High School Teens w/ADHD

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We check in with 9th grade DS regularly to make sure he turns everything in on time. We also keep a calendar with things like appointments and extracurriculars on it so he can see obligations that might affect his assignment schedule. It’s a work in progress and I hope it sticks. Our biggest issue, though, is getting him to do simple things around the house that I have to nag and nag him to do. Any suggestions for that? PostIt reminders are not working.

Treat it like an appointment or assignment and put it on the calendars. Make lunch and cleanup mess, Do laundry Load 1(put bed linens in washer), etc. everything gets a day and time block.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If your high schooler has ADHD, how involved are you (if at all) in making sure he/she turns in assignments on time and completes the entire assignment?

My son has a 504 and I am fully involved. I help him organize his calendar, set reminders on his apple watch, sit with him EVERY DAY and go over what needs to be done while he writes a to-do list. He would simply fail otherwise, he just cannot keep track of anything. I remember his freshman year, during his 504 meeting one of the teachers asked us"if you are so involved, how will he ever learn to do it on his own? How will he do in college when he is on his own?" Well we tried backing off during his 8th grade year for 3 months, and he pretty much failed every class. I have 3 kids, my other two are incredible independent and I never worry about their homework because they remember what they need to do and take a reasonable time to complete tasks. My ADHD kid will not be able to handle college on his own, sending him to college is setting him up to fail. He will need to attend a local college, take only a couple of classes per semester and, if necessary, live at home while doing that. We want him to get a degree and he wants to get a degree, but he understands his own struggles. In the end, the only difference is that it will take him a bit longer to get there and he needs to study something he loves because he is hyperfocused when he does things he loves to do.

Why are you sending him to college? Has he ever tried a trade? Carpentry, plumbing, etc.? He might really enjoy that. I would hate having to go to regular school in his situation.

+1. I really wish schools still had a vo-tech option, the way they did when I went to school. We still need people who know how to do that type of skilled work.

Schools have even more expanded vocational tech options than they ever did! The CTE programs in FCPS are amazing--with both hands-on classes and internships in many areas. It's just that most DCUM parents are college grads and expect their kids to be too so you don't hear much about them here.

[Anonymous]

I check ParentVue a few times per week for late assignments, discuss with DS, ask daily if he has HW, help if he needs it (if he does need help, I only guide him, but won't do the assignment for him), work through complex assignments with him, and remind him about tests/quizzes that I know about. Seems to be working so far. I might spend 15 mins per week with DS on school-related items. He recently got a phone, so I will work with him to add reminders to his phone instead of me reminding him. DS is not medicated and went through years of therapies to get to this point. He's got all A's, so something must be working right.