Homework Help for ADHD Teens: Strategies for Academic Success
Is your ADHD teen drowning in a sea of scattered papers, missed deadlines, and overwhelming assignments? Are you trying desperately to find a way to help them, but just end up in a yelling match? You know you’ve got a smart kid, they just can’t pull it together to be able to showcase their intelligence.
If this scenario hits close to home, fear not! I know you will find some answers in the tips below.
In this article, we will explore lots of ways to help your ADHD teen manage their homework, so you can stop the arguing and help them feel more in control of their academic success.
These tips are meant to help transition them to a place where they are more independent. Remember this may take awhile, especially with ADHD teens, who lag behind their peers by 3 to 4 years. But, keep at it and you will slowly see progress.
I’ve go another post on homework help for younger kids. It overlaps a bit with this post, but if you have teens, you know it is a whole different ball game, as they get older.
Meeting teen’s Physical needs is still important
Let’s start with the most basic way to help your teen and probably the easiest. Even teenagers still need to think about appropriately meeting their physical needs. There are many parts to this and it may simply involve a discussion with your teen.
Also, this can be a source of conflict. Teenagers want to stay up late and eat junk food. The teen years are a time for them to figure some of this out for themselves and may just want to rebel against what you are telling them.
Relax and do the best that you can. Keep at it.
Be a good model yourself for proper hydration, eating lots of healthy protein, and keeping snacks super healthy.
help your teen get his physical needs met in these helpful ways:
- Stock the house with healthy, whole foods
- Avoid buying sugary drinks.
- Have some family exercise time, like weekend hikes or evening walks around the neighborhood.
- Have a cell phone charging station out of bedrooms and a reasonable shut off time, at least on school night.
- Instituting “In your bedroom by 10pm on school nights – without a cell phone.” Teens can read or just go to bed, either way it’s a win.
Get help in place
As parents, we have to realize we are not meant to do it all. Even if we think we can, it is so important to gather a tribe around your teen. Getting help from as many sources as possible benefits you and your teen. The more people who can help your child, the more points of view they will be getting and the more people they can turn to when they need help.
Keep these people in mind when getting help for your teen:
- Current Teachers, counselors, IEP/504 coordinators
- Student tutors at school or at your local library
- ADHD student coaches like Russell Coaching
- Paid tutors – students, former teachers, friends or classmates
It may take time to find good tutors and know who can be truly helpful in the school setting. But, as you begin to get people in your corner, you will feel a relief wash over you.
Personal note: Both of my kids have IEP’s at school, which help immensely. We hired a middle school teacher to tutor my son in high school math and have used the amazing services of Russell Coaching, as well.
Learn How to communicate with teachers
Teachers can be your students biggest ally over the course of their education, it’s so important to learn how to communicate effectively to foster this important relationship.
Your kids are not going to like every teacher they come in contact with. But if they get good at communicating their needs and advocating for themselves, it will go so much smoother!
Tips to help foster positive communication with teachers:
- As a parent, it’s important that you establish good communicaiton with teachers from the very start of the school year.
- Realize that teachers are people, with busy lives. They may not respond to emails immediately or be able to grade or recheck homework in the blink of an eye. 24 to 48 hours is a reasonable time to wait.
- Teens need to let teachers know asap if you are not understanding a concept.
- Provide additional copies of 504 plans to middle and high school teachers who may have many, many students with extra needs. Staple a Starbucks gift card to it for extra impact.
- Make sure your kids know how to send proper emails. Using punctuation and proper sentence structure is so important.
- Ask for help. Teachers are mostly willing to meet with students before school or after school to provide extra help.
make checking in with you a routine
Of course, as our kids grow older, we want to loosen the reins and let them experience some independence. Even though they may have people at school assisting them, you still want to know what’s going on.
Instead of having to nag and constantly ask your kids what their homework is, set up one time during the week where your teen can check in with you. Put them in the driver’s seat and have them show you and explain to you what assignments they are working on what is coming up. You can ask questions about their assignments, their grades, missing work, etc.
