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Question: My fourth grader is having a rough time at school. He forgets to bring the right books home and doesn’t remember what his homework assignments are. His backpack, desk at home and at school and notebooks are in total disarray. He is a disorganized mess. How can I help him get organized? – Want to Help
Answer: All the skills your son does not have are called executive function skills. Executive functioning has become a “buzz” word in both education and psychology. A simple definition is that these are the skills that help you get things done. They are the skills according to WebMd that help you manage time, pay attention, switch focus, plan and organize, remember details, and multitask. Executive function problems are often seen in students with ADHD: however, some children are simply born with or have weak executive function skills.
It does sound like your child has a weakness in his executive functioning skills. They are not going to improve through nagging or punishment or calling your son “sloppy” or “lazy.” Fortunately, there are loads of things that you can do to improve his basic planning and organizing skills, but you must be a teacher not a rescuer. It does take patience and will be work for you. One caution: do not try to improve too many areas at one time as it will not work. And be sure to lavish praise when his skills begin to improve.
Here are some solid suggestions from the National Center for Learning Disabilities on how to manage executive function problems:
- Take a step-by-step approach.
- Rely on visual aids to get him organized.
- Use tools like time organizers, computers, or watches with alarms.
How to keep things from getting lost going to and from school
- Try to duplicate his school supplies (textbooks, computer) at home so there is one less thing for him to remember.
- Make a reminder checklist of all the things that need to be returned to school such as homework assignments, permission slips, and plan books for him to use.
- Work with him to follow this checklist and get everything in his backpack and at the front door every night.
- Create a reminder list to be placed on his desktop at school of things that must be brought home every day. Each item should be checked off as it goes into his backpack.
- The final item should be backpack. (It is helpful if a teacher reinforces following checklists.)
- Encourage him to place his backpack on his lap if he is riding a school bus. If you are driving him home, make sure he has the backpack before leaving the school.
How to handle homework
- Create a workplace with all necessary supplies where you can see him work.
- Have a homework checklist which includes order for doing homework and placing assignments in homework folder
- Make helpful suggestions when child encounters difficulties in completing an assignment.
Ways to avoid mess
At the end of each week, set a time for cleaning out and organizing backpack, folders, plan books, and study area.