Adolescents Archives - Next Step 4 ADHD

Helping Your Child with ADHD Adjust to Back-to-School Routines

by Next Step 4 ADHDAugust 30, 2024 ADHD / ADD, Adolescents0 comments

By now, the initial excitement of the new school year has worn off, and some children with ADHD may start struggling to keep up with their routines.

If your child is having a hard time adjusting, it’s not too late to implement strategies that can help them get back on track.

Here’s how you can support your child’s adjustment and ensure they have a successful school year, courtesy of the NextStep4ADHD team.

1. Revisit and Reinforce the Daily Routine

If your child is having trouble sticking to their school routine, revisit and reinforce your daily routine and schedule with them. Consistent morning, after-school, and bedtime routines help create a sense of stability, which can reduce anxiety and make daily transitions smoother.

If mornings are rushed, for example, preparing clothes and school bags the night before can alleviate stress. Make small adjustments as needed to help your child feel more in control of their day.

2. Use Visual Aids to Stay Organized

Visual aids are powerful tools for helping children with ADHD stay organized. A visual schedule or calendar that outlines school activities, homework times, and extracurriculars can help your child anticipate what’s next and reduce overwhelm.

Consider color-coding different subjects or activities to make the schedule more engaging. Daily checklists can also help your child track their tasks and responsibilities and help provide a sense of accomplishment as they complete each one.

3. Set Short-Term Goals

Children with ADHD often respond well to short-term goals that are more manageable and less overwhelming than long-term objectives. Break down larger tasks into smaller goals that your child can achieve daily or weekly.

Celebrate these small successes to keep them motivated. For instance, you could set a goal for your child to complete their homework on time for a week, and reward them with a special treat or privilege.

Learn more about SMART Goals here.

4. Review Homework and Study Habits

If your child is struggling with homework or study sessions, it’s time to review their habits. Ensure they have a quiet, distraction-free space for doing homework, and establish a regular routine that includes short breaks to prevent fatigue. Learn more about setting up a homework space here.

If they find large assignments overwhelming, break them into smaller, more manageable parts, and use a timer to help them stay focused on each task.

5. Know the Warning Signs That ADHD Isn’t Well-Managed

As the school year progresses, it’s important to stay alert to signs that your child’s ADHD may not be well-managed. Even before issues pop up, familiarize yourself with the warning signs.

Some red flags include:

Difficulty Staying Focused: If your child is consistently unable to concentrate on tasks or follow through with instructions, it may indicate that their ADHD symptoms are interfering with their schoolwork.
Increased Frustration or Irritability: Frequent emotional outbursts, frustration, or irritability can be signs that your child is feeling overwhelmed and unable to cope with the demands of school.
Declining Academic Performance: If your child’s grades are dropping or they’re receiving negative feedback from teachers, it might be a sign that their ADHD symptoms are impacting their ability to learn and perform in school.
Avoidance of Schoolwork: A sudden reluctance to go to school, complete homework, or participate in class could indicate that your child is struggling with more than they can manage.

If you notice these warning signs, it may be time to revisit your child’s ADHD management plan. Consulting with their Next Step 4 ADHD care team can help you make necessary adjustments to their treatment plan, whether it involves medication, therapy, or behavioral interventions.

6. Implement Positive Parenting Techniques

Positive parenting can be a game-changer in helping your child adjust to school routines. Focus on reinforcing good behavior with praise and rewards, setting clear expectations, and being consistent with consequences.

This approach not only helps your child feel supported but also encourages them to stay motivated and follow routines. For more insights on how positive parenting can benefit children with ADHD, visit Dr. Kristi Brisco’s expert advice.

7. Communicate with Teachers Regularly

Your child’s teachers have a close view of their daily behavior and academic performance, making regular communication with them crucial. Stay informed about your child’s progress, and share strategies that work well at home. This collaboration can help create a consistent support system both in the classroom and at home, ensuring that any issues are addressed promptly.

