Will you share any tips for hsing hs with a dc with attention issues?

[Tiramisu]

I thought I'd try here first since this board gets more traffic than the special needs board.:)

[Ester Maria]

Very limited fructose intake (other than fructose naturally occurring in fruit), very limited screen time, NOT schooling next to computer, NOT schooling with background noise/TV/ipod/etc (the more quiet the better), minimalizing distractions around you (as clear desk as possible, with only what you're working on), not studying in a room with abstract painting or similar visual 'chaos", regular - preferably daily - physical activity, normal sleeping hours and rich breakfast, no snacks that quickly mess up the sugar level, no coffee (same reason: lifts your energy levels too quickly and then puts you down suddenly), etc. Those are some of the things that help DD12, who would probably be labeled ADD had we not done everything to keep it under control this way. ;)

[Embassy]

My son has difficulty paying attention to auditory input such as read alouds. I am doing this plan with him this year.

 

Edited to add: Sorry, I didn't realize this was on the high school board. My son is not high school age.

Edited August 27, 2010 by Wehomeschool

[JennW in SoCal]

Handle high school just as you did the earlier grades, by doing whatever is necessary to help your child learn. While you child will need to learn to take notes in a lecture, write an essay and research paper, and tackle text books, it doesn't mean that all 4 years of high school has to be more formal. All those skills can be learned by doing them in small increments each week.

 

Literature: Use audio books, shorter "great books", and books that appeal to interests. Don't feel compelled to follow the list of great books in the WTM. Use your judgment and pick titles that will work. My ADHD/Asperger's child read Catcher in the Rye, To Kill a Mockingbird, Great Gatsby, Our Town, along with non-traditional titles like the graphic novel Maus, a Walt Disney biogrpahy and the Herman Wouk's Cain Mutiny. He also did the Movies as Literature Course. Don't do comprehension worksheets -- discuss the books together.

 

Writing: I know SWB detests the 5 paragraph essay formula, but it works for some kids. Work on a thesis together through discussion, ask for 3 good arguments in support of the thesis then have him (her?) write it out. Do this once or twicea month and trust that it will get better. My ds had a computer on a kitchen counter so he could stand while writing. He would write a few sentences, circle the house, then come back and write a few more.

 

Math: We did math on a white board all the way through high school. Something about color markers keeps the attention focused!! I'd write out the problems as that task would drain whatever attention my ds had!

 

Textbook reading: Encourage the use of a highligher or pencil to under line things. You'll probably have to teach HOW to approach a text book -- scan the page, look at the highlighted sections, read to find out what is in the section, look at how the pictures and side bars relate to the reading. Most of us do this without being taught, but someone with attention issues will try hard to start reading at the top of the page and get lost and distracted pretty quickly.

 

Note Taking: DVDs from the Teaching Company are terrific for this. BUT you can't let your dc watch from the comfort of the couch!! They'll zone out, just like they do when watching regular tv!! Watch the DVD on a computer, at a table with a notebook and pen there for jotting down notes. Check over the notes afterwards and see what got jotted down.

 

Use whatever strengths your child has to his or her advantage. My ds did lots of video projects for history and science over the years because he loved making movies. I also had him write scenes from novels into a theater script, complete with lighting cues. Don't be afraid to go outside the box because you don't think it will prepare your child for college. Most colleges are ready for students with learning challenges and will help with all kinds of accomodations, and will suggest courses or faculty that encourage project-based learning.

 

I have to second EsterMaria's recommendation of a distraction-free environment. My ds did school in the dining room, facing a blank wall, with the shutters closed. I even had to lock the dog in another part of the house!! It was a veritable sensory deprivation chamber!!

 

And finally...medication is not an evil option. My ds took a short acting dose of Ritalin only when he needed it on school days. He said it made math actually fun because he didn't have to work so hard on just concentrating.

[1Togo]

Adding to the ideas for the physical environment, I would add that it helps to set up the study area as a cubicle with no distractions. Our son's desk faced a wall with a bulletin board on the wall. We only posted schedules and calendars on the board. On the right side of the desk was a wall, and a dresser was on the left side. As already suggested, he ate a diet rich in whole grains, vegetables, fruit, lean meat, etc. and low on processed food/sugar/artifical dyes; he got outside for exercise and work; and he only used the computer as a tool for school. In addition, we kept academics streamlined as much as possible. He never needed meds.

 

Bonita

[Susan C.]

Protein for breakfast!!!

 

Dd does school with blinds closed.... she says she will watch out the window if they are open...

 

We do a mixture of dvd classes, computer classes, and just reading. Too much of one thing doesn't work. Both of my kids needed help moving them along, and I experimented with sitting with them for some subjects, having teaching on dvd, reading, having them check in with me at certain intervals, etc. for a set up that gave us most success.

 

It is very hard for a teen to self-motivate and move through several different books all day without distraction. It is even hard for an adult! I have looked at each kids' books and what I assign, and sometimes don't know how they do as well as they do!!!

