BEST Study Tips for ADHD, Dyslexia & Other Challenges

As this year's back-to-school season gets underway, parents and their children are busy shopping for school supplies and other needed materials to help start the school year in the best way possible. If you are one of those families juggling school supply lists AND a budget that just won’t budge, we have something to offer here that will help contribute to your child’s success in school this year but won’t add a penny to your back-to-school bills.

This week, we have a list of study tips for you or your child that should certainly help start this year of study on the right foot. We hope you will consider adopting the study strategies listed here to enable your child to have a more successful school year for 2013-’14. Have a GREAT year!

BEST Study Environment

1. Study Space: Establish a quiet and structured space for daily study.

2. Desk & Chair: Locate or re-purpose a sturdy desk or table for your study space. It is an added bonus if this piece of furniture can provide a file or supply drawer. In addition, find a supportive but comfortable chair to meet your needs.

3. Bookshelf: Next to the desk (or table) and chair, set up a small shelf for your school text books so that they will be within reach.

4. Temperature & Lighting: Be sure that the temperature of the space where you plan to study is comfortable and adjustable for your varying needs. For some students, lower lighting and/or temperature may be more helpful than bright light and warmer temperatures.

BEST Study Strategies & Tools

1. Read Summary Questions FIRST: At the end of a section or unit of content, there is sometimes a set of questions that will emphasize the most important points of that section. Before you begin the actual reading of the section, read these questions FIRST. They will help direct and focus your thinking while you read that particular section.

2. Highlight Key Words and Phrases: Using a highlighting marker in your favorite color, mark important ideas in the text that you read. Be careful to limit this highlighting to ONLY those words that are important. Key words, main ideas and topic sentences are important. Highlighting every line of a paragraph will be self-defeating and not provide any study benefits to you.

3. Use Reading Focus Cards: To help you focus, concentrate and retain more information more easily, consider using study tools such as the Reading Focus Cards(Patent 7,565,759). These teacher-created and customizable reading tools isolate 1 or 2 lines of printed text and block out more surrounding text than other tools available. They can be especially helpful for children, teens and adults with ADHD, dyslexia and other issues that impact reading success. A choice of 3 colored filters (recommended by developmental optometrists) is included with the tools.

4. Make and Use Flashcards: Create sets of flashcards from 3” X 5” index cards (place each set in small box or on a large binder ring to flip for study of facts, dates, terms, new vocabulary or other important content). If writing these out seems like a daunting task, the flashcards can be computer-generated, saved and printed for your use instead.

5. Short Breaks: Take short breaks as needed during your study session, but remember that these should be just breaks, not distractions that lead to other activities.

Other Important Tips

Eat & Sleep: Getting the right amount of sleep and maintaining a healthy diet can be challenging when one is a committed student. Be sure to get at least 7-8 hours of sleep on school nights and eat plenty of fresh vegetables, fruits and lean protein to help you be at your best each day. Remember to drink plenty of water rather than soft drinks throughout each day of the week.

Exercise: Be sure to include physical activity that promotes good muscle tone and aerobic benefits each day. This will help you feel ready to study and learn.

For information on customizable reading tools:
www.FocusandRead.com Tools for struggling readers of all ages!
www.BrennanInnovators.com Info & support for struggling readers
314-892-3897

Image courtesy of: Brennan Innovators, LLC: www.BrennanInnovators.com

Simple Homework Tips for ADHD

Some parents have reported improvement in the management of their children's ADHD with specifically modified diets and/or the addition of nutritional supplements. Other parents have somewhat reluctantly decided on medications recommended by their children's pediatricians to help with focus and attention in school. However, there is a strong possibility that vitamins B12 or B6 and even prescribed medications may not be able to do EVERYTHING to help your child with ADHD.

We often like to mention that it is always a good idea to begin managing attention issues with simple strategies, tips and tools to help your child achieve and maintain more focus and follow-through, especially when a he is challenged with ADHD. Special strategies can be particularly important when the topic of homework is presented. Parents often ask us, "What tips do you recommend for the 'homework wars' we face on many weeknights?" or "Do you have a good list of ideas to help my child complete all his needed assignments?"

To help answer these questions, we are listing here some good but simple strategies and tips to help your child challenged with ADHD---and you!

Helpful Homework Strategies and Organizational Tips for ADHD

1. First of all, a daily homework or assignment notebook is key. Make certain that your child has one from the first day of a new term. Some schools provide this automatically as part of the curriculum materials for their students. If this is not the practice at your child's school, it will be a very good investment to purchase one for him.

2. “Gently” request of your child’s teacher that she "sign off" in his assignment notebook at the end of each day (like a double check that all needed work is listed and materials are in the backpack). This is considered an “accommodation” for children with attention challenges and/or organizational issues. If your child is currently enrolled in a departmental program, each teacher may need to be asked for this accommodation after each class.

Many schools will provide this described accommodation if kindly requested. There are some school districts, however, that will require an IEP to be in place before this accommodation to be provided. In still other districts, online access to homework assignments is available to parents. Yet, even this technology cannot ensure that your child will have brought home the needed books and other materials for the work to be completed.

3. Prepare a dedicated place for your child to study each evening (without the presence of “entertainment” tech devices). Yes, a computer may be necessary for homework, but provide appropriate rules for its use---ahead of time. Make sure that all supplies and materials are at-hand to prevent excessive “wandering” and other distractions.

4. Use Post-It notes at eye level in the study space (or elsewhere for other chores/jobs). They can serve as very good, VISUAL reminders of tasks still needing attention and follow-through. You might even suggest a different color note for each subject or other description. It can be somewhat “satisfying” for your child to take down and tear up a sticky note for a homework assignment or job well done.

5. Allow your child to have a few breaks and some physical movement before, during and after homework sessions. A brief walk outside for just 5 minutes or so can be all that is needed to re-focus and study even more effectively upon return.

6. Have all items needed for school prepared and ready the EVENING BEFORE a school day:
a. Set the breakfast table each weeknight for the next school day. Even place the cereal boxes (unsweetened, of course) within reach there.
b. Ask your child to put all assignments and supplies inside his back-pack and then you can CHECK to see that all is packed away as needed. The back-pack should then be placed near the exit door.
c. Choose and lay out (or hang up) all school clothing within reach in your child’s room.

7. Remember to INVOLVE your child in each of the above preparations, teaching him to think ahead, helping him develop good organizational skills and enabling him to see that good habits like these can result in much more academic success for him---and PEACE at home!

8. To see a FREE printable list of MORE strategies for both home AND the classroom, please visit http://www.focusandread.com/learning-strategies.

We hope that you will try the strategies described here with your child. They could make a real difference in your child's academic success this school year.

For more information:
www.FocusandRead.com Tools for struggling readers of all ages!
www.BrennanInnovators.com Info & support for struggling readers
314-892-3897

Image Provided by Classroom Clipart