How to Plan a Day for a Child With ADHD

All children need a basic routine. It is especially essential for a child with ADHD. Not only does it provide the feeling of safety for a child, it gives the child direction and the child knows what to expect and know what is expected of him each day. For children who are easily distracted, major disruptions often cause agitation and it is difficult to get things back on track.

Difficulty: Moderately Challenging

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Patience
• Flexibility

1. Create a daily schedule broken up into sections with steps for your child to follow. For example, "before school: get up, make bed, get dressed, eat breakfast, put dishes in dishwasher, wash face and hands, brush teeth, brush hair," etc.
   
   After school: outline homework time, chore time (list each chore separately), and play time
   
   Evening: begin with the evening meal, list the cleanup chore your child is responsible for (break it into steps if necessary), bath time , and bedtime.

2. Review and discuss the daily routine with your child each morning. If something will be different from ordinary days, such as a trip to the park or a doctor's appointment, be sure to discuss this with your child ahead of time so that he knows what to expect.

3. Follow the daily routine as closely as possible, but be flexible. Understand that each day will not be a perfect replica of the day before and learn to handle distractions in a positive way. The less agitated you become, the less agitated your child will become.

4. As your child grows older, teach her how to manage her daily routine. Use to-do lists with each step outlined so that you child can check each step off the list upon completion. It is very important that you give your child clear instructions that are adapted to her level of understanding.

5. Be consistent. It is very important that you are consistent with rules, consequences for breaking rules, and your child's daily routine. Consistency and routine help a child with ADHD from becoming agitated, which often leads to aggressiveness because the child does not understand why he is feeling agitated and upset. You should remain calm and face distractions and delays in a positive manner.

Tips & Warnings

• Be consistent with a certain amount of flexibility.
• Be positive.
• Be clear when giving instructions.
• Use visual aids (chore charts, pictures) to help your child understand his daily routine.
• Things can get out of hand quickly when you have an excitable child, so it is important for you to remain in control and handle situations calmly.

[ct825876]

on 9/15/2009 Such good advice. I always do Step 2 with my son and I didn't even realize I did it until I read your article. :) 5*