to really engage. Second, the student who adopts them looks respectful, which sets a positive tone in the classroom.

Accommodations for ADHD: Next Steps

• Read: The Educator’s Guide to Executive Functions
• Read: Positive Teaching Strategies to Uplift Students with ADHD
• Free Download: Easy Accommodations for Kids with ADHD

Brandon Slade is the founder and CEO of Untapped Learning, an executive function coaching organization. He is a former special education teacher.

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Thank you for reading ADDitude. To support our mission of providing ADHD education and support, please consider subscribing. Your readership and support help make our content and outreach possible. Thank you.

Navigating students’ emotional dysregulation can be one of the most challenging aspects of classroom management. In this one-hour webinar, educators will learn how to engage both proactive and reactive strategies for effectively managing emotional dysregulation in students.

Proactive Strategies Include:

• Building a Supportive Classroom Environment: Learn techniques for creating a classroom atmosphere that promotes emotional stability and resilience.
• Implementing Preventative Measures: Discover approaches to identify potential triggers and integrate preventative strategies that reduce the likelihood of emotional outbursts.
• Developing Emotional Regulation Skills: Explore methods for teaching students self-regulation skills and coping mechanisms that they can use independently.

Reactive Strategies Include:

• Deploying Immediate Response Techniques: Understand best practices for addressing emotional dysregulation as it occurs, ensuring interventions are effective and respectful.
• Engaging De-escalation Strategies: Gain practical skills for de-escalating tense situations and restoring a calm learning environment.
• Prioritizing Post-Incident Reflection and Support: Learn how to follow up with students after an emotional incident to provide support and prevent future occurrences.

Watch the Video Replay

Enter your email address in the box above labeled “Video Replay + Slide Access” to watch the video replay (closed captions available) and download the slide presentation.

Classroom Management Strategies for Teachers: More Resources

• Download: Kid-Friendly Mindful Meditation Exercises
• Sign Up: The ADHD Learning Series for Educators
• Read: Top Emotion Regulation Difficulties for Youth with ADHD
• Read: 13 Trauma-Informed Teaching Strategies for Educators Today
• eBook: The Teacher’s Guide to ADHD School Behavior

Obtain a Certificate of Attendance

If you attended the live webinar on September 17, 2024, watched the video replay, or listened to the podcast, you may purchase a certificate of attendance option (cost: $10). Note: ADDitude does not offer CEU credits. Click here to purchase the certificate of attendance option »

Meet the Expert Speaker

Cheryl Chase, Ph.D., is a licensed clinical psychologist in private practice in Independence, a suburb of Cleveland, Ohio. She specializes in the diagnostic and neuropsychological assessment of various conditions impacting children, adolescents, and young adults including ADHD, Learning Disorders, and emotional concerns. She is PSYPACT certified and able to serve clients from the 40 participating states. In addition to her clinical practice, Dr. Chase is also an accomplished international speaker, leading workshops on such timely topics as executive functioning, dyslexia/dysgraphia, and creative ways to support those who struggle in school. Finally, Dr. Chase serves as an adjunct instructor at several colleges in the Cleveland area. She is an active member of the International Dyslexia Association, the American Psychological Association, and Learning Disabilities Association of America. For more information, please visit ChasingYourPotential.com or her LinkedIn page.

Listener Testimonials

“This webinar was beyond excellent. Dr. Chase’s strategies and encouraging comments ware great both for students — primary and high school — and teachers/parents/guardians. Thank you so much!”

“Excellent, well-informed speaker. Well paced and with a good amount of information to communicate in the time available.”

“There were great strategies that I had not been exposed to in previous trainings. Thank you!”

“From a parent perspective, thank you for the information provided to teachers. Very helpful for everyone! Loved when you reminded them to reflect on their own childhood.”

Follow ADDitude’s full ADHD Experts Podcast in your podcasts app:
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Arguing and pleading with your student will not work. Giving them a voice in the process of prioritizing tasks and managing time will be more effective. To help build your child’s executive function skills, follow these steps.

1. Be a model.

Show your child how to plan and prioritize by working on a fun task together. For example, plan a trip to the ice cream shop: Walk or take the car, choose the route, take money with you, decide what flavor you want, and place the order. Model the planning of a desirable task so your child can see it in action and engage in the process.

[Get This Free Checklist: Common Executive Function Challenges — and Solutions]

2. Let your child plan.

Have your child plan an activity, breaking down all the steps from start to finish, and estimating how much time each step will take. Time estimation is an important life skill that seldom comes easily. At home and in the classroom, challenge your child to write down how long they think it will take to do various tasks and then record how long it actually takes.

3. Anticipate roadblocks.

As we teach children to plan, we must also help them to anticipate roadblocks that may interfere with their schedule. College students, I observed, would often plan to get to class with just enough time to print out an assignment, only to find that the network was down.

4. Apply the Premack Principle.

When students prefer one important task over another, use the Premack Principle: Have your student do the less preferred activity first to increase the odds that they’ll finish it to get to the preferred activity.

Here are other proven strategies for getting things done in class and at home:

[Read: How to Stack Habits to Improve Executive Functioning]

• Productivity gurus agree that the Eisenhower Matrix is a simple yet powerful way to set priorities and to focus your time and energy on what matters most. The matrix is divided into four quadrants according to two attributes: urgency and importance. Finishing a big work presentation for your boss that’s due tomorrow is both highly urgent and highly important. Washing your car is neither. Assigning each task to a quadrant helps students break up their to-do lists and truly see priorities.
• Getting started is often the hardest part of any assignment. The parent or educator can do the first step or two with a student, then have them continue the work alone. You can also alternate steps: the adult does one step, then the child does one, and so on.
• Play “beat the clock,” a game that can kickstart students with and without ADHD. One of my students would procrastinate by putting his head down on the desk. I learned to say, “Andrew, I bet that this will take you 10 minutes to do.” Guess what? He would get it done in five minutes to prove me wrong. This strategy may, however, be too stressful for students who have anxiety.
• Buddy systems, or doing a task with another person, can help motivate a student and keep them accountable.
• Charts and self-monitoring help students see their progress when completing a task with multiple parts. Crossing off items gives everyone a feeling of accomplishment.

How to Prioritize: Next Steps

• Free Download: The Eisenhower Matrix for Prioritization
• Read: The Educator’s Guide to Executive Functions
• Read: Be on Time! Teaching Sequence and Schedules

Beverley Holden Johns is an author and learning and behavior consultant. She has worked with students with learning differences for more than 30 years.

