ADHD not handing in completed work
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Anonymous
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My 17yo has been struggling with this for years. Systems, reminders, check-ins, nothing works for long. It’s definitely improved with medication, but it’s still an issue. It’s worst with low-dopamine, easy work that hasn’t scratched any itches in her brain. She gets through it almost on autopilot and forgets about it immediately. It’s gone from her brain like it never existed.
Some of it is demand-avoidance: the more we remind her, the more we stress the importance, the more her brain digs in and prevents her from doing it. The closer the final deadline gets, the more she shuts down. Fortunately, with medication she’s now managing to somehow scramble to get things in—at the literal last minute most of the time. Only sheer panic can motivate her! In middle school in particular, the plethora of assignment types and turn-in methods was a huge issue. Some teachers did everything on Canvas, some used Google Classroom, some paper-only, some a mix. She just didn’t have the executive function to keep it all straight. Now in high school, her teachers almost all use Canvas, and they’ll usually accept a photo of a completed paper assignment. That lets her turn it in from home as soon as she finishes, and she doesn’t have to remember to do it the next day. One thing that did help, at least for certain periods of time, was to put both the completion and the turn-in on her calendars and to-do lists. That helped separate the two processes in her brain, and gave another little dopamine bump when she checked it off. But she always has to revamp her systems once or twice a year, because as soon as they become routine it’s easier to ignore them. I’ve resigned myself to the fact that our office supply expenditures and app purchases are really just an ADHD tax. |
Anonymous
This was my brother. He had anxiety combined with perfectionism. Still plagues him today. |
Anonymous
| If it's electronic, if you didn't physically see the child hit submit, it didn't happen. You have to watch them, just like you should be watching them brush their teeth or it's probably not happening either. If I was you, I would sign into school for the day/time you KNOW an assignment is due, come in with your name tag and "help" your child turn in their work with a giant smile on your face then leave. If it happens again, repeat this. I guarantee no more than twice and you will have resolution. |
Anonymous
| Reading these posts is so sad. I wish all of these ADHD kids could just go to a Waldorf school or some other place that doesn't demand constant assignments and papers. ADHD brains are not optimized for that. They are optimized for a different style of living. |
Anonymous
What happens to life after Waldorf? Be glad your child can exist in a special bubble. |
Anonymous
Having two adult kids who have ADHD, one quite severe, I completely disagree. Life is tough for them and they are much more capable of managing adulting because they were forced to learn to meet demands set by their schools. |
Anonymous
I’m a low functioning adhd adult clinging to a Waldorf like existence with every ounce of my being. To some extent you’re both right! |
Anonymous
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I had this all my life. It only stopped when I stopped having classes that didn't have homework. Sometimes I'd have a teacher that would remind me, particularly me -> pointing to me (yes me) "did you remember to turn your work in today? I know you did it. You're probably the smartest kid in the class". And then I'd slap my head and reach in my bookbag and grab it out and run to my next class.
But I hate homework. |
Anonymous
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Sit down with him and go through the paper planner and the apps.
Every day. |
Anonymous
Lot of jobs have one or a few major responsibilities at a time, or in a simple cadence, not 7 different bosses with 7 different systems and 7 different schedules. |
Anonymous
NP  I can relate!
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Anonymous
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I am a PP with a similar issue. If you are in MCPS, I noticed that the Parentvue/Canvas system has some upgrades.
One shows you how much your grade will change if you turn in your assignment. My son seems interested in this. Not so interested in turning in all of his assignments but it is a start. Also I see some other features that allow you to check off things as completed and filter on missing. I am going to sit with him and take a look at them. Not expecting miracles but I was this kid myself and these tools all in one place would have helped me alot as I could not read my still terrible handwriting in my assignements notebook. |
Anonymous
| The thing that helped was meds. The right ones which took some time to find out. My kid went from a C to A student. It is like a miracle. There's no way for an ADHD kid to think the same way as someone who doesn't have it. It's not that your kid won't do it he can't. Meds are the jackpot I kid you not. |
Anonymous
+1. ADHD is a gift, not a hindrance. If you learn how to make the most of ADHD (which normal schools don’t teach you) you can really maximize the quality of your life. |
Anonymous
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Can PP that uses apps tell us which ones are working for your kid?
I pointed out to my kid that he would have basically a 4.0 if he was just turning in the homework. It’s really bringing down his grades as homework is worth 10% in McPS and many of his teachers don’t accept it late because they say they go over it in class. It’s so frustrating. I’ve gotten some teachers to agree to accept electronic versions but other teachers refuse, despite the 504 that says electronic “where possible.” It is irritating because I feel like it’s the only time in life when you will be expected to turn in 10-30 pieces of busywork every week to seven different people using at least 3 different systems. It’s like the ADHD version of special forces boot camp. |