Summertime Suggestions for Children with ADD/ADHD

 Summertime...it denotes the end of the school year. One of the most desired times of year for students young and old;three months without classes, homework, projects, studying for tests, and tests. Definitely something to cheer about! Time to kick back and relax! However, an entire summer without any type of structure can pose problems for children with ADD/ADHD. For parents and caretakers, this is a good time to reflect upon/evaluate the behavior of your child/children during the school year and devise a plan of action to improve upon those expectations, habits, routines for the next school year. Here are four steps one can follow to help ensure the summer does not pass without maintaining the structure your child/children effectively built throughout the school year.

1. Maintain routine and structure

• create a daily schedule (knowing what to expect is essential)
  
• the schedule should include activities your child enjoys with ones that are not so desirable (e.g. reading, writing)
  
• post the schedule in a location where your child/children can see them
  
• this type of daily structure will provide your child/children with the ability to meet expectations on a consistent basis
  

2. Effectively manage time

•  be sure to break the schedule into increments that are not too long (perhaps no more than 30 minutes each)
  
• alternate fun activities with “boring” ones...this will more often than not cause your child/children to maintain their focus during the “boring” activity in anticipation of the “fun” activity
  

3. Positively reinforce good behavior

• if you dwell on negative things, behavior will likely not improve and may get worse
  
• be sure to reinforce good behavior instead of criticizing bad behavior, doing this will increase self-esteem and confidence
  
• it will also spur on their desire to do well and consequently carry over into the following school year
  

4. Explore new opportunities

• use the summer months to implement new ways of managing behavior
  
• children with ADD/ADHD are always looking for new interests to stimulate their brains
  
• look for websites (www.smart-kit.com, www.deadwhale.com, and www.lumosity.com) are good ones with an abundance of activities to enhance one’s brain activity
  

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