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Executive function (EF) skills are the cognitive processes that power you to achieve a goal — whether that’s starring in the school musical or getting to class on time. EF skills help us break down a big goal into actionable steps and then transition between those steps smoothly. ADHD brains often struggle with EFs, but, as educators, we can help our students fortify these skills, which are essential in school and in life.

One of the best ways to support executive functioning is by establishing “lead dominoes.” A lead domino is an action or routine that will make other things in our life fall into place. It kicks off a chain reaction of desired outcomes.

Domino #1: Movement

Brain scans show that, after 20 minutes of movement, the brain is active and ready to learn. The positive effects last for two to three hours after exercise — attention is improved, memory is enhanced, and the endorphins released during physical activity decrease levels of stress and anxiety.

Teachers worry that, if kids get up to move, it will be hard to rein them in again. The solution is to use multiple modalities, like ringing a bell and giving verbal instructions, to prompt them to return quickly from the break. Practicing this in advance will also help.

How to Do It

• Take a stand. Instead of raising hands, have students stand to ask or answer questions.
• Walk and talk. Hold walking office hours. An added benefit: it’s less intimidating for students.
• Take bite-sized breaks. Watch five-minute-long YouTube movement videos between subjects.

[Free Download: 4 Secrets to Motivating Students with ADHD]

Domino #2: Self-Advocacy

Each student must learn to approach the teacher in a kind and non-entitled way to advocate for their needs. Self-advocacy is a transferable skill that is important for higher education, job interviews, and relationships.

How to Do It

• Role-play. Build confidence by rehearsing the conversation with students.
• Spell it out. In your online portal, include a how-to section that details your expectations and preferred methods for student communication.
• Model an email. Begin the school year by teaching students how to write a clear email to their teachers, asking for help or supports. Have them save this draft to copy, paste, and update as needed.

Domino #3: Organize Online Resources

Students with executive function deficits struggle to weave through various portals or pages to find scattered information. Take the time to thoughtfully organize your portal so students and parents will be able to answer their own questions and utilize all of your resources.

This approach requires an upfront investment of time, but you will field fewer messages from confused students in the long run. It also encourages them to be independent.

[Read: 3 Digital Skills That Ease Learning (and Life) for Students with ADHD]

How to Do It

• Get feedback. Test the clarity of your syllabus by showing it to a disorganized friend and asking them to navigate it.
• Be predictable. Routine is helpful, so make discussion posts due every Tuesday or vocab sheets due every Friday.
• Use consistent labels: Eliminate confusion by using consistent terms for assignments in your portal and your gradebook.

Stacking Habits for ADHD Students: Next Steps

• Free Series: ADHD @ School — A Class for Parents
• Free Download: Your Guide to Solving Disorganization at School
• Read: How to Sharpen Executive Functions — Activities to Hone Brain Skills

SUPPORT ADDITUDE
Thank you for reading ADDitude. To support our mission of providing ADHD education and support, please consider subscribing. Your readership and support help make our content and outreach possible. Thank you.

Each Fall, many families dive headfirst into big ideas for doing things differently in the new school year… only to see those hopes and ambitions unravel before Halloween. Kids get out of bed grumpily, arrive late to school, struggle to do homework, and fight about their chores. The constant cycle of arguments, reminders, and stress leaves everybody frustrated and unhappy. What if you could nurture cooperation and accountability in your family instead? You can — by learning how to begin this school year with practical tools for a smooth transition.

In this webinar, Dr. Sharon Saline will show you how to change self-defeating cycles by improving key executive functioning skills related to productivity for students. Many children and teens with ADHD become so easily frustrated or overwhelmed that they cannot engage in the organizational tools that would help them. Beginning with methods for understanding and managing time, Dr. Saline shows you how to collaboratively teach realistic planning and effective prioritizing. When kids know how to realistically assess the amount of time they need for an activity, and then arrange tasks according to urgency, importance, and level of difficulty, they develop the independence needed for success at school and at home.

In addition to our standard question-and-answer period, we’ve added a live “Solve My Problem” portion of the webinar where Dr. Saline will address three specific scenarios submitted by ADDitude readers during the webinar registration process. You will leave this webinar with a set of practical strategies and solutions to use right away!

In this webinar, caregivers and educators will learn how to:

• Identify the executive functioning skills that affect productivity, organization, and follow-through
• Use tools for improving time management, planning, and prioritizing
• Develop strategies for effective decision-making that reduce stress and negativity
• Create effective routines with meaningful incentives that foster performance and goal-directed persistence
• Increase cooperation and reduce pushback for challenging tasks

Watch the Video Replay

Enter your email address in the box above labeled “Video Replay + Slide Access” to watch the video replay (closed captions available) and download the slide presentation.

Time Blindness & Executive Function in ADHD Students: More Resources

• Sign Up: ADHD @ School: A Free Class for Parents
• Read: Prioritize & Organize With These Planner Pointers
  
• Read: Activity Ideas to Hone Brain Skills
  
• Read: Teaching Sequence and Schedules
• eBook: A Parent’s Guide to Effective Routines
  

Obtain a Certificate of Attendance

If you attended the live webinar on August 28, 2024, watched the video replay, or listened to the podcast, you may purchase a certificate of attendance option (cost: $10). Note: ADDitude does not offer CEU credits. Click here to purchase the certificate of attendance option »

Meet the Expert Speaker

Sharon Saline, Psy.D., clinical psychologist and author of the award-winning book, What Your ADHD Child Wishes You Knew: Working Together to Empower Kids for Success in School and Life and The ADHD Solution Deck, specializes in working with children, teens, emerging adults and families living with ADHD, anxiety, learning disabilities, autism, twice exceptionalism, and mental health issues. (#CommissionsEarned) She lectures and facilitates workshops internationally on topics such as understanding ADHD, executive functioning, anxiety, motivation, different kinds of learners, and the teen brain. Dr. Saline is a regular contributor to ADDitudemag.com, among many other leading publications.

Learn more at www.drsharonsaline.com.

#CommissionsEarned As an Amazon Associate, ADDitude earns a commission from qualifying purchases made by ADDitude readers on the affiliate links we share. However, all products linked in the ADDitude Store have been independently selected by our editors and/or recommended by our readers. Prices are accurate and items in stock as of time of publication.

Listener Testimonials

“This will really complement my work as a Children’s Wellbeing Practitioner as well as help my family.”

“Dr. Saline is outstanding! Thank you so much. From a family with a momma with ADHD and 2 daughters — a teen and a tween!”

“Exceptionally helpful and uplifting discussion. Thank you for all that you do, Dr. Saline and ADDitude Magazine team!”

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Q: “When our child comes home from school, they immediately get on their phone or play video games. I allow this because it’s their downtime, but the transition to getting them off their screens to do homework or chores is rough. How can we make this easier?”

