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Focus Pocus

focus pocus cover“Focus Pocus” was Ron’s Facebook status the other day. I didn’t ask him about it, but I can only imagine why he posted. Maybe in the throes of studying, Facebook beckoned. More likely, in the throes of Facebooking, his conscience called him to study.

Anyhow, it’s a great title. There are many little ‘magical’ strategies that help improve focus. None of them work all of the time – nothing works all of the time for our kids! All of them work some of the time, and chances are one of the following will work for you today:

Limit the Viewing Area – Cut down on distractions by limiting what the eye can see – or what the ear can hear.

  • When reading, use a plain 3×5 or 4×6 index card with a small area cut out in the center for lines of print to show when reading. This blocks out everything on the page except what is being read. Make your own, or purchase this Typoscope.
  • Have your child do homework in an area that is visually plain. Limit things on the wall, on shelves, on the floor. Close the door, or block the view with a sheet. My office – which used to be study central – still has only one picture on the wall.
  • Keep the television off – even if it’s in the next room. Our guys could hear – and pay attention to – the television if it were on downstairs and across the house. We had the unpopular rule of no television for anybody on school nights. I know, we’re strange.

Take It In Spurts Hooked on Phonics taught me this strategy – and boy does it work. Break things down into smaller bites, like a telephone number.

  • Instead of giving your child one page with 20 math problems, copy the problems five at a time onto four sheets of paper. You can copy by hand or using a photocopier with an enlarger.
  • When your child has material to read, change it up. Read the first section to your child, have her read the next section aloud to you, then read the third section silently. As always, make sure the material is understood.
  • Make small goals/rewards for work. Section an orange, and say, write two definitions, then have a section. Do part one of the homework contract, and run out and get the mail.

Keep the Real Task in Mind – There are multiple skills at use for each task your child is given. It’s important to figure out the primary purpose of an exercise, and make sure that is where the major focus is placed. In order to do this, it’s okay to occasionally do some of the non-focus stuff for your kids. You should let the teacher know when (and why) you give extra help.

  • If your child has problems in the math book, you copy them onto the paper. (It’s about math, not copying.)
  • Occasionally, read social studies out loud to your child, instead of having him read it silently. (The important part is the content.)
  • Gather everything needed for the homework session. (Work on organization tomorrow!)

For 100 ways to help your child pay attention, click below to get a copy of Focus Pocus, the book inspired by Ron’s status.

Filed Under: Products for ADHD Tagged With: focusing, products and tools for adhd

Book Review: Getting Schooled: 102 Practical Tips for Parents, Teachers, Counselors and Students about Living and Learning with ADHD

getting schooledSo often books about ADHD are just full of fluffy, pie in the sky suggestions that remind me of an episode of The Brady Bunch – all conflicts can be easily solved in 30 minutes. Parents and educators aren’t given any practical solutions.

The book Getting Schooled: 102 Practical Tips for Parents, Teachers, Counselors and Students about Living and Learning with ADHD, isn’t like that. Written by Margrit Crane, it’s a down to earth, you can do this today sort of guide that is easy to read and absolutely do-able.

Quotes from the book:

    • Parent’s section: “In this metaphor, the child is the CEO, and you are the executive assistant.” (I’d love to think the author had read my Sabrina analogy!)

    • Teacher’s section: “self-advocating – a buzz word in education today – is very difficult for people with ADHD.”

    • Counselor’s section: “Long projects need to be broken down…teachers need to be in charge of this.”

    • Student’s section: “Your parents or teachers may tell you that you spend too much time texting. Do you know how you can tell if this is true? Three ways…”

Note that there is a section for counselors, the ones who help write the 504/IEP’s. That’s unusual, and it’s particularly helpful. One piece of advice to counselors is that they make sure they pick the brains of teachers and parents of ADHD children.

Getting Schooled is available in hard copy and for Kindle at Amazon. As of the publication, it’s available for free through Amazon Unlimited. I highly recommend that you grab your copy today!

Getting Schooled: 102 Practical Tips for Parents, Teachers, Counselors and Students about Living and Learning with ADHD

Filed Under: Products for ADHD Tagged With: 504 plan for ADHD, books, IEP, school

Gifts for ADHD Kids

peppermint gumWe were having a discussion at our house about what makes a good stocking stuffer, and the kids decided that there is one thing that every ADHD kid NEEDS. Ready for this? The one necessary thing was…peppermint gum. Gum is a fidget. Peppermint has that smell that improves focus. So there you have it, and don’t you wish that meant your holiday shopping was over?!

But since we have a feeling your list is a bit longer than that…here are a few more of the wishes – er – suggestions we got! We were surprised at how many things fell in the non-toy department.

Games. We love Spot It for the fast pace, but also because it really requires focus! It’s a challenge for kids and adults. In fact…kids are better at it than I am! Other good game ideas are Eclipse Sugar Free Gum, Peppermint, 18 Piece Packages (Pack of 8), Spirograph, and Rory’s Story Cubes.

spot it

Fidgets. Twiddle Fiddle Toy, Magnetic Marbles, and this fun Wood Fidget Puzzle.

magnetic marbles

Tools. My boys pretty much don’t leave home without a Leatherman Multi-Tool, and they say it’s a must for everyone’s stocking. A Flashlight is also high on their list of good ideas.. Someone has also asked me for a good pair of Scissors (01-004244J).

leatherman

School Supplies. One of our guys famously said, ADHD is being able to lose something without moving. Extra pens, sharpies, USB cords, and water bottles are frequently lost, so extras are appreciated. And don’t forget the perpetually needed notecards, sticky notes, markers, and crayons. And does your ADHD family have a seriously good Stapler?

