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ADHD affects 8.7 percent of children in the U.S., according to the Centersfor Disease Control, and is defined by symptoms of inattention, hyperactiveand impulsive behavior. It's probably no surprise to learn organizationalskills may be affected. It might be surprising, however, to find out that notall organizational methods are created equal, and some work better for peoplewith ADHD. A new resource available at www.OrganizeADHD.com, provided byNovartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation, suggests strategies designed to helpfamilies with ADHD get and stay organized.
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There are some simple steps you can take to manage organization, get thewhole family involved, and make tidying up an easy, five-minute task insteadof an all-day affair.
The Kitchen is Not the Playroom
The more stuff we own, the more difficult it is to find places to store itall. When this happens, sometimes our things enter spaces that they don'tbelong, and the kitchen becomes the playroom. One easy fix for this problemis to designate rooms or spaces in the house for each activity.
The first step is to examine your items, tackling only one room or projectat a time. Gather all your kids' toys, look at the condition they're in anddecide whether they can be kept, donated or thrown away. Next, give your kidsa place of their own by assigning a room or space in one room where they canstore, access and play with their toys.
For ADHD-friendly storage, use shelves and open-faced or clear bins soyour kids can easily see the toy they want and take just that one out withoutdumping out the bin's entire contents. This approach isn't limited to toysand can be used to organize office materials and other possessions that cancreate clutter.
Streamline Chores and Responsibilities
That's one way to tackle a big job, but there are lots of little steps youcan take to help your whole family, including those with ADHD, keep the housea little more organized.
Tips like these will work for anyone, but these simple, one-stepapproaches are particularly successful for adults and kids with ADHD. Formore of the best organizational tips designed to help families coping withADHD, visit www.OrganizeADHD.com.-- When your child's done with his homework, put it right in front of the door. If he has to move it out of his way to leave for school, he'll have a harder time forgetting it. -- An ADHD-friendly solution to homework frustration is to have one large notebook with dividers for each subject. One with folders can help keep all school papers in one place.
SOURCE Novartis Pharmaceuticals