Children need decompression time after school. It is challenging for an inattentive or hyperactive student to stay focused and on point for the duration of the school day. So I am all about them coming home from school and just going outside or watching videos for 30 to 40 minutes. But at 40 minutes, the alarm on their phone or a caregiver’s phone should go off, and the student’s phone should go back to its docking station or be otherwise out of reach.

If they refuse to give up their device or stop playing video games willingly, you need to confiscate the electronics. I’ve shut down my kid’s phone remotely using a deactivation tool from my cell phone provider. She learned pretty quickly that I was serious. If you decide to deactivate your child’s phone for a period to prove your point, you might say: “When you follow these rules, your work gets done, and you feel better. If you do not follow the rules, we will need to prevent access to your phone or video games in the evening so you can get your work done.”

Then, have your child work on homework for 30 to 40 minutes, followed by a 10-minute break, and repeat. Your child should not have access to electronics during any breaks.

[Download: 5 Academic Challenges Rooted in ADHD Executive Dysfunction]

Experts say it takes 21 to 30 days to make a habit stick. Once kids get into the after-school routine of transitioning from downtime to schoolwork, they will start to develop self-discipline.

Listening to Music While Studying

Q: “Should I allow my teen to listen to music while studying and doing homework?”

Yes. Listening to music while studying is a great idea if they can manage it.

Music stimulates the release of dopamine, which regulates motivation, working memory, attention, and focus — all needed for tackling homework — and often in short supply for people with ADHD. I sometimes ask my patients, “How do you study best? Do you like listening to music? Does it help you get into hyperfocus, or is it distracting?”

Half of my patients say music helps them study and focus. If playing music works for your teen and helps promote focus and calm, that’s great.

[Download: 11 Tips for Redirecting Focus]

Have your child make a playlist lasting 30 to 40 minutes. Leaving their phone in another room while music plays on a remote speaker or Bluetooth headphones will make it less likely that they will check their text messages or otherwise get distracted.

After-School Routines: Next Steps

• Free Download: Free Checklist of Executive Dysfunctions in the Classroom
• Read: How to Tune Out Distractions & Focus on School
• Read: Fun (and Functional) Fidgets for ADHD Brains
• Watch: “‘I Can’t Focus!’ When ADHD Impacts Your Child’s Math & Writing Performance”

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Thank you for reading ADDitude. To support our mission of providing ADHD education and support, please consider subscribing. Your readership and support help make our content and outreach possible. Thank you.

These strategies will help your teen tap into their “grit.”

Teachers and parents can take advantage of these strategies for training focus, combatting procrastination, and prioritizing effectively to achieve the success that drives future motivation.

When we create learning environments and activities that help students feel safe and confident, we reduce their chances of experiencing failure and increase their chance at success.

Does delayed executive function maturity make it hard for your child to achieve his goals? Here, tips for practice, patience, and perseverance for children and teenagers with ADHD.

Traditional carrots and sticks don’t motivate students with ADHD – that much is clear. But these strategies do.

Why do adults and children with ADHD or ADD have strong motivation and executive function for some tasks and never find the cognitive spark to do others? Learn more.

Learn about seven important executive function skills, their relationship to motivation, and how to improve each skill. Learn more.

Foster Friendships & Regulate Emotions

Required reading for any parent whose child has felt excluded — or whose child has excluded others.

Students with ADHD thrive in a positive classroom environment, and peer interactions and relationships play a big role in shaping that learning experience.

While your child has strengths, it is the weak executive functions — the management system of the brain — that affect their social skills.

ADHD can cause specific immature behaviors, causing kids to be an outcast amongst peers. Learn how praise and getting involved in activities can help.

How to help your child make friends (and keep them) this year. Learn more.

Teach your child how to deal with a bully and become an upstander for other neurodivergent kids with these strategies.

Children and teens with ADHD may lose friends because of deficits in social executive function skills – the underlying processes that are involved in social skills ranging from perspective-taking to reciprocity and cognitive flexibility. Learn how to help them.

Initiate & Complete Homework

Research suggests that the soundtrack to your child’s homework should comprise these 21 songs, proven to change the electromagnetic frequency of brain waves for optimal focus.

Learn ways to treat dysgraphia – a disability that impacts writing abilities – and to improve handwriting for a lifetime.

With these homework routines, teachers and parents can replace after-school tantrums with higher grades..

Hurdles with writing trace back to executive functioning — our brains’ ability to absorb, organize, and act on information. Learn more.

12 ADHD-friendly strategies for creating calm, avoiding burnout, and staying organized during homework time.

Spare your family drama and fights by following this homework system designed for children with ADHD and learning disabilities.

Kids with ADHD often struggle with homework, but each one struggles in a unique way. Here are specific solutions that really work for kids with ADHD.

Secure Accommodations & Self-Advocate

These academic and organizational tips are designed to help high school students with ADHD finish homework, execute long-term projects, manage their time, earn high grades, and avoid feeling overwhelmed.

“Daily report cards are among the most powerful evidence-based tools that educators have to encourage better behavior in students. A strong report card system has a few key elements that make or break its effectiveness.”

Know your rights if the school refuses to evaluate your student for learning differences.

8 straightforward steps — from requesting a school evaluation to monitoring accommodations — to help parents develop the best IEP or 504 Plan possible for kids with ADHD.

Learn how to help a student with ADHD understand and communicate their learning needs to teachers and parents.

Here are some of our favorite solutions for addressing common ADHD challenges at school.

Here are some of our favorite solutions for addressing common ADHD challenges at school.

Remember Not to Forget

A working memory deficit could explain his difficulty working out math problems in his head or with reading retention. Take this self-test.

Improve working memory in children with ADHD by using these 10 exercises that lighten the mental load by externalizing reminders.

Learn faster. Retain more. Perform better on tests. Yes, really. With these research-based techniques for studying with ADHD .

Educators must do more to support students with learning differences for whom working memory is an area of need. The following are a few strategies and pointers for educators.

Research shows that students with ADHD don’t need to study harder or longer to conquer exams — they just need to study differently. Here’s how.

Weak working memory impairs a child’s ability to follow multi-step directions, tap into old information, or quickly recall lessons. These 15 exercises and strategies can help.

Verbal and non-verbal working memory are two essential batteries powering what Dr. Russell Barkley calls your brain’s GPS system — the one that keeps you on track, on time, and in control. Learn how to keep them charged.

Build Self-Confidence at School

Responding to bad behavior with neurotypical parenting techniques is counterproductive because it ignores the root problem. Here is a better way.

