Organization isn't easy for any child, but for children with ADHD, organizing, time management and prioritizing can be extremely difficult. There are several things that you can do to help your child with ADHD develop successful organizational skills. Here are 5 tips to help you coach your child through the process of getting organized: 1. Make a master calendar: A calendar is a multi-sensory tool to use to teach your child organizational skills because it can serve as a visual reminder of planned activities as well as an auditory reinforcement to boost retention of upcoming events. Calendars are a great way to also teach time management and accountability skills because the child will see when assignments are due and how much time they should spend on homework. 2. Make a place for everything: Help your child organize their school supplies… Read More »

With the alarming amount of children in the U.S. currently on medication for ADHD, parents have concerns. But in reality, ADHD is over and underdiagnosed. It is over and under-treated. It is certainly true that many children are misdiagnosed with ADHD while their actual behavioral problems come from other factors. However, that does not mean that everyone is misdiagnosed. Some people really have ADHD and really need medication to live comfortable lives. While we fear the zombie effect of overmedication, many kids with ADHD are actually undermedicated. Overmedication can lead to kids acting like zombies, which is the #1 concern of parents. But the truth is that most kids are not even on enough medication to control their ADHD much less make them zombie-like. At Focus-MD we believe that the key to treating ADHD is careful, precise use of medication that lets… Read More »

Doing homework and studying with ADHD can be more manageable when your child embraces techniques that help him to keep his mind focused on the task at hand. Traditional study methods of long study streaks and sitting at desks can make your child more distracted and less productive. That leaves no one happy and everyone frustrated. Here are some of our tips to make homework easier: 1. Move around Having your child walk around while studying can help him to focus better. 2. Speak out-loud When your child studies aloud, then her mind is more actively engaging with the material (which means that it is harder for her mind to wander from what she is studying.) 3. Fidget It is hard for students with ADHD to concentrate for long periods without moving around during school. “Fidget tools” can help students… Read More »

ADHD is a neurodevelopment disorder.  That means that it delays the way the brain develops the connections leading to normal function in certain areas.  Well connected brains can sustain attention, regulate emotions, resist impulses and regulate motor activity.  Less well connected brains, well, you know…Until those connections catch up, parents are filling the void on organization, completing tasks and providing time management.  Parents are reminding, giving the same instructions over and over while they go in one ear and out of the other over and over. Inescapably this leads to frustration and resentment.  Parents try punishment and kids get angrier and angrier. Parents just want their kids with ADHD to be responsible and kids with ADHD just want to stop getting yelled at.  So, if reminders, yelling and restricting privileges don’t work, what will?   How about regularly treating the problem… Read More »

by Dr. Andrew Burstiner, Focus-MD Red Bank March and April mark the halfway point for kid’s ages when determining what grade a child should be in.  Here in New Jersey, most school districts use October 1 as the cutoff date for determining a child’s grade eligibility.  So, kids born in the March/April period have classmates up to half a year older or younger. As a Pediatrician, I know that this age variability can mean a world of difference in the physical, mental and social development of children.  This phenomenon has been well researched over many years, is clear to most professionals caring for and/or working with children, and has been well portrayed about 10 years ago in the Malcolm Gladwell book, Outliers. Older children in a grade year often have a competitive advantage over their younger peers, and this advantage often… Read More »