Coping Strategies for the Adult with ADD or LD Problem of Remembering Dates

Children who have been diagnosed with Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD), various learning disabilities (LD) or similar conditions are often given assistance, coping strategies, during the school years to make their academic situation as positive as possible. But they are not often given assistance with regard to making the transition from special needs student to working stiff trying to compete in the rat race. Still other adults weren't diagnosed with ADD or LD when they were children and find themselves struggling with various aspects of their lives when their childhood support system has left or otherwise changed. In either of these cases, adults must put their own mechanisms into place and develop coping strategies that will work for them.

One issue many ADD or LD adults have is an inability to truly grasp time issues such as remembering dates. This may also mean the person has difficulty realizing how long a time span is. For example, if the employee is given an assignment in late May with a due date in early June, he/she may think there are six weeks or more of leeway rather than the two or three that are actually given. Sequencing can be difficult for such people, so remembering the order of the months can be a real problem without immediate access to a calendar, and difficulty remembering dates is a related issue.

Simply using a print calendar is not often a big help, however. One must remember to LOOK at the calendar in order for it to be helpful for remembering dates, and knowing which day today is also makes a difference. Desk calendars with tear off pages are a better option than a wall calendar, but getting in the habit of tearing off the page at the end of the day can be difficult, so it may not be one of the most helpful coping strategies. The best option is to use a planner along with some sort of backup system. The planner can be paper or it can be electronic, but it needs to be portable and kept on hand at all times. Electronic planners that allow users to put in alarms and reminders are particularly helpful coping strategies. Due dates for work projects, appointments with friends and colleagues, family birthdays, all these events should be written or loaded into the planner. Then the ADD or LD user needs to get into the habit of looking at the current day, the current week, and the next week to be sure he/she is aware of what is upcoming.

There should be backup, however, in case the system for remembering dates breaks down. If the calendar gets a couple of days off, or maybe even a week, then chaos can ensue. A reminder of what day it is each morning is the best way to avoid such issues. This might be a watch that displays the date and making a habit of looking at the watch while waiting for the bus or waiting for the garage door to open. Many computer programs give current dates and can be set to pop up when the machine is turned on. Even listening to the same radio program in the car can be good backup as long as the date is announced periodically. Whatever backup is used, it should be compared against the planner for accuracy.

Once the coping strategy for the ADD or LD adult having trouble remembering dates is set up and established, it should take less than two minutes out of each day to check the materials. The trouble of remembering dates would no longer be an issue-no more missed Mother's Days or anniversaries. This coping strategy should also help at work since due dates for projects or assignments should also be included in the calendars.

Although it may seem obvious to others, the adult with ADD or LD may not see these coping strategies on their own. Using the coping strategies, however, should make the part of busy lives that revolves around remembering dates much easier.