When teens with ADHD feel less than adequate, parents should use these strategies to help them bolster their self confidence, make healthy choices, and develop a positive perspective on the future. Here’s how.

Daily challenges and corrections at school can demoralize a child and trample her confidence. How to end the cycle.

These ADHD teaching strategies will help all students — but especially those with ADD — learn to the best of their ability in any classroom. Get started.

No child with ADHD can succeed at school if he believes he is less smart or less capable than his peers. Here is a better way.

Many children with ADHD, battered by daily criticisms and admonitions, have low self-esteem as early as second grade. Make a powerful difference with these reframing strategies.

Chronic stress at school can make kids (particularly those with ADHD or LD) dread going — and change their brains for the worse. Learn more.

Organize & Manage Time

The most critical tool for building these executive functions? The right planner. Here it is.

Want to make sure that your child gets his homework done every night — and learns about planning and how to prioritize? Teach them to use a homework planner.

11 tips for cementing your family’s routine.

Here, learn how to use calendars and clocks to teach your child the value of strong priorities and to help him be on time more often.

Paper planners outperform digital ones for ADHD brains. Here is what makes a great planner.

Chaotic desk? Forgotten homework? Missed deadlines? Your child needs these ADHD organizing tips.

Reliable schedules for mornings, after school, and bedtime make a tremendous difference in setting expectations, building good habits, and improving ADD-related behavior. Learn more.

Resist Distractions and Focus

dopamine menu lists an assortment of pleasurable, healthy activities — from appetizers like yoga poses to main courses like a HIIT class to sides like white noise — from which ADHD brains can choose when they need stimulation. Learn more.

Research shows that physical activity — even a little foot-tapping or gum chewing — increases levels of the neurotransmitters in the brain that control focus and attention. Learn more.

“Procrastivity” is a self-defeating ADHD time-management habit can be helped by cognitive behavioral therapy approaches that teach patients how to prioritize tasks. Learn more here.

You can’t train away executive dysfunction. But you can more consistently get things done by creating systems in your life that support these brain processes. Get started here.

Soothing, effective fidgets for students with ADHD who focus best when they are chewing, squeezing, picking, or — yes — spinning. See our picks here.

Children with ADHD experience a lower level of brain arousal, which means they are easily distracted by internal and external stimuli. Use these school and home strategies to improve focus and comprehension.

For inconsistent focus, use these teacher-approved accommodations to put some real muscle behind his 504 Plan and put the attention back on learning. Get started.

Control Impulses and Behavior

Back-to-school supplies for students with ADHD — from erasable pens and highlighter tape to wiggle seat cushions, and more — that improve focus, organization, and classroom engagement. See the list.

Educators share their top tips for developing stronger executive function skills and independence in students with ADHD and learning differences here.

The Good Behavior Game is one of many classroom behavior interventions — backed by research — that inspires better behavior from students with and without ADHD. Here is how to play.

Is your child experiencing behavior problems at school? Use this step-by-step guide.

Time-outs and lectures won’t magically cure the impulsive tendencies of kids with ADHD. But these real-world tips for teachers and parents just might.

Lack of impulse control may be the most difficult ADHD symptom to change. Medication can help, but kids also need effective behavior management strategies in place — clear expectations, positive incentives, and predictable consequences — if they are to learn to regulate their behavior. Get started here.

Teach students to regulate their emotions with these ADHD strategies.

Forge Stronger Executive Functions

Executive function deficits may look like absentmindedness or forgetfulness. Learn more.

Learn about your child’s seven executive functions — and how to boost them.

“Executive dysfunction is ubiquitous in children with ADHD, which helps to explain why so many students with attention deficit are reprimanded for forgotten homework, disorganized projects, running out of time on tests, and more.” Learn more.

Martial arts help build self-control, discipline, and persistence. Learn how.

Symptoms of inattentive ADHD are often mistaken for apathy or laziness. Learn the truth.

ADHD intentions don’t always translate into action. Learn how to align them here.

90% of kids with ADHD have an executive function deficit. Learn how to strengthen executive functions here.

Unrelenting patterns of disorganization, procrastination, and late assignments wear down and discourage many parents of students with ADHD as the school year grinds on. But it doesn’t have to be this way! As we embark on a fresh new autumn, it’s important to recognize that these ADHD struggles bring with them opportunities for academic growth and positive transformation — and it’s all possible through the power of thoughtful systems. 

Join us for an insightful webinar with Ann Dolin, M.Ed., an experienced author, educator, advocate, and parent of kids with ADHD who brings a deep understanding of the unique challenges your child faces.

In this webinar, Ann will share her expert advice and practical strategies to support your child’s success and transform school-related stress into triumphs this school year. Participants will learn: 

• What a system is and why sustainable systems are game changers for kids with ADHD
• Uncover which type of procrastinator your child is, from crisis-maker to dreamer, and get personalized solutions for each procrastination style
• How your child can effectively use a calendar system to combat procrastination and meet deadlines head-on
• Strategies to help your student maintain order with easy-to-implement organizational routines, like the Clean Sweep and Launching Pad
• Communication starters to develop a relationship of trust at the start of the school year and how to nurture it for a smooth academic journey

Watch the Video Replay

Enter your email address in the box above labeled “Video Replay + Slide Access” to watch the video replay (closed captions available) and download the slide presentation.

Download or Stream the Podcast Audio

Click the play button below to listen to this episode directly in your browser, click the  symbol to download to listen later, or open in your podcasts app: Apple Podcasts; Audacy; Spotify; Amazon Music; iHeartRADIO 

Organization System for Students with ADHD: More Resources

• Sign Up: ADHD @ School: A Free Class for Parents
  
• Download: 3 Rules for Organizing Your Child
  
• Read: Back-to-School Supplies Every Student with ADHD Needs
  
• Read: Be On Time! How to Teach Sequence and Schedules
• eBook: 7 Core Executive Functions in Children & Teens
  

Obtain a Certificate of Attendance

If you attended the live webinar on August 14, 2024, watched the video replay, or listened to the podcast, you may purchase a certificate of attendance option (cost: $10). Note: ADDitude does not offer CEU credits. Click here to purchase the certificate of attendance option »

Meet the Expert Speaker

Ann Dolin, M.Ed., has nearly 30 years of experience working with students. She is a former public school special education teacher and author who founded Educational Connections in 1998. The company specializes in helping students, especially those with ADHD, build executive function skills and study habits to perform better in school and, ultimately, in college.

She and her team of more than 120 tutors, executive function coaches, college consultants, and parent coaches provide virtual support to families with kindergarten to college students throughout the country.

