Organization, just like any behavior, takes time to cultivate and practice. Often times a person with ADHD will start out with the best of intentions, but once the newness wears off, it becomes challenging to adhere to a standard routine. The key to teaching organization is to understand that this concept is inherently nonexistent to a person with ADHD. Most people with attention challenges are extremely disorganized. This is not because they don’t have the capacity to be organized, but with a mind that moves from one thing to another very quickly, organization is not always viewed as important. Therefore, when broaching the concept, it’s best if things are kept simple in nature. If you struggle with organization yourself, this is going to be even more challenging. Therefore, you may want to consider getting organized yourself before teaching another person. Clear up the clutter, buy organizational tools, create a calendar for chores and events to help stay on track, and set up (and stick to) routines. While some people are innately organized, the rest of us have to learn it and practice it before it becomes ingrained. How does one teach organization? First, you need the proper setting and the proper tools. We will explore these concepts as we move along.

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Your Roadmap to Getting Organized
& Staying There!
eBook

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Copyright © 2014 by Unique Logic and Technology, Inc.
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Table of Contents
Organization – An Overview Page 4
Clear the Clutter Page 5
The Right Tools for the Job Page 7
Toy Organization Page 9
Calendars and Lists Page 10
Set Up Routines Page 13

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Organization
Organization, just like any behavior, takes time to cultivate and practice.
Often times a person with ADHD will start out with the best of intentions,
but once the newness wears off, it becomes challenging to adhere to a
standard routine.
The key to teaching organization is to understand that this concept is
inherently nonexistent to a person with ADHD. Most people with attention
challenges are extremely disorganized. This is not because they don’t have
the capacity to be organized, but with a mind that moves from one thing to
another very quickly, organization is not always viewed as important.
Therefore, when broaching the concept, it’s best if things are kept simple in
nature.
If you struggle with organization yourself, this is going to be even more
challenging. Therefore, you may want to consider getting organized
yourself before teaching another person. Clear up the clutter, buy
organizational tools, create a calendar for chores and events to help stay
on track, and set up (and stick to) routines.
While some people are innately organized, the rest of us have to learn it
and practice it before it becomes ingrained. How does one teach
organization? First, you need the proper setting and the proper tools. We
will explore these concepts as we move along.

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Clear Up the Clutter
Clutter is a huge distraction for people with ADHD, and can sometimes
make the problem even worse. Consider this; picture your grandmother’s
house with all the porcelain dolls, pictures and nick knacks everywhere. Put
your five year old in the middle of this environment and ask them to pay
attention. Everything in that room attracts their attention. So if your home
looks anything like this, removing the clutter can help.
Organizational training, like any other training, should begin in an
environment that is conducive to success.
When in the initial steps of teaching a new behavior (i.e. organization), it is
in a person’s best interest to be in the best environment possible.
Therefore, we must consider removing the clutter.
Just as a coach would not allow a player to go
into a big game without training and practice,
we can’t expect our child to learn to filter
distractions without training them to be
organized under the best circumstances. Then
we introduce distractions as training goes
along.
Let’s just say that your child’s room has a sports theme (or even a fairy
princess theme). You’ve decked it out with bold colors, lots of wall art,
some really cool memorabilia, etc. There’s also a comfy area with a TV and
the latest gaming console, not to mention a dresser and storage bins for
toys. And over in the corner, facing into the room, is a desk where your
eight year old does homework—yet you can’t understand why he/she is
never able to complete their homework, or it takes them hours to do so.
The truth is that with the best of intentions, you’ve created an atmosphere
that is so over-stimulating, it’s a major distraction. Therefore, your child
cannot concentrate.

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That’s not to say that your child will never be able to concentrate in that
environment, but if you are working with someone with ADHD, you must
start with baby steps. By removing some of the distractions, even if
temporarily, you will set your child up for success. So clear the clutter for a
time. Put that great memorabilia in a closet, and then bring it back out once
your child can deal with the distractions.
Much research has been done that says that the mind of someone with
ADHD runs much faster than a non-ADHD person. It’s not really a lack of
attention, but an inability to sustain and direct attention at will. However,
they have the ability to pay attention to many things at once when the
environment is very stimulating. We don’t need to teach them to pay
attention in this environment. We must teach them to pay attention when
things are less stimulating.

