ADHD not handing in completed work

[Anonymous]

Agree with the last PP completely. This is special forces boot camp --- and ADHD kids don't get to choose to attend and there are very few realistic alternatives. It feels kind of like a nightmare.

We moved DS to a small private to help with this. But it is still a mainstream school and expectations are fairly similar to a public school. The one improvement - and I think this is fairly big - is that there are only three teachers with three different systems. And those teachers are the teachers for the next two years as well. So, I'm hoping that the next few years will be easier b/c we have already figured out their systems (assuming they don't leave!).

My DS with ADHD is only twelve and in sixth grade. I guess I was hoping HS would be better. But from other posters with 14 year olds with the same problem, it doesn't seem like it will get better anytime soon. Ugh.

I guess for HS I should look for a school that has one system that all the teachers use. Why can't schools just require this of teachers? It would make such a difference for all of these kids who have EF differences? Why confine them to misery when the teachers could just adapt and make things so much better?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote: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.

Waldorf school wouldn't teach them what they need for real life. (We tried Montessori earlier and it was a mess). But what would help them is to have to learn just one system, have only a few workstreams they are working on, and accommodations allowed for turning stuff in electronically or alternative submission means. Workplaces are similar to this type of setup as other PPs have noted.

[Anonymous]

I can sort of answer why teachers don’t require one system. McPS does require one system. The problem is that it’s a terrible system. So the teachers have to come up with work around. And it’s not just the electronic system—some teachers have Hw turned in every day, another wants the whole week turned in on Friday, a third has random days where Hw is due. And McPS changes teachers every semester—and you only get back to school night in fall, so parents have no opportunity to get the presentation on expectations from the spring semester teachers. It stinks.

[Anonymous]

I'm an executive function coach and former teacher and this is a major issue. Schools absolutely need to demand homework is listed the same way electronically for all classes. I work with kids where it takes them an hour just to figure out what assignments they have in each class. Additionally, it is so much harder than when I was a kid as some teachers want assignments submitted electronically and others on paper. So, it requires students to come up with multiple systems to keep track of everything. It really is a nightmare for kids with ADHD.

I'd see if your kid can submit assignments electronically. That way there is one system for them to navigate and you can offer support in using it at home. Also, the reason consequences don't generally work is that it is a can't not a won't. If you've tried consequences and it's not working, it is likely that they have lagging skills or executive dysfunction.

It is also true that having true deadlines tends to help kids with ADHD as urgency can be a major motivator. The ability to turn in work late for barely any penalty really takes away that motivation.

Good luck!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I can sort of answer why teachers don’t require one system. McPS does require one system. The problem is that it’s a terrible system. So the teachers have to come up with work around. And it’s not just the electronic system—some teachers have Hw turned in every day, another wants the whole week turned in on Friday, a third has random days where Hw is due. And McPS changes teachers every semester—and you only get back to school night in fall, so parents have no opportunity to get the presentation on expectations from the spring semester teachers. It stinks.

This! I am trying to help and cant figure out the system as an adult. I have just resigned to emailing the teachers A LOT. I am probably contributing to the teacher burn out. I just can’t take my kids word for it that x teacher waits until this day to post results because sometimes its true and sometimes it isnt.

[Anonymous]

I think I might be contributing to teacher burnout as well. I definitely send a lot of emails to try to see what is going on and/or to turn in electronic documents. I feel like I should be having DS turn the stuff in electronically. But he is already quite overwhelmed so it is hard to ask more of him….

Seems like a situation where parents can’t win. Do too much to prop up our kids and they will come to over rely on that. Do too little to prop up kids and they will fail a lot of classes even if they did the work. For my kiddo, this would lead to him STOPPING doing the work because what is the point? When you get Fs anyway, why bother doing it?