Organize Your ADD/ADHD Child
A Practical Guide for Parents
For parents tired of their ADD/ADHD children’s forgetfulness, lost homework, messy bedrooms, and tantrums over chores, there’s help in this easy-to-read yet long-lasting guide. Building on her previous book Clean Your Room…So I Can at Least See the Floor!, Cheryl R. Carter once again tackles organization, this time in children with Attention Deficit Disorder and Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity. Using her F.I.R.S.T. model, which offers fun, individualism, rules, simplicity, and time management as the basis of organization, the author adds a specific focus for kids with ADD and ADHD.
Opening chapters address each segment of the F.I.R.S.T. model, reminding readers that perception is a powerful motivator when it comes to fun; good habits are formed through repetition; “Clean your room,” is too abstract for ADD/ADHD children; and time in between tasks helps ADD/ADHD kids refocus. Carter follows with detailed plans for creating success at school by managing school papers, homework, and work areas; uncluttering children’s bedrooms; and ultimately transitioning kids to self-management. Recognizing that parents often struggle with organization too, she includes a chapter on home organization techniques. Each chapter ends with key points that summarize and help parents remember the most important strategies.
Carter is a former special needs teacher; founder of Organized Kids, which assists special needs children with organization and study skills; and director of Organize Your Life, which helps women better manage their time and activities. Her other published books include Put Your Home in Order: A Practical Guide to Bringing Peace and Order to Your Home and Chasing God and the Kids Too: Balancing a Mom’s Most Important Pursuits.
Parents will not only appreciate Carter’s informative strategies, all told in a conversational tone, but the myriad resources that wrap up this must-have guide. A “Helpful Tips” section, broken down by such categories as chores, home life, and leisure time, will benefit any child, not only those with ADD and ADHD. Other resources comprise a list of equipment (e.g., an electronic dictionary and analog visual timer) beneficial to special needs children, a list of realistic chores for different age spans, multiple checklists (e.g., morning routine and night before school), and chart and planner templates. Together, these resources give parents the tools they need to help their ADD/ADHD children become more productive and independent.
Reviewed by
Angela Leeper
Disclosure: This article is not an endorsement, but a review. The publisher of this book provided free copies of the book to have their book reviewed by a professional reviewer. No fee was paid by the publisher for this review. Foreword Reviews only recommends books that we love. Foreword Magazine, Inc. is disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.
