Five Ways to Improve Your ADHD Child's Homework Habits (And Thus, Grades)

If you've ever received your child's report card or progress report and gasped, you know the joy of finding out that your child is struggling in school. And when your child struggles with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, it's more likely to happen. If your ADHD child is anything like mine, your child has probably been telling you that everything is fine and that their homework is done. Now you find out that they haven't been doing their homework after all, either because they forgot it existed, don't understand it and were afraid to ask for help, or because they simply didn't want to do it. How do you help your child get those grades back up? Here's some common sense homework tips that can make a surprising difference:

1. Don't wait until the end of the day to do homework. It's true that they need a little break after school to "de-school" before jumping right back into schoolwork, but don't wait too long! Give your child an hour or less to relax, have a snack, and goof off a little before homework time begins. If you wait until after dinner, your child is more likely to be sluggish from a big meal, and generally fatigued from a long day. Also, you'd be surprised at how much work your well-rested child can accomplish in the morning before school.

2. Make sure homework is done in a central location. A clean, uncluttered kitchen table or a coffee table works well for homework. Letting a child complete homework in their bedroom without the eyes of a parent on them encourages "homework sloth." Lounging on the couch with homework only increases fatigue. Having them sitting upright in a well-lit room helps them to remain focused on the task at hand.

3. Eliminate all background noise and activity. Keep that television, stereo, and iPod off! Let your child's brain focus on only one thing: homework. When one of your children is completing homework, don't let another play video games in the same room. Keep the noise and chaos to a minimum.

4. Stay close by. If your child has questions, be close at hand to answer them. Don't be a helicopter parent, though- it's hard to do anything with someone hanging over you. But do take a peek at your child every so often to see if they appear confused, stuck, or frustrated. They may have a hard time asking for help or articulating the cause of their frustration, so you may have to step in and ask if help is needed, based on their nonverbal cues.

5. Be nosy. Go through your child's backpack frequently. It's not sacred, private property- it's just a bag used to transport things to and from school. You'll be amazed at what you discover when you're familiar with the contents of your child's backpack! You may discover that your child has in fact been doing homework, but it's been "lost" in the mess, and you may also find homework assignment lists that need to be posted on the refrigerator. You may even find notes home from the teacher, advising you of academic problems. Once your child knows that you're going to be regularly scoping out the contents of their backpack, they'll probably become a little more conscientious about passing along materials to you (and maybe a little neater, as well).

The earlier you nip homework problems in the bud, the better. Let your child know that good homework habits are not negotiable, and set up a clear, understandable structure for completing homework. ADHD makes academics and homework more difficult, but it's not an excuse to not complete assignments. Creating good homework habits now will serve ADHD children throughout their entire lives in the long term, and it will decrease homework-related battles and frustrations exponentially in the short term- something you as the parent can enjoy.