Thinkspiration™ The Inspiration® Software Blog

Do you know kids that are bright and inquisitive, but struggle with assignments and homework? Do they take hours to get through a homework assignment that looks as though it should be accomplished in under an hour? This was my daughter when she was young, plus caring, kind, happy and creative attributes. For years she struggled with homework, keeping track of assignments, staying on task, organizing her work, and performing on tests. Yet, at the same time she tested well beyond her grade level in reading comprehension and creative writing. Finally in her early teens, this all came to a head. She came to her dad and I to inform us that she thought she had a learning problem and wanted to find out what was wrong so that she could correct it. After testing, she was diagnosed with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD).

She was among five percent of students who are affected by ADD and ADHD in an average classroom.¹ Students with this learning disorder struggle to stay focused, manage time, organize thoughts, and keep track of tasks. Once we discovered the challenges associated with ADHD, we were able to help my daughter organize her time, develop goals and divide projects into steps. We introduced her to visual learning and thinking strategies that helped her do all of these things. Now, as a college graduate and adult, these tools still help her succeed. Your students may also benefit from these visual learning strategies. Here are a few easy ways to help your ADD and ADHD students manage their school work.

Divide Projects into Smaller Steps
Students with this disorder begin to feel overwhelmed when they imagine the end result of a big project. The best way to alleviate this stress is to break down big projects into smaller steps so that students can tackle just one task at a time. To do so, students can create a visual flow chart with a box for each task in the order of completion.

In Webspiration Classroom™ service or Inspiration®, students can create flow diagrams to identify and plan each stage of the project. In Inspiration, students can turn on the check list feature by going to “Tools” on the top menu and clicking “Show Checklist” to cross off each step of the project action items. This way students can work through the project as if it is a series of small projects, improving their ability to reach the finish line without the overwhelming idea of the entire project.

Develop a Plan for Time Management
Another big problem ADD and ADHD students encounter is time management. These students have a tendency to day dream or lose focus while working on one task for any period of time. One way to improve students’ time management skills is to help them become more aware of the ways they are spending their time. ADDinSchool.com states that “A visual representation of the day’s schedule” helps students “to internalize [the] classroom routine.”²

So, ask your students to create a diagram describing how much time they need to allot to each task. They can do this with a diagram or an outline that identifies the task and how much time the student needs to spend on it. This gives them a visual representation to refer back to as they work through each task.

By breaking down big projects into smaller steps and developing a plan to manage time with visual diagrams, students with ADD and ADHD can alleviate some of the stress and frustration that comes with the challenges of keeping organized. What strategies are you using to help your students who struggle with ADD and ADHD get organized?

Thanks for stopping by! See you next week!

Mona Westhaver
President and Co-founder, Inspiration Software