Organization e book

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Your Roadmap to Getting Organized & Staying There!

eBook

800-788-6786


Copyright © 2014 by Unique Logic and Technology, Inc. All rights reserved. No part of this report may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, faxing, emailing, posting online or by any information storage and retrieval system, without written permission from Unique Logic and Technology, Inc. All trademarks and brands referred to herein are the property of their respective owners. Unique Logic and Technology, Inc. PO Box 2147 Skyland, NC 28776 800.788.6786 While all attempts have been made to verify information provided in this publication, neither the author nor the Publisher assumes any responsibility for error, omissions or contrary interpretations of the subject matter contained herein. The purchaser or reader of this publication assumes responsibility for the use of these materials and information. Adherence to all applicable laws and regulations, federal and state and local, governing professional licensing, business practices, advertising, and all other aspects of doing business in the United States or any other jurisdiction, is the sole responsibility of the purchaser or reader. The author and Publisher assume no responsibility or liability whatsoever on the behalf of any purchaser or reader of these materials. Any perceived slights of specific people or organizations are unintentional.

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Table of Contents

Organization – An Overview Page 4

Clear the Clutter Page 5

The Right Tools for the Job Page 7

Toy Organization Page 9

Calendars and Lists Page 10

Set Up Routines Page 13

800-788-6786


Organization

Organization, just like any behavior, takes time to cultivate and practice. Often times a person with ADHD will start out with the best of intentions, but once the newness wears off, it becomes challenging to adhere to a standard routine.

The key to teaching organization is to understand that this concept is inherently nonexistent to a person with ADHD. Most people with attention challenges are extremely disorganized. This is not because they don’t have the capacity to be organized, but with a mind that moves from one thing to another very quickly, organization is not always viewed as important. Therefore, when broaching the concept, it’s best if things are kept simple in nature.

If you struggle with organization yourself, this is going to be even more challenging. Therefore, you may want to consider getting organized yourself before teaching another person. Clear up the clutter, buy organizational tools, create a calendar for chores and events to help stay on track, and set up (and stick to) routines.

While some people are innately organized, the rest of us have to learn it and practice it before it becomes ingrained. How does one teach organization? First, you need the proper setting and the proper tools. We will explore these concepts as we move along.

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Clear Up the Clutter

Clutter is a huge distraction for people with ADHD, and can sometimes make the problem even worse. Consider this; picture your grandmother’s house with all the porcelain dolls, pictures and nick knacks everywhere. Put your five year old in the middle of this environment and ask them to pay attention. Everything in that room attracts their attention. So if your home looks anything like this, removing the clutter can help.

Organizational training, like any other training, should begin in an environment that is conducive to success.

When in the initial steps of teaching a new behavior (i.e. organization), it is in a person’s best interest to be in the best environment possible. Therefore, we must consider removing the clutter.

Just as a coach would not allow a player to go into a big game without training and practice, we can’t expect our child to learn to filter distractions without training them to be organized under the best circumstances. Then we introduce distractions as training goes along.

Let’s just say that your child’s room has a sports theme (or even a fairy princess theme). You’ve decked it out with bold colors, lots of wall art, some really cool memorabilia, etc. There’s also a comfy area with a TV and the latest gaming console, not to mention a dresser and storage bins for toys. And over in the corner, facing into the room, is a desk where your eight year old does homework—yet you can’t understand why he/she is never able to complete their homework, or it takes them hours to do so.

The truth is that with the best of intentions, you’ve created an atmosphere that is so over-stimulating, it’s a major distraction. Therefore, your child cannot concentrate.

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That’s not to say that your child will never be able to concentrate in that environment, but if you are working with someone with ADHD, you must start with baby steps. By removing some of the distractions, even if temporarily, you will set your child up for success. So clear the clutter for a time. Put that great memorabilia in a closet, and then bring it back out once your child can deal with the distractions.

Much research has been done that says that the mind of someone with ADHD runs much faster than a non-ADHD person. It’s not really a lack of attention, but an inability to sustain and direct attention at will. However, they have the ability to pay attention to many things at once when the environment is very stimulating. We don’t need to teach them to pay attention in this environment. We must teach them to pay attention when things are less stimulating.