[Tiramisu]

It looks like I really need to work on fixing up a good working environment. I'm looking into headphones for the noise but I'll have to start thinking about eliminating visual stimulus. I wonder if I could set up a three panel poster board as a mini-cubicle. Hmmm.

 

I know I'm needed to keep my one dc on track, but I've got three younger ones who also need me to be right there with them a good part of the time. I so much wish I had more uninterrupted time to keep things moving at a reasonable pace, engage in discussion outside of the car, and do more creative activities. But, it is what it is...

 

Fortunately, we usually keep to a unprocessed diet, but it couldn't hurt to ramp up the protein. Coffee has actually really helped, so I think I'll stick with that as long as it works.

[Tiramisu]

Handle high school just as you did the earlier grades, by doing whatever is necessary to help your child learn. While you child will need to learn to take notes in a lecture, write an essay and research paper, and tackle text books, it doesn't mean that all 4 years of high school has to be more formal. All those skills can be learned by doing them in small increments each week.

 

Literature: Use audio books, shorter "great books", and books that appeal to interests. Don't feel compelled to follow the list of great books in the WTM. Use your judgment and pick titles that will work. My ADHD/Asperger's child read Catcher in the Rye, To Kill a Mockingbird, Great Gatsby, Our Town, along with non-traditional titles like the graphic novel Maus, a Walt Disney biogrpahy and the Herman Wouk's Cain Mutiny. He also did the Movies as Literature Course. Don't do comprehension worksheets -- discuss the books together.

 

Writing: I know SWB detests the 5 paragraph essay formula, but it works for some kids. Work on a thesis together through discussion, ask for 3 good arguments in support of the thesis then have him (her?) write it out. Do this once or twicea month and trust that it will get better. My ds had a computer on a kitchen counter so he could stand while writing. He would write a few sentences, circle the house, then come back and write a few more.

 

Math: We did math on a white board all the way through high school. Something about color markers keeps the attention focused!! I'd write out the problems as that task would drain whatever attention my ds had!

 

Textbook reading: Encourage the use of a highligher or pencil to under line things. You'll probably have to teach HOW to approach a text book -- scan the page, look at the highlighted sections, read to find out what is in the section, look at how the pictures and side bars relate to the reading. Most of us do this without being taught, but someone with attention issues will try hard to start reading at the top of the page and get lost and distracted pretty quickly.

 

Note Taking: DVDs from the Teaching Company are terrific for this. BUT you can't let your dc watch from the comfort of the couch!! They'll zone out, just like they do when watching regular tv!! Watch the DVD on a computer, at a table with a notebook and pen there for jotting down notes. Check over the notes afterwards and see what got jotted down.

 

Use whatever strengths your child has to his or her advantage. My ds did lots of video projects for history and science over the years because he loved making movies. I also had him write scenes from novels into a theater script, complete with lighting cues. Don't be afraid to go outside the box because you don't think it will prepare your child for college. Most colleges are ready for students with learning challenges and will help with all kinds of accomodations, and will suggest courses or faculty that encourage project-based learning.

 

I have to second EsterMaria's recommendation of a distraction-free environment. My ds did school in the dining room, facing a blank wall, with the shutters closed. I even had to lock the dog in another part of the house!! It was a veritable sensory deprivation chamber!!

 

And finally...medication is not an evil option. My ds took a short acting dose of Ritalin only when he needed it on school days. He said it made math actually fun because he didn't have to work so hard on just concentrating.

 

Thank you so much for all these suggestions, and for putting it all in such a positive light. :)

[Susan C.]

My ds is attending college while living at home..... and when I go over dd's lessons, well, it can get a little loud. He found these squishy ear plugs, and now he is in his desired quiet whenever he wants. In fact, we were traveling, and in the hotel room, he got into his sleeping bag in the middle of all of us while we were still up, and went to sleep (ear plugs!).

[Joan in GE]

My oldest has ADD but we didn't really realize all the implications until he was finished with high school as he did quite well on standardized tests.

 

Some mistakes we made when he was at home for 9th grade were:

 

to give him a mountain of work and put him by himself to do it.

 

to give him an online course for math (he would then take too many shortcuts in his head and not work out the problems). Scrolling up and down for the work was distracting, too.

 

to use all correspondance courses which meant there was very little parental interaction.

 

Some books I'm reading now which seem quite insightful and would have helped change the way we did homeschool.... -

 

That Crumpled Paper Was Due Last Week: Helping Disorganized and Distracted Boys Succeed in School and Life (ISBN 9780399535598)

 

All Children Flourishing: Igniting the Greatness of Our Children by Glasser (ISBN 978 09670507 8 2)

 

Joan

Edited August 28, 2010 by Joan in Geneva

[TravelingChris]

Medication and then more analytical subjects in the morning when the medication is at its best. So math, science and currently a philosophy reading, go in the morning. Other subjects go later but things like music rehearsal and reading literature can go when medication isn't in use.

 

Alter amount of learning to the day. DD has PMDD along with severe ADHD and some days her mind is just very fuzzy. We do minimal math those days (which fortunately are no more than one or two a month).

[MIch elle]

http://www.westfieldacademy.org/adhd/index.sht