AuthorDr. Carrie McMillin is a naturopathic physician that specializes in treating adults and children with ADHD and anxiety. Archives
February 2023
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Remote Learning Survival Guide: Step 48/27/2020 The abrupt transition to online school last year was less than ideal and has left families dreading virtual classes in the fall. So in order to support a successful year, I have created a Remote Learning Survival Guide, with some simple steps for parents of ADHD kids. Be sure to check out Step 1, Step 2, and Step 3 before diving into the rest of the guide!
Step 4: Consider the learning environment An uncomfortable desk or seat is a distraction for the whole body. So it's a good idea to do a quick check to see if making an adjustment to your child' working environment could be helpful. A general rule of thumb for finding the right chair and desk size is: they should be able to have their feet rest flat on the floor and be able to sit with their elbows on the desk and their chin resting comfortably in their hands. Taller kiddos may need a taller chair and desk, while shorter (often younger) children need a shorter chair and table. If their feet don't reach the floor easily, something as simple as adding a footstool may be helpful. Some kids focus much better at a standing desk. This doesn't have to require purchasing an expensive new piece of furniture. Another option is to set their computer on top of a heavy duty box or something like an adjustable laptop stand that goes on a table or desk. If seating seems to be at the correct height, but they fidget a lot with their feet, try tying resistance/exercise bands around chair or table legs. Some kids also do well with a foot roller or swinging foot fidget bar. When my daughter is feeling particularly fidgety, we have a small weighted medicine ball that she rolls around with her feet while sitting at the table. For those that need more of a "whole body fidget," I like wiggle cushions and yoga balls to sit on. My favorite is the kind of yoga ball that is weighted. This still requires all the muscles that maintain posture to be constantly activating in order to keep balance, but doesn't roll around excessively. Another tool that can be helpful for minimizing environmental distractions is a simple tri-fold board placed around their work area. This can be particularly useful if you have more than one child at the same table! I love this option because it is inexpensive and folds up easily to be stored out of the way. Many of these suggestions come down to what I talked about in Step 1-- Be flexible. You may find that you have a few different seating options for your child and what they need one day is a bit different from what they need the next. Involve them in the process of problem-solving. You might say, "You seem to be having trouble sitting in your chair today, would you like to try your wiggle cushion to see if that helps?" There are so many more options for what you can use to help minimize distractions and improve focus, so if the ones I've mentioned aren't the right fit for your kiddo, don't give up. Tap those innovative ADHD brains to find the best tools for you! You've got this!
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Remote Learning Survival Guide: Step 38/20/2020 The abrupt transition to online school last year was less than ideal and has left families dreading virtual classes in the fall. So in order to support a successful year, I have created a Remote Learning Survival Guide, with some simple steps for parents of ADHD kids. Be sure to check out Step 1 and Step 2 before diving into the rest of the guide!
Step 3: Reduce workload when possible Sometimes the solution for getting through an assignment and avoiding burnout is simple: shorten the assignment. In fact, reducing the length of assignments is a common accommodation for ADHD in school, particularly when kids also have slower processing speed, or learning disabilities such as dysgraphia and dyscalculia. For things like worksheets and math assignments, this can look like having your child do every OTHER problem. Or choosing selected questions to do instead of all of them. For writing assignments, you can reduce the number of words, or paragraphs required. You or your kiddo can talk to the teacher about which problems are most important to focus on. Usually kids can understand and practice new concepts without doing EVERY question on the page. And pushing them to their burnout point just results in more frustrations, anxiety, and negative self-image. Most teachers agree that the goal of homework is not to have your child sit for 3 hours, struggling to finish an assignment. The goal is to practice and solidify the skills they are learning. So keep an open dialogue with the teacher about how much time your child is spending on assignments, and work together to find ways that make sense to reduce the workload. It is also important to remember that kids (especially ADHD kids) may be using up all the "focus power" they have during remote learning classes. This leaves even fewer reserves for working on assignments too! Hopefully this technique for reducing workload will help your child to succeed in a remote learning environment. Stay tuned for more techniques and tools to support your family! You've got this! To be notified of future blog posts, you can subscribe to my feed or follow me on Facebook.