This is an excellent way to model a great routine to have for themselves. Going over their assignments and upcoming due dates with you is a great reminder for them, as well.
Work with your teen to choose a day and time that will work most of the time. Sunday night’s can be helpful to preview the week. Thursday can be a good night as well, because anything that came up missing from the week can be addresses wtih one more day left for your student to ask teachers for help or clarificaiton.
keep track of assignments
This could be a big one to tackle as kids with ADHD are usually not great at keeping track of assignments or organiaing their time.
There are so many systems out there to help kids and they work in varying degrees according to your kiddo. Remember, if your child has a 504 or IEP you can add accommodation for extra support with this.
Ideas to help keep track of their assignments:
- Use a paper planner like this one specially designed for kids with executive functioning challenges.
- Use an app, like notes, Click UP and Due. Warning, if checking the phone will distract your kiddo, opt for a paper solution.
- Text themselves their assignments or you. This worked brilliantly for my sophomore last year….he’d text assignments in a group chat, so I knew what was going on, too.
- Keep a post-it in your pocket and just write your to-do’s for the day.
- Ask teachers to help remind your child to write down their assignments in a planner.
Help Your Teen With Time Management
Writing down the assignemnts is the first part, managing them is another. Making sure to record due dates and deadlines along with the assignment can help them begin to manage their time.
suggestions for helping ADHD Teens manage their time:
- Teach them to refer back to their assignment notebook or app often to make sure they are completing their assigments in a timely manner.
- Use a timer to create a sense of structure and focus. Setting specific time increments for each task can help students stay on track. By breaking down larger assignments into smaller, manageable chunks, students can work more efficiently and maintain their attention span.
- Have a designated study area, free from distractions and equipped with all the necessary tools and resources. By creating an environment dedicated solely to studying, students can minimize the temptation to procrastinate and maximize their focus and productivity.
- Taking short breaks during homework time can also be an effective time management technique. Breaks allow the brain to recharge and can improve overall focus and productivity.
Teach Your Teen to Set Priorities
When faced with multiple assignments and deadlines, it can be overwhelming for students with ADHD to determine where to start. However, by establishing clear priorities, students can gain a sense of control and direction in their work.
Ideas for setting priorities with your ADHD teen:
- Help your teen identify which assignments need to be completed first and which carry greater weight in terms of grades or academic significance. Then they can determine where to allocate their time and energy.
- Have them break tasks down into smaller, more manageable chunks. This allows students to tackle each component of an assignment separately, reducing overwhelm and making it easier to focus on one task at a time. By dividing larger tasks into smaller subtasks, students can establish a clear blueprint for their work and track their progress more effectively.
- Help your teen begin to identifying areas where they may require more time or help and prioritizing those tasks accordingly. Beoming more aware of their individual needs will set them up for greater success and lower everyone’s stress.
Create a Structured Study Space
It is very important to create a study space specifically designed to minimize distractions and maximize focus, providing students with the ideal conditions for concentration and productivity. Your teen will associate this space with getting work done and their brain will make the switch as soon as they sit down to work.
Ideas for making a Dedicated homework space:
- Designate a specific area in the home that is solely dedicated to studying and completing homework. This could be a quiet corner in the bedroom, a study room, or even a corner of the living room. Choose a space where students can have minimal interruptions and distractions, allowing them to fully engage with their work.
- Once the study space is established, it is important to keep it simple, including only what you need to study and nothing else to distract you.
- Don’t forget about digital organization, too. By creating folders and subfolders for different subjects or assignments, students can quickly locate the materials they need without wasting valuable time searching through disorganized files.
- Consider using tools that enhance their study mode. Noise-cancelling headphones can help block out external distractions and create a more focused atmosphere. Wiggle stools can help teens move, so they don’t have to get up They can also utilize productivity apps or websites that provide features such as timers, task lists, and reminders to help structure their study sessions and stay on track.
Have we left anything out? If you have any other suggestions for helping your ADHD teen with their homework, please comment below. Also, follow us on Instagram for lots of ADHD parenting tips.