Ann is the author of Homework Made Simple: Tips, Tools, and Solutions for Stress-Free Homework and Getting Past Procrastination: How to Get Your Kids Organized, Focused and Motivated…Without Being the Bad Guy. (#CommissionsEarned) She also is past president of CHADD of Northern Virginia and is an advocate for students with ADHD.

#CommissionsEarned As an Amazon Associate, ADDitude earns a commission from qualifying purchases made by ADDitude readers on the affiliate links we share.

Listener Testimonials

“Extremely practical and useful tools, methods, and approaches. Thank you so much for having this speaker.”

“This was very helpful at reinforcing common sense approaches, especially engagement with our child.”

“The rock-pebbles-sand was an amazing visual.”

“Ann Dolin was great!”

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Episode Description

School refusal and avoidance have grown more prevalent and problematic since the quarantine of 2020. The reasons behind school refusal and avoidance are different for every student, but the goal is typically the same: to stay at home and miss tests, class work, and homework. From elementary school through high school, absenteeism is growing — and pushing students further and further behind.

Underlying anxiety often propels and compels this behavior, which can present differently in different students — from stomachaches and headaches in some to signs of depression in others. For some students, this anxiety may stem from academic struggles. Students with ADHD may feel overwhelmed if they’re unable to keep up with teacher instruction, class work, and homework. They may also be worn down by years of criticism and correction at school. For others, social difficulties, such as bullying or peer rejection, may cause anxiety and the desire to avoid school.

It’s important for caregivers and educators to understand the underlying causes for each student’s school avoidance and absenteeism so that their individual needs can be addressed, and they can return to school feeling hopeful in a positive environment.

In this webinar, you will learn:

• About the underlying factors that contribute to school avoidance and absenteeism
• How these factors may affect students with ADHD, in particular
• How symptoms of school avoidance can look different across elementary school-age children and teens
• How to identify and meet the needs of struggling students
• About the evidence-based strategies that parents and educators can utilize to support students with school refusal behaviors
• Therapy options to help students transition back to the academic environment

Watch the Video Replay

Enter your email address in the box above labeled “Video Replay + Slide Access” to watch the video replay (closed captions available) and download the slide presentation.

Download or Stream the Podcast Audio

Click the play button below to listen to this episode directly in your browser, click the  symbol to download to listen later, or open in your podcasts app: Apple Podcasts; Audacy; Spotify; Amazon Music; iHeartRADIO; YouTube 

School Avoidance & ADHD: More Resources

– Download: The School Avoidance Alliance’s Free Guide to Working with Your School
– Enroll: The School Avoidance Alliance’s Master Class for Parents (use discount code: Additude)
– Share: The School Avoidance Alliance’s Course for Educators (use discount code: Additude)
– Read: Why School Stress Is Toxic for Our Children
– Sign Up: Free Back-to-School Master Class from ADDitude
– Read: 6 Good Reasons to Change Your Child’s School
– Download: Social Anxiety Facts and Falsehoods

Obtain a Certificate of Attendance

If you attended the live webinar on July 9, 2024, watched the video replay, or listened to the podcast, you may purchase a certificate of attendance option (cost: $10). Note: ADDitude does not offer CEU credits. Click here to purchase the certificate of attendance option »

Meet the Expert Speaker

Alana Cooperman, LCSW, is a senior social worker for the Anxiety Disorders Center at the Child Mind Institute. She has extensive experience delivering evidence-based treatment to children and families with a range of anxiety disorders including generalized anxiety disorder, social anxiety, selective mutism, and phobias. She also works with individuals with ADHD, autism spectrum disorder, and those struggling with emotion dysregulation. Mrs. Cooperman has provided individual and group therapy to children and adolescents in school settings for over 15 years.

Mrs. Cooperman has received training in cognitive behavior therapy (CBT), functional behavior assessments (FBA), parent-child interaction therapy for selective mutism (PCIT-SM), and exposure and response prevention (ERP).

Mrs. Cooperman’s experience includes working on a multidisciplinary team, alongside school administrators, teachers, families, and other clinicians, to create student goals and individualized behavior plans. She has led numerous workshops for both teachers and families, teaching strategies to support children struggling with emotion regulation, anger, and anxiety. Mrs. Cooperman also has experience conducting comprehensive family intakes and child and adolescent risk assessments.

Listener Testimonials

“Great presentation – she was very knowledgeable.”

“This was a terrific webinar with a good amount of information presented in an understandable format without being overwhelming. Thank you!”

“I like how reasonable, manageable, and relatable the presenter was. It was motivating to access the cycle of interventions that she suggested. This will be very useful for my client in the upcoming months!”

Follow ADDitude’s full ADHD Experts Podcast in your podcasts app:
Apple Podcasts | Google Podcasts | Spotify | Google Play | Amazon Music | RadioPublic | Pocket Casts | iHeartRADIO | Audacy

A small study suggests that menstruating people with ADHD may achieve more effective and consistent symptom control by increasing the dosage of their prescribed stimulant medication in the luteal phase, when estrogen levels hit their lowest point.

There is a dearth of research examining the changes in ADHD symptoms and medication efficacy during all phases of the menstrual cycle, and during other times of hormonal change.

However, one 2023 study published in Front Psychiatry found that increasing a patient’s dosage of stimulant medication during the week prior to menstruation can significantly improve cognitive and emotional symptoms of ADHD during this notoriously difficult phase in the menstrual cycle.¹ The study was the first of its kind to examine the impact of adjusting stimulant medication dosages during the menstrual cycle for women with ADHD and co-occurring depression and premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD) – a severe form of PMS.

Prior to the study, these women experienced “diminished response to amphetamines in the late luteal phase” and an “exacerbation of their ADHD and depressive symptoms in the premenstrual week” that was not helped by their regular ADHD medication. This experience was echoed in ADDitude’s 2023 survey of nearly 2,000 women with ADHD, two-thirds of whom said they experienced intense symptoms of premenstrual syndrome (PMS) or PMDD, beginning, on average, at age 14 and lasting for up to 40 years. The most common luteal-phase symptoms reported were:

• Irritability (80%)
• Mood swings (79%)
• Cramps or discomfort (78%)
• Tension/anxiety (68%)
• Lack of focus/concentration (66%)

“In ADHD, we know there is low prefrontal dopamine. If you have low estrogen as well in the third and fourth week of the cycle, you have doubly low levels of the neurotransmitters and hormones that help you focus and control your mood,” said Sandra Kooij, M.D., one author of the 2023 study, titled, “Female-Specific Pharmacotherapy in ADHD.” “This may help to explain why women with ADHD have much more severe symptoms during that week.”

