How to Form Routines
Students with ADHD tend to struggle in school due to a variety of factors including but not limited to their lack of Executive Functioning skills. The ability to stay organized, plan ahead, and manage their time effectively can become overwhelming which can impact behavior and performance. As educators, it is beneficial to have tools that can be used within the classroom to ease anxiety and motivate students to be successful. Let’s take a look at some useful tips!
Forming structured routines within the classroom can establish reliable expectations for students which can support remaining on task and focused. Examples can include writing the homework assignment in the same spot on the board every day and working with the student to ensure important items and tasks are written in their planner. This will provide consistency and relatability which can ease confusion and stress which often impact the ability for a student to identify what needs to be done.
Disorganization is another area of executive functioning that has a significant impact on a student's success. When a student is in a rush and unable to get situated or organized prior to a transition throughout the day, they start the next phase of their day already in a state of stress, confusion, and at times, frustration. This disorganization can have a ripple effect and carry over into the students home life and responsibilities. Allowing students an extra five minutes at the end of class to put their items away in the proper place will allow for organization throughout the day. Therefore, when they sit down at home to start on their homework, they know exactly where everything is, rather than spending time searching for their assignments and can start on their homework.
Being clear and concise about the expectations of an assignment can help to minimize misunderstandings. When assignments have a grey area, confusion tends to happen which can result in incomplete work or lack of focus. In an effort to reduce this, make assignments clear and check back to see if the student understands what is being asked. Work to keep assignments short and straight forward, not long, repetitive, and abstract, which will have the potential to increase focus.
Lastly, positive reinforcement is the key to motivating students. If the student makes the effort to complete a task from start to finish, even if there is difficulty along the way, a positive statement can go a long way. Empowering our students to be successful is half the battle. Just like adults receive a paycheck for their hard work, students need some form of incentive as well. Sometimes using small incentives to form routines can help with positive feedback.