8. Encourage Social Interaction

Social interactions can be particularly challenging for children with ADHD, but they are essential for emotional well-being. Encourage your child to participate in social activities, both inside and outside of school.

If your child is struggling to connect with peers, consider arranging playdates or enrolling them in group activities where they can practice social skills in a structured environment.

Questions? We’re Here for You

Adjusting to back-to-school routines mid-year can be challenging for children with ADHD, but with the right strategies and support, your child can find their rhythm and succeed. By reinforcing routines, setting short-term goals, and staying vigilant for signs that their ADHD may not be well-managed, you can help your child navigate the school year with confidence. Your involvement and encouragement are key to helping your child thrive both academically and socially.

If you’d like to make an appointment, click here to get started.

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Attention Versus Memory: What’s the Difference?

by Next Step 4 ADHDJune 17, 2020 ADHD / ADD, Adolescents, Adults, Children0 comments

Are you paying attention?

We are leaving in 10 minutes. Why aren’t you ready? Did you forget you had practice?

Wait, what did you say? I wasn’t paying attention.

Sometimes it seems that ADHD and attention problems go hand in hand, but what does that mean for memory? How does ADHD impact your memory?

We spoke with Dr. Brian Briscoe to get the scoop on ADHD, attention, and memory.

Inattention Is a Common ADHD Symptom…

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimate that over 6 million children and 4.4 million adults are diagnosed with ADHD, but the real numbers might be higher if you factor in misdiagnosed or undiagnosed cases. For many of those, difficulty paying attention is a symptom of ADHD.

This isn’t a surprise though. Remember, there are three categories of ADHD symptoms: inattention, hyperactivity, and impulsivity. When it comes to inattention symptoms, you might notice:

Difficulty paying attention
Forgetfulness
Difficulty listening to others
Problems paying attention with fine details
Easily distracted
Poor organizational skills
Poor time management

Attention Versus Memory

What does attention really mean? Attention means to focus on something (whether that’s an object, a person, or a conversation) and be present. You might listen carefully, inspect something carefully, or think carefully.

Attention isn’t the same thing as memory.

Memory is a process of the brain that allows us to encode, store, retain, and recall information. Information includes data, past experiences, and even smells and songs. Memory is one of the executive function skills.

ADHD and Memory Q & A

Below you can read our interview with Dr. Briscoe.

Q: How many people with ADHD struggle with memory?

Persons with ADHD often describe experiencing difficulties with memory. Common examples include forgetting where one put the car keys, “missing” or forgetting critical details on work assignments or reports, missing deadlines, or forgetting appointments.

When details fall through the cracks, items are misplaced, or tasks/obligations completely forgotten, persons struggling with ADHD (and/or their loved ones) can sometimes feel very upset and frustrated.

ADHD typically does not affect long-term memory — one’s ability to recall memories from childhood, adolescence, and previous years.

However, ADHD does affect:

Attention
Working Memory

Q: How does ADHD affect memory?

If you are living with ADHD and experience difficulty with attention, you may have difficulty recording new short-term memories — because attention is not focused enough in order to encode the memory in the first place.

The keys were “lost” because you were distracted at the time you put them down — the brain never had a chance to imprint the memory of where you put them down. An appointment may be missed because your attention is distracted on another activity, and the appointment time slips by without your realizing it.

Q: How does memory work?

“Working memory” is essentially the brain’s short term memory bucket.

As we receive information from the environment (what we see, hear, etc.), we must put it in a temporary spot while we use that information to think about what it means and how to use the information before storing it in our long term memory bucket.

To illustrate how working memory works, consider the following scenario:

If your boss sits you down to explain a 4-step process to complete a work assignment, the part of your brain responsible for “working memory” holds those four steps in your mind as he explains the details of the assignment.
As you think through all the details of the assignment, the resources required to complete the processes involved, your working memory should retain the basic 4 steps as the “big picture.”
Moreover, your working memory should also be working in full force to help you process the details of each step involved.
As you listen to your boss, you are actively relying on your short-term working memory to recall the “big picture”, understand how the details of each step fit under your bosses’ primary objectives for the project, and analyze all the information as you think through all the various processes involved in completing the project.