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The Right Tools for the Job

Whenever we start new adventures in our lives we must have the right tools to do the job. No baseball player can gain proficiency unless given a ball and bat to practice. No programmer can create software without a computer. No musician can create music without a piano, guitar, or a microphone.

“Everything has a place,

and everything should be in that place.”

Organization is no different. Multi-million-dollar companies are built every day in an effort to help us get us more organized. From simple traditional storage devices to the latest apps on a smart phone, we become an ever more efficient and organized society. But buying the coolest storage devices or downloading the latest app is not enough. We need to use these tools in order for them to be effective.

It’s valuable to explore options available to help your child stay organized. Let’s look at some tools available for helping teach organization.

Remember the saying, “Everything has a place, and everything should be in that place.” When teaching organization to someone with ADHD, it’s important to keep it simple. Here are some ideas.

Make sure your child has a place to hang their coat and backpack every day. A simple coat hook system near the door as they come in is perfect. You may even want to go so far as to label these areas.

Having assigned places for things can avoid hair-raising times like hunting for a backpack as the bus is pulling up, or finding the homework that has disappeared. Toby always knows that his coat and backpack go here, and Rory knows that hers goes there. Once you’ve established the organizational part and provided the environment for being organized, then you must teach the skill. If you establish the area and don’t teach, you simply have “bought the golf clubs without ever teaching the game.”

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Even a proclamation on this concept of organization is fitting. “Kids, I’ve decided that we spend way too much time looking for our stuff, so we’re going to get more organized and I am going to help.”

This is the time where you map out your new organizational tools and your expectations. “So kids, see our new coat rack? I put it right here near the door so you can hang your coat and your backpack here when you come in the door. And look, there’s even a name label above your hook so you’ll know that this is the spot that’s reserved just for you.”

Then you set your expectations, “Every day when you come in from school, I expect you to hang your backpack and coat on this rack. Does that sound reasonable? I’ve already hung my coat there.”

Of course, if your child is the typical ADHD child, there may be questions, comments, or even complaints about this new process. Just field those with positive reinforcement. Assure them that once they get used to the new way of doing things it will get easier, and that you are always there to help.

Remember to take this in baby steps. Create and teach organization in one area (i.e. at the entrance to your home) then move on from there. If you attack too many areas at once, it may be overwhelming for your child to remember and they are likely to give up.

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Toy Organization

Inexpensive bins with labels on them can be a simple step towards organizing your child’s toys. It will help with clean-up and allows your child to stay organized. Legos in one bin, toy cars in another, crayons in another, etc.

If you’re looking for your child’s buy in, you could solicit their ideas on how they want things organized. Since they will be the one maintaining the system, why not involve them in the creation. Keep in mind that their way of organizing things may be totally different from yours. But if it works for them, the end result will be a sense of organization.

Once created, this new organization system will need to be maintained. Ultimately, the goal will be for your child to take full ownership, but in the beginning, you will need to coach and train your child through the process.

You will need to provide a “vision of good” so that everyone understands the end goal. It’s important to keep goals age appropriate and achievable, always keeping in mind that success is the goal.

Now that you’ve created the environment and given your child the right tools for the job (bins), it’s time to teach the skill to maintain organization. You may want to put specific chores on your calendar, which we will discuss later.

For instance, let’s say that you make a deal with your child that you will help them with organization by picking up toys and putting them in the bins on Mondays, and that your child is responsible for clean up on Saturday. This activity demonstrates to your child that he is being supported by you. It also demonstrates that you expect your child to maintain a specific schedule for keeping organized.

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Calendars and Lists

ADHD Children are inherently distracted, their attention scattered. Life can become a cluttered mess with minds traveling at warp speeds.

Creating calendars and chore lists can remove a lot of the guesswork for those who have a hard time remembering and prioritizing time.

Additionally, children on the autistic spectrum tend to like routine and sometimes don’t adjust well to changes or unexpected events. It is important that you understand how to help in these cases.

All of life cannot be scheduled or calendared out, but we certainly can create routines and stay inside the parameters of those routines as much as possible.