When Kooij and her colleagues administered higher doses of prescribed stimulant medication to subjects with ADHD during the luteal phase, “all nine women experienced improved ADHD and mood symptoms with minimal adverse events. Premenstrual inattention, irritability and energy levels improved, and now resembled the other non-premenstrual weeks more closely. All women decided to continue with the elevated premenstrual pharmacotherapy.”

No similar studies on ADHD symptoms in menopausal women exist. As stated in Part Four of this We Demand Attention package, research tells us only that ADHD medications may help women without ADHD manage typical executive function difficulties associated with the onset of menopause.

What We Don’t Know

Women with varying ADHD subtypes may respond differently to cycle dosing of stimulant medications, however, we don’t understand the implications of modulating methylphenidate vs. amphetamine during hormonal fluctuations due to a lack of research.

At a very basic level, we need research validating the presumption that hormonal fluctuations during the menstrual cycle, and hormonal changes during perimenopause and menopause, influence ADHD symptoms, ADHD medication effectiveness, and overall functioning. As stated in Part Three of this We Demand Attention package, understanding the relationship between hormonal fluctuations and ADHD symptom characteristics and severity across the lifespan is a critical first step.

Tailoring medication dosages to hormonal status — known as cycle dosing — could optimize ADHD treatment and improve mood disorders in women who experience premenstrual symptoms.² Kooij’s 2023 study strongly suggests this, though it followed only nine women with ADHD. A larger, longitudinal study is needed to understand the long- and short-term implications of adjusting ADHD medication according to hormonal fluctuations. Similar studies are also needed to understand the risks and rewards associated with ADHD medication adjustments during perimenopause, when estrogen and progesterone levels begin a steady decline, and during menopause, when they bottom out and stay low. Longitudinal studies of menstruating, perimenopausal, and menopausal women with ADHD can help answer pivotal questions, such as:

• Do symptoms of PMS and PMDD impact women with inattentive-type ADHD and combined-type ADHD similarly? Or do symptoms differ according to subtype?
• During the luteal phase, do patients respond differently to higher doses of methylphenidate vs. amphetamine? If so, what are the significant differences?
• Could some patients benefit from lower doses of stimulant medication during the high-estrogen follicular phase, when estrogen and dopamine potentiate each other and may encourage risky behaviors in some women?
• Could cycle dosing with ADHD medication also improve symptoms of depression and/or anxiety in women with those comorbidities? Could the converse also be true?
• Is cycle dosing of ADHD medication associated with any short- or long-term health risks?
• How might use of hormonal birth control complicate cycle dosing for women with ADHD?
• Could women with PMDD experience PMDD improvement of those symptoms with cycle dosing of ADHD medication? If so, would they require even higher doses than average to achieve significant results?

Why It Matters

Unlocking the power of cycle dosing for women who suffer extreme symptoms of ADHD and its comorbidities during each luteal phase could save them from more than 3,000 days of agony over a lifetime.

In a survey of 703 ADDitude readers, 36% said their lives could be significantly impacted by research exploring “how adjusting ADHD medication during the menstrual cycle could improve symptom control.” In a separate survey, we learned that two-thirds of ADDitude readers who menstruate experience significant symptoms of PMS and/or PMDD. In other words, the majority of women with ADHD are suffering each month from debilitating symptoms of comorbid conditions that may be addressed, at least in part, with simple medication dosage adjustments. That seems like a no-brainer.

Though some psychiatrists are collaborating with patients on cycle dosing now, widespread adoption of this potentially life-changing practice will hinge on the availability of reliable research data from longitudinal studies on women with ADHD and comorbid conditions. Initial studies demonstrate universal benefit to women who are suffering; we just need larger studies and more of them to unlock this treatment for tens of millions of menstruating girls and women.

Similar research on perimenopausal and menopausal women with ADHD could help to provide relief during the phase of life when ADDitude readers tell us their ADHD symptoms are at their worst due to falling estrogen and progesterone.

What ADDitude Readers Say

According to an ADDitude survey of nearly 1,700 women with ADHD, symptoms experienced during the luteal phase range from migraines and memory loss to self-harm and suicidality. Very few have tried cycle dosing because very few clinicians recommend it.

“My ADHD medication doesn’t work during the luteal phase,” wrote one 36-year-old ADDitude survey respondent in Canada. “I had extreme emotional dysregulation.”

“My ADHD meds are significantly less efficacious for about 10 days per month; two days before the bleed I am a barely functional zombie,” wrote another reader.

“The week leading up to my cycle, I might as well not even take my ADHD meds,” wrote a woman in Wisconsin. “It’s like my body overrides them.”

“I’d like to see research into a device similar to that for people with diabetes that monitors hormone levels and micro-doses medication for great ADHD medication efficiency,” wrote a woman from Ireland in her 60s.

As covered in Part Four of this We Demand Attention Package, ADDitude readers almost unanimously report that their ADHD symptoms were most debilitating and life-altering during perimenopause and menopause.

“Please, for the love of God, do something on the changes in ADHD medication dosing that perimenopausal and menopausal women need,” wrote a woman with ADHD and anxiety in her 50s. “The effectiveness of ADHD meds has changed drastically for the worse for me. I used to be really sharp when I could focus, and the brain fog is significantly disabling now.”

“The DEA’s strict limits on stimulants leaves doctors unwilling to adjust ADHD meds for women in their 40s and 50s,” she said. “If your blood pressure medication stopped being as effective in perimenopause, would your doctors shrug and say, ‘Well, you’ll just have to work with the dose you’ve got?’ No, they would not.”

What ADHD Experts Tell Us

Hormonal status matters. Cycle dosing is a reasonable and effective response to elevated symptoms of ADHD and comorbidities during the menstrual cycle, but few healthcare providers understand the efficacy of this strategy due to a lack of research.

“Is it possible that women could require different medications and/or dosages at different times in their cycle? Absolutely, unequivocally, without doubt,” said Jeanette Wasserstein, Ph.D., in the ADDitude webinar titled “Hormonal Fluctuations and ADHD.” “The problem is that psychiatrists don’t know this, or very few psychiatrists know this.”

“Research should assess the degree to which girls and women with ADHD require additional or unique treatment approaches,” said Julia Schechter, Ph.D., of the Duke Center for Girls and Women with ADHD. “For example, studies can investigate the efficacy of ADHD medication type and dose for girls and women, and whether medication effectiveness might interact with hormone levels.”

Next Steps

• Contribute to research on the impact of hormones on ADHD symptoms by downloading ADDitude’s Free Menstrual Cycle Workbook for Women with ADHD. After tracking key ADHD symptoms for two cycles, complete this anonymous survey regarding your findings.
• Download this ‘Free Guide to Hormones and ADHD in Women’
• Join the Head Heart Hormones network co-founded by Sandra Kooij, M.D., to address questions of ADHD, among other conditions, in menopause.