Really?!. Socks and underwear sound cliched, but what about fun Animal Socks or underwear? Or towels? One of ours actually asked for new towels.

animal socks

AND Lego’s. Apparently noone can have enough Lego’s.

So what’s on your list? Let us know if you have anything that our kids have left out!

PS Need more ideas? Here’s a list of stocking stuffers for ADHD kids…

Filed Under: Products for ADHD Tagged With: home page, products and tools for adhd

Notebook Paper for Poor Handwriting

I was looking for color coded notebook paper that would be good for labeling papers, and found this paper, and I love it! Abilitations is great paper for our kids who have a hard time writing. The line guides them to form their letters more precisely. The colored areas keep them from having to think about how low that loop in the letter ‘g’ needs to go, so they can focus on formation. They remind me of the ‘red line, red line, blue line’ paper that we used when I was in grade school.

There are two types of paper – intermediate and beginner – with different sizes of lines. The packs come with 100 sheets. You can also buy notebooks, journal paper, handwriting practice sheets, and letter tracing pages.

The paper is a bit pricey, and I still like using graph paper for any kind of math. But I can totally see using this paper for lots and lots of things!

handwriting paper

Filed Under: Products for ADHD Tagged With: accommodation, home page, homework

Can’t Sit Still?? Maybe you need a new seat!

kore balance chair for adhd kidsIf there’s someone in your life who has trouble sitting still, give them a seat that encourages movement! Take a look at these chairs, both of them really good alternatives to the ball chair, that leaves some people (like Kayla) with a hurt back.:

1. Kore Wobble Chair. Available in teen, child and toddler sizes, the Kore Wobble Chair provides an outlet for pent up energy and is designed so it can’t tip over. Popular for homework or computer time – even in some classrooms – kids love them.

hokki stool2. Hokki Stool
. Available in four sizes, the ergonomic design of this lightweight but sturdy seat allows for movement in all directions. Exercise your core while you’re cruising the web or watching television. Children with ADHD tendencies can move around without disturbing anyone around them. To purchase, click through to Amazon!


Filed Under: Products for ADHD Tagged With: fidgeting, products and tools for adhd

ADHD Supplies – Things that Aren’t On the List from the School

As school starts back (sigh!), we’re all scrambling to buy everything on the school list, and to stock up on those things we’re going to need. (If you’re not stocking up, you need to read School Supplies for the ADHD Inattentive Family.)

Lately, however, we’ve run across some other things that you might want to consider, items that really might help your child slow down and pay attention…ADHD Supplies.

1. Cushions and Ball Chairs. We keep hearing about how helpful seat cushions and ball chairs are for kids and adults with ADHD – or not! Wiggly kids need to get wiggles out, and inattentive kids sometimes need to wiggle to help them focus. The cushions act as sort of a shock absorber for the motion. Parents have told us that they buy one for school and one for home. Some kids even use them at the dinner table.

Some of the seats have textures to help kids with sensory issues. And yes, they come in adult sizes. You might need to wiggle a bit, too.
seat cushion for adhd
2. Timer. We’ve written a lot about timers for ADHD, but this cube timer
has really become popular because it’s so easy and fun to use. Just flip it over to the time you want, and – ready, set – GO!

cube timer for adhd
3. Unbelievably ear piercingly loud alarm clock that also shakes the bed! Although they are doing fine as adults (take that as a word of encouragement!), a couple of our boys are like their mother – they can sleep through anything. They can’t have slept through this alarm clock, though! We got it for Ash, and it’s not only insanely loud, but it has something that you put under your mattress that shakes it violently. We love this. clocks for adhd

4. Fidgets. Pencil toppers, textured rulers, chewable jewelry, puzzles, and velcro…things that our kids can play with to help them focus. I love the ones that sort of blend in to regular school supplies. Here are some ideas for ADHD fidgets.fidgets for adhd

5. Labels and Sharpies. I’ve always been of the opinion that you could label anything with a Sharpie. You may have heard the story about how I wrote our cell phone number on our children’s leg when we traveled overseas. No language needed. If a child got lost – they just showed the number.

A black fine tip marker can write on a tiny fabric label on a sweatshirt. A thicker Sharpie can label the pages on the side of a book. (If you have to pay a fine – it’s worth it!) A silver Sharpie will keep power cords and chargers organized – and keep your Uncle Bobby from taking yours by accident.

If you want a more sophisticated looking neater option for your clothes, you can get iron or stick on labels. I bought some personalized iron on labels for my dad’s felt hat that he didn’t want to mark up, and they were great!

So – what supplies are on your list that might not be on mine? What have you found that you just can’t do without?! Share them below.

Filed Under: Products for ADHD Tagged With: homework, paying attention, products and tools for adhd, timers

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