If your ADHD child can see upcoming events and plan for them, you will be setting them up for success.

For instance, let’s just say your family is going to dinner at your sister’s house on Sunday in two weeks. Your married sister has no children, has a dog and a cat, and has purchased a home with a playhouse in the backyard. So you write “Dinner at Aunt Sue’s” on the family calendar. You strategically place the calendar where the children can see it.

There is obvious turmoil by the look on his/her face and pouting when your child sees the event on the calendar

“What’s up, buddy?”

“Mom, I hate going to Aunt Sue’s. There’s no one to play with and there’s nothing to do. It’s boring.”

“Well honey, I know Aunt Sue doesn’t have any kids, but remember she just bought a house that has that really cool playhouse. And remember, the last time we were there you played with the neighbor boy and threw a ball for Aunt Sue’s dog. You had a really great time.”

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This type of dialogue goes a long way for a child who may struggle with memory. It turns an unpleasant situation around. The calendar insures that it’s not done as you’re running out the door to Aunt Sue’s house. You’ve invested the time at the right time. This is also time to interject possible scenarios to deal with the unexpected.

“The Saturday before we go, we will have to put together a bag of toys and things for you to do in case it rains or the neighbor boy isn’t home. That way you’ll have things to do, not to mention that Aunt Sue lets you throw a ball for the dog in the basement. And remember that cake she makes that you love? I can’t wait to see Aunt Sue!”

So it’s also a great idea to add “Get Toy Bag Ready” on the calendar so that everyone remembers to get this done in time for Sunday.

Use your calendar to plan out weekly events (grocery shopping, soccer, birthday parties). Remember not to over schedule. Kids need down time. They need unorganized activities to teach them hierarchy, unplanned teamwork, and just to have a little outdoor fun. You can also put play dates on the calendar.

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Chores

Chores can be a source of frustration for parents who have a child with ADHD. They can become so challenging that many parents take the “I’ll do it myself” attitude. This is a great disservice to a child. Chores teach responsibility, organization, and how to work as a team.

When establishing chores for your child, make sure they are age appropriate and that the list does not resemble the laundry list of things that you may not want to complete yourself. Also, be sure that your list includes only things that you are leading by example. For instance, if you want your child to make the bed every day, is that something you do? If it’s not important to you, it won’t be important to your child.

Also, keep in mind that your child has other things that may be more important than the list of chores you have created. We must remember that children are not small adults, and that they should not be expected to carry the same workload in the home as we do. They have homework, school (which is a full day), and play time. Yes, that’s correct! Play time is part of a child’s responsibility. It is how they learn most social skills, working effectively as a team, tolerance and hierarchy. If these skills are not learned through play at an early age, your child is likely to struggle in social settings as they grow up.

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Set Up Routines

Success when working with an ADHD child comes from setting routines and sticking to them. It helps establish consistency and sets expectations. It’s important to understand that routines take time to become consistent and ingrained.

Think about a routine that you tried to establish for yourself. If you were successful, it’s probably because you established the routine, executed it, and were consistent.

Let’s say you’re setting up a morning routine for your child. As it stands now, things are chaotic in the morning, always looking for the lost shoe, homework left in the bedroom, teeth rarely brushed, etc.

To establish a consistent routine, you may want to start with a check-off list. It may look something like this:

1. Eat Breakfast. 2. Get Dressed. 3. Brush Your Teeth. 4. Make sure everything is in your backpack.

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Keep things simple. Set your child up for success. If your check-off list includes many more things, like make your bed, make your lunch, etc., and your child doesn’t have time to do those things, you’re setting them up for failure.

It’s important to understand that a checklist is designed to successfully get them to the goal, which in this case is getting ready for school.

Since mornings are hectic, it’s not recommended that you overload it with chores that can be done after school. Just focus on what is needed. The only other thing you may want to add is:

5. Watch TV when 1-4 are completed.

You’ll be amazed how quickly and efficiently the list gets completed.

Questions? Call 800.788.6786 or email us at [email protected] Register for our informational webinars at www.playattention.com/seminars

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Organization e book