Menstrual Cycle and Menopause: Related Reading

• Women, Hormones, and ADHD
• Hormonal Changes & ADHD: A Lifelong Tug-of-War
• PMS and ADHD: How the Menstrual Cycle Intensifies Symptoms
• Menstrual Cycle Phases and ADHD: Why Cycle Syncing Is Essential
• High and Low Estrogen Exacerbate ADHD Symptoms in Females: New Theory
• The Menstrual Cycle Impacts ADHD Symptoms in Disparate Ways

We Demand Attention: A Call for Greater Research on ADHD in Women

Intro: Top 10 Research Priorities

1. Sex Difference in ADHD
2. The Health Consequences of Delayed ADHD Diagnoses on Women
3. How Hormonal Changes Impact ADHD Symptoms in Women
4. How Perimenopause and Menopause Impact ADHD Symptoms, and Vice Versa
5. The Elevated Risk for PMDD and PPD Among Women with ADHD
6. The Safety and Efficacy of ADHD Medication Use During Pregnancy and While Nursing
7. How ADHD Medication Adjustments During the Monthly Menstrual Cycle Could Improve Outcomes for Women
8. The Long-Term and Short-Term Implications of Hormonal Birth Control and Hormone-Replacement Therapy Use Among Women with ADHD
9. How and Why Comorbid Conditions Like Anxiety, Depression, and Eating Disorders Uniquely Impact Women with ADHD
10. Early Indicators of Self-Harm, Partner Violence, and Substance Abuse Among Girls and Women with ADHD

ADDitude is dedicated to honoring gender diversity and fluidity. For the purposes of this reporting, we use the terms “girls” and “women” to refer to individuals assigned female at birth and/or who identify as female.

Sources

¹ de Jong M, Wynchank DSMR, van Andel E, Beekman ATF, Kooij JJS. Female-specific pharmacotherapy in ADHD: premenstrual adjustment of psychostimulant dosage. Front Psychiatry. 2023 Dec 13;14:1306194. doi: 10.3389/fpsyt.2023.1306194. PMID: 38152361; PMCID: PMC10751335.

² Roberts, B., Eisenlohr-Moul, T., & Martel, M. M. (2018). Reproductive steroids and ADHD symptoms across the menstrual cycle. Psychoneuroendocrinology, 88, 105–114. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psyneuen.2017.11.015

You are worried about your child. You see them struggling to read, stumbling over math homework, and spending way too long each evening on homework. Even when they complete their work, they expend an extraordinary amount of effort to produce it. Something isn’t right.

You meet with your child’s teacher to describe what you’ve observed and to hear their perspective. You bring clearly organized data that tracks how long your child has worked on specific homework or lessons, how long they studied for tests, and how that studying has yielded poorer grades than would be expected. To your surprise, however, the teacher doesn’t seem concerned about possible learning disabilities. In fact, she argues that if your child “tried harder,” their performance would improve.

Response to Interventions (RTI)

Ideally, your child’s teacher would have listened to your concerns and suggested that the district conduct a thorough evaluation of your child’s skills and abilities to rule out any learning differences and determine if interventions are needed. Depending on the findings of this evaluation, your child might be classified as being in need of special education services under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), the federal law that governs special education services, or, alternatively, as a student in need of accommodations under Section 504.

In some schools, the teacher may tell you that the district has a program that offers interventions to struggling students and tracks the child’s response to these interventions—extra reading or math instruction, for example. This kind of program is called RTI, “Response to Intervention.” RTI can be very effective at offering support and can be all that some children need. But it is not offered in every school and is not always sufficient.

Your Rights, According to IDEA

You don’t think waiting is a good idea, so you make a request, in writing, to your school for a formal evaluation. You note that such an evaluation needs to be conducted within 60 days of your request (or sooner, in some states). But nothing happens. You may be told that the school doesn’t think your child needs an evaluation, or counseled to “wait and see” if the school’s interventions result in improvements. Sometimes, a school won’t schedule an evaluation and it won’t fully explain why.

[Read: The School Evaluation Process – How to Get Formal Assessments and Appropriate Services]

Know that the U.S. Department of Education (ED) rules that rejecting or delaying a request for an evaluation on the basis that a student has not completed an RTI process undermines the evaluation provisions of the IDEA. The ED has explicitly said that RTI cannot be used to delay an evaluation requested by a parent.

The IDEA prescribes remedies when parents disagree with an evaluation conducted by the school, but the law is strangely silent on what happens when the school simply declines to evaluate, with or without giving a reason.

If the school district denies a parental request for evaluation because they do not agree that the child may have a learning disability, the school must provide a written notice to the parents explaining why the school refuses to conduct an initial evaluation and citing the information that was used as the basis for this decision. Parents can challenge this decision through a due process hearing.

[Read: Twice the Challenge – Getting the Right Diagnosis]

Due Process Hearing vs IEEs: Options Explained

The right to an educational evaluation at public expense is a cornerstone of the IDEA, and the law provides that parents have the right to a due process hearing when that right is violated. A due process hearing is a trial type proceeding, conducted before a state hearing officer. The major drawbacks to this path are that parents may need an attorney to navigate the process and that it can take months to get a resolution or decision.

Another option would be to obtain an Independent Educational Evaluation (IEE), a private evaluation paid for by the family, which the school district is required to consider (although not to follow) in making decisions about a student’s eligibility for special education classification and services. The district may pay for an IEE, but only when a district evaluation has been completed and the parents disagree with its findings.

An IEE can be expensive, although some colleges with psychology training programs will offer low-cost evaluations conducted by doctoral students as part of their training. And many private evaluators determine fees on a sliding scale.

Persistence Pays Off

Do not give up on seeking an evaluation by your school when faced with these barriers. You know how hard your child is trying. Let the school know that, if needed, you will file for a hearing to obtain an evaluation and make it clear that you won’t stop until the school steps in to provide your child with the evaluation to which they are entitled.

There may be a “Special Education PTA” in your district, or a local organization that can represent parents at little or no charge. These can help you with strategies and representation so that you can be the “squeaky wheel” on your child’s behalf. And know that even after the evaluation is completed, you will still have to work with the school’s Committee on Special Education or 504 team to have your child properly classified and to craft an effective IEP or 504 Plan to support their learning.

An evaluation is the key to opening the door to a wide array of services and supports. Getting this evaluation may be difficult, but it can be of enormous benefit to your child.

