Thursday, September 2, 2010

Going Back to School: Starting Off on the Right Foot

Next week, all children will be returning to school. Some children with ADHD become anxious about not only the first day of school, but more importantly, the entire year. Here are some questions they might be asking themselves:
Will I be able to remember where my locker is and where my classrooms are located? Will I have friends in my class? Will I be able to make new friends? Will I be bullied or teased? Will the work be more difficult for me? Will the teachers like me?

There are several things that you can do to diminish some of your child's anxieties. You might visit the school, even if the child has already attended school there. Go to his/her classrooms as well as his/her locker. Help him/her figure out how to work a combination lock, and more importantly, some tricks as to how to remember the combination during the start of a busy morning with the halls full of other children.

Something as simple as having a conversation with your child about his/her anxieties might ease some of your child's anxieties. Remember: Always ask open-ended questions that require a descriptive answer rather than a closed-ended question that requires a yes or a no reply.

Try to help your child to organize himself/herself for school while incorporating his/her learning styles, strengths and/or needs. For example, if your child has a difficult time writing out his/her schedule, help them to set up an Excel chart on the computer or a computer calendar that he/she can modify as the months go by.

More later...comments? draft

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