Tactics Tackling Homework With Your ADHD Child

By referring to the characteristics of a child with Attention Deficit (Hyperactivity) Disorder, you should be able to furnish an efficient, study nook for your child and establish a set of guidelines to make everyone happier about the thorny issue of homework.

These are the main characteristics of a child with ADHD: impulsive behavior, inattention, hyperactivity, disorganization, hyper-focus, or forgetfulness. This is what you and your child are working against so counterattack each tendency.

Why Have a Regular Routine

Have a regular routine for doing homework so that there are no arguments every day. Your child knows when it is time to do his homework and he knows where he does it. Allow for movement breaks and be nearby so you can quickly explain a detail misunderstood so he can move ahead. You surely want your child to have a positive attitude about accomplishing his assignments.

What Features Should the Study Nook Have

The study nook should be quiet, away from family activities and be stripped of distracting objects. Depending on the type of work, your child can sit in a chair, sit on the floor, lie on the floor or stand. If you have space, you could have more than one type of chair or stool and more than one height of working surfaces. Be sure that your lighting is just right and the lights do not hum or flicker in intensity. Provide fidgets, like Kid Companions, worry stones, silly putty or glued Velcro strips on or underneath the table to busy the hands to allow the brain to focus on the main task

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What Homework Tools Work Best
The tools of the trade---simplest is best! Have sharpened, ordinary pencils ready. Do not have any colorful, mechanical pencils to take away his focus. The same applies to his other ‘tools’ for homework. Make sure all he needs is right in his nook because you want his study session to be productive and as short as possible.

How to Know About the Assignments
All this physical readiness is useless it your child does not have an organized manner of knowing what his homework is each evening. Moreover, the necessary text books have to be brought home or make an arrangement with the school to have extra texts at home. Be sure that the child, the teacher and you, the parents, have a plan so you are all on the same page. Some schools have a weekly list of work to be done at home. Others have students write their assignments is a plan book that ‘lives’ in the book bag so it is at home each evening. In this day and age, some schools have web sites with all communications with parents done electronically.

How to Organize the Work for Different Subjects
With your child and teacher, decide how the use of colored folders or thicker binders can make it easier for your child to sort, store and find what he needs. Label everything with the same color system and easy read print so book, scribbler, or notes are where they should be when he needs them.

What to Do When the Homework Takes Too Long

All this preparation is to make sure the homework sessions do not turn into a nightmare. If the required work is absolutely too much for your child, meet with the teachers and have a study contract drawn up so less is done but the requirements are still met. Another accommodation could be a longer due date. However, do not put your child in the position that his classmates see he is treated differently.

It is of upmost importance that your child continues to blend in with his peers. All strategies implemented to assist your child with his homework have to go unnoticed by his classmates.

By striving for homework quality instead of quantity your child will feel better about himself, about school and especially about homework.

What approach works best in your home to get homework done?

There is a New Kid Companion on Our Block

“Mothers know best” when it comes to their Special Needs children." This mantra has guided many decisions in families and hopefully in our school system. So naturally Pierrette d’Entremont, designer of Kid Companions, took seriously the pleas of distraught moms who told her no cool, sensory chewable fidgets were available for their older children, especially for boys. Kid Companions went to work and may we introduce you to “A new Kid on our Block"

Our new, Blue, fidget chewy, adds another choice to our circled, sensory oral-motor tool Kid Companions line. You now have three attractive color choices: black, white and our new,

Kid in Blue. The circled shaped rubbery, chewable fidgets are smooth and pleasing with a hard embossed “dot”.
Tweens, Teens and Cool little boys seem to favor our circle shapes. Stylish and very discreet, these circle shapes can blend in but be easily accessible as a chewing or fidgeting tool when you need it.

Still want to wear it like a fashionable necklace?

Our 18’’ or 20’’colorful lanyards are now 100% organic cotton! They are colorfast and pre-washed with plant-based ingredients. MUCH more durable than our original rayon/cotton ones and still washable!  

Our lanyards can be personalize with style, color and contact information. We can heat press name and information in three choices of fonts: print, typed or swishy. Example-John Smith 514- 2005 Autism. Moreover, the lanyards can be sold separately, can be used for any pendant or ID badge and can also be personalized. More about lanyards here

Do you have a lanyard chewer?

Our new undyed cotton is a good choice. These undyed lanyards 100% cotton and non-allergenic. Personalized printing looks GREAT on them too!

The comfortable lanyards have a custom breakaway clasp that will release and can be re-attached with ease. This means no more lost, dropped or thrown mouthing and fidgeting aids. The breakaway is small and lays flat. It was designed specifically for children and conforms to ASTM toy safety standard! It is also BPA, lead and phthalate free.

Another unique feature that renders Kid Companions attractive to tween and teens are the new clips. Clipping the fidget anywhere you want it to be…clothing, pocket, belt, school bag. Discreetly accessible at all times.

If circles are not your thing, you can always opt for our heart shaped pendants with an added oval dip similar in shape and function as a worry stone. We now have a NEW  black heart for TWEEN and TEEN girls to blend in!

All Kid Companions are safe, bpa, phthalate, pvc, lead and latex free. Our materials are economical as possible without compromising safety or social  responsibility.