Without a working memory, you would not be able to retain any short term memories, and would have to have your boss repeat every sentence — a conversation that would prove very frustrating for both you and your boss.

Without a working memory, you would walk out of the room having no idea what your boss just told you, no understanding of the work that had been assigned to you, and a great deal of difficulty interpreting the sequence of steps involved in completing the assigned project.

Persons with ADHD oftentimes experience some degree of difficulty with working memory. It is not completely absent by any means, but persons with ADHD frequently do experience some degree of impairment with working memory. Some persons experience more impairment than others in this area.

If working memory is impaired, your ability to fully engage in this type of conversation with your boss may be less than you may desire. You may miss important details he considers very important to the project. You may experience difficulty seeing “the forest for the trees”, and you may find it difficult to shift mindset quickly between the details of the project and the bosses’ primary objectives. You may experience difficulty planning out a systematic stepwise approach to completing the project, prioritizing tasks, executing tasks, and/or maintaining consistent effort over time. You may find yourself procrasitinating, missing details, “dropping the ball” and running past deadlines.

You didn’t “forget.” You were not “lazy.” Rather, your working memory is not the same as it is in the average population and it affected your performance.

Q: How can memory be improved?

Studies have consistently demonstrated that ADHD medications improve both working memory and attention.

Coaching and/or therapy for ADHD can also be very helpful. Both therapy and coaching involve learning new strategies and tactics to getting around some of the difficulties you may have with ADHD.

Many people with ADHD are very high performers/achievers — very successful in the workplace. It’s just a matter of learning the right strategies and tactics to account for your weaknesses and build on your strengths.

Your Next Steps

Here at Next Step, we generally recommend comprehensive and holistic treatment approaches that rely on more than medications alone. Our team-based, multidisciplinary approach includes therapy, education, coaching, and more. It’s our goal for our clients to reach their optimal potential in life.

Trying to deal with ADHD on your own can be difficult, but with our innovative approach, you’re never alone. We are here to guide you with your next steps. If you’d like to learn more about us or set up a confidential discussion with one of our professionals, you can complete this form for a virtual appointment. Alternatively, call our Louisville, Kentucky office at (502) 907-5908.

About Dr. Briscoe

Dr. Brian Briscoe is a board-certified psychiatrist and the medical director of adult programs at Next Step 4 ADHD. Dr. Briscoe was voted a “Top Doctor” by Louisville Magazine. You can make an appointment with Dr. Briscoe here.

References:

https://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/adhd/data.html

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Tweens, Teens and ADHD

by Next Step 4 ADHDMarch 12, 2018 Adolescents, Children0 comments

Many children diagnosed with ADHD in Elementary School who are responding well to treatment may hit a few “bumps” during Middle School and High School.

Tweens, particularly girls, may suddenly stop responding to their medication, or may have symptoms that their dose is too high, even though they have been stable on the same medication and dose for years. This is often due to the hormonal changes occurring at this age, in conjunction with their brain development, which is still ongoing.

adhd parenting teens

Sometimes in middle school, and more often in high school, teens will decide to stop taking their medicine. For a few, this is successful, especially if they have ADHD coaching to help them develop organizational skills and other tools to keep them on task. More often, however, the teen’s performance will decline, or they will start getting in trouble more often.

Untreated or undertreated ADHD in teens can be very detrimental, as it has been shown to lead to early experimentation with illicit drugs and/or alcohol (“self-medicating”), higher risk of teen pregnancy (for teen or their partner), and higher risk of run-ins with the law (i.e. speeding tickets, drunk driving).

Our physicians and counselors will work with you and your tween or teen to help navigate this transitional period, provide appropriate treatment and support that engages your youth in their own care, and provide additional resources for ADHD coaching and other behavioral interventions to help them succeed now, and as they leave for college and young adult life.

Contact our team via this form, or simply call our office at (502) 907-5908.

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