Learning Disability Evaluations: Next Steps

• Free Resource: Fight for Your Child’s Rights at School
• Self Test: Could My Child Have a Learning Disability?
• Read: Dear ADDitude – Why Has My Child’s IEP Been Denied?
• Listen: Your Legal Rights at School

Susan Yellin, Esq. is the Director of Advocacy and Transition Services at The Yellin Center for Mind, Brain, and Education, in New York City.

SUPPORT ADDITUDE
Thank you for reading ADDitude. To support our mission of providing ADHD education and support, please consider subscribing. Your readership and support help make our content and outreach possible. Thank you.

For the “project,” she gave each student an index card with a set of unique medical symptoms. The task, due in a week: Research your symptoms and identify the diagnosis. The following week, the teacher had her students quickly read out their symptoms and their diagnostic guesses. Her job was to play doctor and prescribe treatment for each student’s condition.

One student began: “My arm bone is jutting out. There’s swelling and bleeding at the spot. I’m in intense pain. I must have a bone fracture.”

The teacher: “Yes, that’s right! Take an aspirin and come back in a week if you don’t feel better.”

She hurried to the next student, ignoring the confused looks around the room.

[Get This Free Download: 5 Steps to More Forceful ADHD Self-Advocacy]

“I have a really bad headache, a fever, a runny nose, and a sore throat,” said the other student. “I think I have the flu.”

“Correct,” the teacher said. “Take an aspirin and come back in a week if you aren’t feeling better. Next!”

On and on the teacher went, assigning the same treatment, no matter how nonsensical, to the students’ varied conditions and ignoring their objections.

After a few moments (and an uproar across the classroom), the teacher stopped. Now came the time to reveal the real purpose of the project.

[Read: Putting Kids in Charge of Their Learning Needs]

“Here’s the deal,” she said. “Like your index cards of symptoms, each of you has a unique set of strengths and needs. And just as your symptoms require different treatments, each of you needs different things from me to succeed. And my job is to be fair to each of you individually.”

Some people think that fairness, she noted, is giving everyone the exact same thing. But was it fair, she asked the class, to prescribe aspirin for a bone fracture? The class, of course, said no.

Fair, she emphasized, doesn’t mean that everyone gets the same thing. It means everyone gets what they need to be successful. Some may need more support than others, but the result should be the same: Success in the classroom.

“Now, I’m not a mind reader,” she said to the class. “I can’t help you be successful if you don’t tell me what you need. You’re going to have to help me with this.”

Try this simple project with your classroom. In doing so, you’ll cultivate a classroom culture where individual strengths and needs are normalized, not stigmatized, and where students of all abilities feel comfortable advocating for their varied needs to thrive.

Self-Advocacy Activities: Next Steps

• Free Download: 4 Secrets to Motivating Students with ADHD
• Read: Teaching Strategies for Students with ADHD — Ideas to Help Every Child Shine
• Read: 8 Confidence Builders for Kids with ADHD

The content for this article was derived from the ADDitude webinar titled, “Avoiding & Recovering from 2e Burnout: Support for Gifted Students” [Video Replay & Podcast #467] with Mary Ruth Coleman, Ph.D., which was broadcast on August 17, 2023.

SUPPORT ADDITUDE
Thank you for reading ADDitude. To support our mission of providing ADHD education and support, please consider subscribing. Your readership and support help make our content and outreach possible. Thank you.

Q: “We’ve recently started a daily report card with one of my students with ADHD to improve their behavior, but we haven’t seen any changes yet. What can we do to make this tool work more effectively?”

Daily report cards are among the most powerful evidence-based tools that educators have to encourage better behavior in students. A strong report card system has a few key elements that make or break its effectiveness.

1. Well-Defined Goals

Your student’s daily report card should list a few clearly defined target behaviors. The following are some examples of well-defined daily report card goals for students with ADHD:

• Follows class rules with no more than three reminders per class
• Completes assignments within the designated time
• Completes assignments with 80% accuracy
• Complies with teacher requests with no more than three instances of noncompliance per class
• Engages in no more than three teasings per class
• Follows lunch rules (<3 violations)
• Follows recess rules (<2 violations)

Avoid listing vague goals like “I was well-behaved in class today” or “I had a good day today.” The daily report card should be clear so that everyone — educators, parents, and the students — understands what’s expected.

[Read: Behavior Problems at School — a Complete Problem-Solving Guide for Parents]

2. Well-Calibrated Behavioral Goals

You know you have a well-calibrated report card when the student has earned more Yeses than Nos on it at the end of the school day. If the student is getting mostly Nos and failing to meet goals, it’s time to go back to the drawing board. Even if the goals that are currently on the report card are well-defined, the point is to set goals that are reasonably attainable for the student now. These goals can become more challenging once the student has demonstrated that they can consistently achieve them.

Bear in mind that, when starting a new behavioral support plan, it’s not uncommon for a student’s behavior to get worse before it gets better. A behavior analyst may be able to identify additional strategies to decrease instances of challenging behaviors.

3. Immediate Feedback

You should praise and compliment your student for demonstrating desired behaviors, but you should also provide immediate feedback — privately — if they break a rule reflected in the report card. If rule-breaking happens, say, “This is your first reminder for following class rules.” This framing works because it keeps students on track. Once a student gets close to the limit, they typically button down and really focus on following the rule.

4. Parent/Caregiver Involvement

Caregiver accountability is by far the most important aspect of the daily report card. Daily report card review will help parents or caregivers notice patterns to their child’s behaviors and intervene quickly with the help of the school if needed.

[Read: How to Team Up with Parents — Tips from Teachers for Teachers]

Caregivers must also implement home-based privileges or consequences tied to their child’s report card performance. The child can earn three minutes of screen time, for example, for every check mark they earned toward the goal behaviors. If screen time matters that much to the student, they will be more focused on meeting daily report card behavior goals throughout the school day. If setting up home-based rewards isn’t feasible, school-based rewards may fill this need.

Behavior Report Card: Next Steps

• Free Download: The Daily Report Card for Better Classroom Behavior
• Read: The No-Punishment Guide to Stemming Misbehavior in the Classroom
• Read: Behavior Problems at School – a Complete Problem-Solving Guide for Parents

The content for this article was derived from the ADDitude ADHD Experts webinar titled, “ADHD Understanding and Services in School Settings: An Evolution in Education” [Video Replay & Podcast #461] with Gregory A. Fabiano, Ph.D., which was broadcast on June 28, 2023.

SUPPORT ADDITUDE
Thank you for reading ADDitude. To support our mission of providing ADHD education and support, please consider subscribing. Your readership and support help make our content and outreach possible. Thank you.