All our products are durable, washable, and fashionable. Furthermore, we already have a CPSIA compliance certificate that covers our complete line.

Made in Canada, sourced in USA or Canada, Kid Companions allow special children to relax, to focus and to learn. Tweens, teens, their parents and their teachers will surely welcome the new Kid and all our Kid Companions, chewelry.

Tell us about your experience with chewies or fidgets as a tool for your Special Needs child.

April 6 Sensory Tip- What Is s Sensory Diet

When a child has symptoms of Sensory Processing Disorder (SPD) the parents are often referred to an Occupational Therapist trained to help such a child. Parents are in the best position to observe and note their child’s behavior. Therefore, they should keep a daily journal of their child’s reactions as this will be of great value for the Occupational Therapist.

Each child is different and has different needs that vary during the day. If the Occupational Therapist determines that a Sensory Diet (coined by OT Patricia Wilbarger) would benefit your child, it will be carefully designed to meet his particular needs. Then you will implement these personalized activities or accommodations at home varying them and adjusting them to meet the sensory needs of your child on that particular day or even hour!

Some examples of activities in a Sensory Diet for smell/taste/oral comforts could be:

*Sniff spices and herbs

*Explore tastes: sweet, salty, sour, spicy, bitter

*Explore textures: crunchy, creamy, chewy, lumpy

*Use age appropriate “chewy”

 Eh! Our chewable Kid Companions Chewelry are an ingredient in the Sensory Diets! These Canadian made chewies are safe to place in mouth (no toxic materials, no breakaway pieces). The Kid Companions have a CPSIA compliance certificate that proves their safety. But best of all they have pleasurable textures, hard and rubbery to satisfy the urge to chew or bite.

Does your child find comfort in his Sensory Diet?

Mar 22 Chewing and Biting Tip- Chewing Is a Form Of Moving

Excessive chewing is sometimes an indication that your child with ADHD needs to MOVE!

When a student with ADHD has to sit still for long periods of time his body is crying out to move. One of the strong, big muscles that would use this pent up energy is the jaw joint. Allow and encourage appropriate chewing or biting.

If movements can help your child with ADHD to sharpen his memory, hone his organizational skills and calm him to interact favorably with his classmates LET HIM CHEW!

Having his own discreet chewy, always accessible, enables this child to go about his day. The student knows that when he needs to chew, it will be around his neck, in his belt hoop or attached to his clothing. These children have enough worries in their lives that if this very simple tool, a chewy, gives him relief it should be allowed.

Chewies, like Kid Companions Chewelry, should never be called a toy for those who really need the benefits of chewing. A toy would have to be put away when the bell signals classes are to begin. On the contrary, peers and teachers should respect the needs of this child to chew or bite and the chewy should be seen as natural to a class setting as pencils, crayons or eye glasses.

Does your school allow chewies or fidgets in class?

Related Posts:
Hyperactive, Impulsive, Inattentive Children
ADHD Body and Brain Work in Tandem

Fidgets Toys or Tools
Tactics Tackling Homework With Your ADHD Child
Children and Teens With ADHD and Depression
Michael Phelps ~ ADHD Did Not Stop Him

Mar 19 Biting and Chewing Tip- Oral-motor Tools Must Allow SN Kids To Blend In

Chewies and Fidgets Must Be DISCREET

Happy, Special Needs youth, to function well at school, at play and especially with their peers, must use respectful fidget chewies

Some traditional fidgets and chewies can be a source of stress on special needs individuals that require them because they are actually an embarrassment. One Occupational Therapist said she felt bad for some Special Needs students she met at school when she saw the awkward mouthing aids.

Kid Companions Fidget Chewies
 Discreet, Personalized, Durable, Safe 

What is the most important quality you look for in a fidget or chewy?

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Mar 18 Chewing and Biting Tip- Inappropriate Biting

Why Does My Child Bite?

"The wounds on my child's hands never healed.

 He kept biting himself" wrote a distraught mom.
“We tried everything!”

Why does your child bite? Observe or find out when the biting occurs. Is your child biting when he is  angry, frustrated, confused, anxious or being teased?  Is he biting when he has eaten certain foods, has been exposed to a particular environment, has to adapt to something new or has encouragement to do so by peers?

All this is very disturbing to both the child and his caregivers. Professional help will be required to rule out underlying, serious problems. Redirecting the biting to a reliable oral motor tool, like the Kid Companions, will be a great benefit.

 Kid Companions are chewies that are

 functional, enjoyable and fashionable!

Mar 17 Chewing and Biting Tip- Kid Companions- Soothing Chewies

Do you know why your child is

 biting inappropriately?

Sometimes biting and teeth grinding can be an expression of sheer frustration, stress or distress. Get professional help to root out the cause of the biting.

An appropriate tool to satisfy an urge to bite is our Kid Companions. These cool chewies are soothing aids for oral exploration, while providing calming to body and mind.

Has your child used chewies? Were they effective?

Mar 12 Chewing Biting Tip- Non-toxic Fidget Chewies

Does your child grind his teeth, bite his nails or chew his pencils to a pulp? Satisfy his urge to chew or bite by providing him with our safe, non-toxic Kid Companion fidget chewies.