3 Homework Strategies for Teens With ADHD
written by Dr. Liz Matheis, posted on Psychology Today
It’s the start of a new school year, the honeymoon phase is slowly beginning to fade, and the rigor of academics is taking off. Every year, I begin the new school year with a mountain-high amount of hope that the summer served as a source of maturation and consolidation of a new set of skills. In many ways, I’m correct and my three children show a new level of growth.
For kids with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), or executive functioning struggles, the start of a new school year often comes with a greater need for organization of school materials, time management, prioritization, and study skills.
One thing I hear from parents is that their child may spend hours “working” on homework and have nothing to show for it. How can that be? Well, I went to my best source of information: adolescents.
The responses were honest and raw. I heard that they start their homework, but then the phone dings, or they get an idea about a show or a game, and look it up (because they can). Before they know it, so much time has passed and little or no progress on their assignments has been made.
This is usually the time when a parent checks in and the young man or lady tries to “look” busy, but truly, no real work has been done. Or, teens have said to me that’s when they “bark” at their parents and ask to be left alone. Part of that response is the awareness that they have been sitting in front of their homework for a while but little has been done, and the other part is pure frustration and procrastination.