Back to School Tips for ADHD & LD students

It's hard to believe that summer is over already. Time to pack away the beach towels and pool toys. As the majority of kids usually are, my ADHD/LD son was ready to go back to school. He misses the structure and scheduling that the school year provides. I have found several useful articles to help prepare you and your ADHD/LD child for the new school year. First, ADDitude Magazine offers a Back-to-School Checklist:

1. Review your child’s IEP or 504 Plan.
2. Organize school systems together.
3. Stock up on school supplies.
4. Consider this year’s after-school activities.
5. Find a tutor or homework helper.
6. Make a calendar.
7. Review medication.

To read details about each tip, visit ADDitudemag.com. This site also offers a sample letter that you can give to your child's teacher. This letter is to introduce your child to his teacher as soon as the school year begins. You should explain your child's strengths and weaknesses. Also, let her know what has worked for your child in the past. I have also provided a copy of the letter I give to my ADHD/LD son's teacher each year in this previous post. Another useful and informative article entitled Getting a Fresh Start at School. It details how to get past a bad school year and look ahead to the new one.

If you are scheduled to attend an IEP meeting at the beginning of school, you can find a wonderful list of accommodations here. You can use this list to advocate for you child and get him what he needs.

We all know that with the start of school also comes homework. To help your ADHD/LD child with this nightly ritual, provide him with everything he will need. This article, entitled The Homework Supply Kit can help you with this.

Lastly, Schwab Learning has a Back-To-School Kit posted on their website. It is a comprehensive list of back-to-school topics ranging from "Learning and Attention Problems 101" to "Working with the Teacher." It's a good read and contains loads of helpful information.

I hope you and your ADHD/LD child the best for the 2007 - 2008 school year. I will be posting more school related topics soon, so stay tuned.