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Remote Learning Survival Guide: Step 28/13/2020 The abrupt transition to online school last year was less than ideal and has left families dreading virtual classes in the fall. So in order to support a successful year, I have created a Remote Learning Survival Guide, with some simple steps for parents of ADHD kids. Be sure to check out Step 1 before diving into the rest of the guide!
Step 2: Take breaks This. Is. So. Important. I mentioned breaks a bit in Step 1, but I'm giving them their very own step here. Research shows that our brains need breaks in order to learn and to sustain attention. But what should a break look like? And how frequent should they be? Generally, I recommend a routine like this:
Everybody is different when it comes to how long they can focus on work, and it can also vary topic to topic. For example, my 4th grader really struggles with math. So for this subject, she works hard for 10 minute intervals and takes 5 minute breaks. A high school student working on an essay, however, may find 20 minute intervals of writing with 5 minute breaks works better for them. What constitutes a break? Well, really it's just disengaging from the task, but I always insist on at least standing up, stretching, and getting a drink of water. This creates a clear break for the brain and the body, which can help to improve focus once you sit back down to work. There are lots of ways to make breaks more interesting, though. Some of my favorites are:
To make things a little more fun at our house, we write our break ideas on slips of paper and put them in a "brain break jar." When it's time for a break, you draw a slip and do what it says. As a bonus, we add 1 slip of paper that says "PRIZE!" When you pick this one, you get a small surprise! For more info on effective ways to take breaks, check out information on the Pomodoro Technique. And remember that you may need to make adjustments based on your child, the subject, and sometimes even how the day is going. You've got this! To be notified of future blog posts, you can subscribe to my feed or follow me on Facebook.
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The abrupt transition to online school last year was less than ideal and has left families dreading virtual classes in the fall. So in order to support a successful year, I have created a Remote Learning Survival Guide, with some simple steps for parents of ADHD kids. Over the next few days I will be posting details on how to make these 7 steps work for you.
Step 1. Be Flexible I truly hope this is an easy transition for your family. But more likely than not, there will be some frustrations and rough patches. THAT'S OKAY Remote learning is still new for most students and teachers, and not ideal for many. But you will learn what doesn't work, you will find things that DO work, and you will adapt. It's sort of like when you start a new job--you expect that first few months will be less than ideal. This is no different. When you do run into problems, try to pinpoint the specific hurdle and then consider some solutions. For example, maybe your child is incredibly distracted during online math lessons. Let's say these presentations are 30 minute videos or video calls with the teacher and you notice that after 15 minutes your child is just can't pay attention any more. The problem may be that it is just too long of a period of time for your child to stay engaged. Solution: Break math time into shorter segments of 10-15 minutes, with short breaks in between. If it is a video call, ask the teacher if it can be recorded so you can do this. Here's another example. Perhaps the class is assigned to read a specific book together, with one chapter of at-home reading per day. Your kiddo may technically read the chapter but is so distracted they don't remember anything they just read. Solution: Try getting the book on audio book--information that is heard is processed differently in the brain than information that is read. Still distracted? Have them listen to the audio book in the bathtub. Add some epsom salts to the tub to help relax the body, and you may find they can follow the story better. Ask your child if they have any ideas on how to overcome a specific problem they are running into. ADHD brains are innovative brains, and they may come up with a creative solution too! You've got this!
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The Remote Learning Survival Guide8/6/2020 The start of a new school year is just around the corner and for many families, this means a return to remote learning.
The abrupt transition to online school last year, was less than ideal and has left families dreading virtual classes in the fall. So in order to support a successful year, I have created a Remote Learning Survival Guide, with some simple steps for parents of ADHD kids. These steps are: 1. Be Flexible 2. Take Breaks 3. Reduce Workload 4. Check Environment 5. Review Weekly 6. Bust Out the Reward Charts 7. Be a Cheerleader I will be going into more detail on how to apply each of these steps, with examples of common struggles and how to overcome them. You've got this! |