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The Right Tools for the Job
Whenever we start new adventures in our lives we must have the right
tools to do the job. No baseball player can gain proficiency unless given a
ball and bat to practice. No programmer can create software without a
computer. No musician can create music without a piano, guitar, or a
microphone.
“Everything has a place,
and everything should be in that place.”
Organization is no different. Multi-million-dollar companies are built every
day in an effort to help us get us more organized. From simple traditional
storage devices to the latest apps on a smart phone, we become an ever
more efficient and organized society. But buying the coolest storage
devices or downloading the latest app is not enough. We need to use these
tools in order for them to be effective.
It’s valuable to explore options available to help your child stay organized.
Let’s look at some tools available for helping teach organization.
Remember the saying, “Everything has a place, and everything should be
in that place.” When teaching organization to someone with ADHD, it’s
important to keep it simple. Here are some ideas.
Make sure your child has a place to hang their coat and backpack every
day. A simple coat hook system near the door as they come in is perfect.
You may even want to go so far as to label these areas.
Having assigned places for things can avoid hair-raising times like hunting
for a backpack as the bus is pulling up, or finding the homework that has
disappeared. Toby always knows that his coat and backpack go here, and
Rory knows that hers goes there. Once you’ve established the
organizational part and provided the environment for being organized, then
you must teach the skill. If you establish the area and don’t teach, you
simply have “bought the golf clubs without ever teaching the game.”

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Even a proclamation on this concept of organization is fitting. “Kids, I’ve
decided that we spend way too much time looking for our stuff, so we’re
going to get more organized and I am going to help.”
This is the time where you map out your new organizational tools and your
expectations. “So kids, see our new coat rack? I put it right here near the
door so you can hang your coat and your backpack here when you come in
the door. And look, there’s even a name label above your hook so you’ll
know that this is the spot that’s reserved just for you.”
Then you set your expectations, “Every day when you come in from school,
I expect you to hang your backpack and coat on this rack. Does that sound
reasonable? I’ve already hung my coat there.”
Of course, if your child is the typical ADHD child, there may be questions,
comments, or even complaints about this new process. Just field those with
positive reinforcement. Assure them that once they get used to the new
way of doing things it will get easier, and that you are always there to help.
Remember to take this in baby steps. Create and teach organization in one
area (i.e. at the entrance to your home) then move on from there. If you
attack too many areas at once, it may be overwhelming for your child to
remember and they are likely to give up.

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Toy Organization
Inexpensive bins with labels on them can be a simple step towards
organizing your child’s toys. It will help with clean-up and allows your child
to stay organized. Legos in one bin, toy cars in another, crayons in another,
etc.
If you’re looking for your child’s buy in, you could solicit their ideas on how
they want things organized. Since they will be the one maintaining the
system, why not involve them in the creation. Keep in mind that their way of
organizing things may be totally different from yours. But if it works for
them, the end result will be a sense of organization.
Once created, this new organization system will need to be maintained.
Ultimately, the goal will be for your child to take full ownership, but in the
beginning, you will need to coach and train your child through the process.
You will need to provide a “vision of good” so that everyone understands
the end goal. It’s important to keep goals age appropriate and achievable,
always keeping in mind that success is the goal.
Now that you’ve created the environment and given your child the right
tools for the job (bins), it’s time to teach the skill to maintain organization.
You may want to put specific chores on your calendar, which we will
discuss later.
For instance, let’s say that you make a deal with your child that you will
help them with organization by picking up toys and putting them in the bins
on Mondays, and that your child is responsible for clean up on Saturday.
This activity demonstrates to your child that he is being supported by you. It
also demonstrates that you expect your child to maintain a specific
schedule for keeping organized.

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Calendars and Lists
ADHD Children are inherently distracted, their attention scattered. Life can
become a cluttered mess with minds traveling at warp speeds.
Creating calendars and chore lists can remove a lot of the guesswork for
those who have a hard time remembering and prioritizing time.
Additionally, children on the autistic spectrum tend to like routine and
sometimes don’t adjust well to changes or unexpected events. It is
important that you understand how to help in these cases.
All of life cannot be scheduled or calendared out, but we certainly can
create routines and stay inside the parameters of those routines as much
as possible.
If your ADHD child can see upcoming events and plan for them, you will be
setting them up for success.
For instance, let’s just say your family is going to dinner at your sister’s
house on Sunday in two weeks. Your married sister has no children, has a
dog and a cat, and has purchased a home with a playhouse in the
backyard. So you write “Dinner at Aunt Sue’s” on the family calendar. You
strategically place the calendar where the children can see it.
There is obvious turmoil by the look on his/her face and pouting when your
child sees the event on the calendar
“What’s up, buddy?”
“Mom, I hate going to Aunt Sue’s. There’s no one to play with and there’s
nothing to do. It’s boring.”
“Well honey, I know Aunt Sue doesn’t have any kids, but remember she
just bought a house that has that really cool playhouse. And remember, the
last time we were there you played with the neighbor boy and threw a ball
for Aunt Sue’s dog. You had a really great time.”

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This type of dialogue goes a long way for a child who may struggle with
memory. It turns an unpleasant situation around. The calendar insures that
it’s not done as you’re running out the door to Aunt Sue’s house. You’ve
invested the time at the right time. This is also time to interject possible
scenarios to deal with the unexpected.
“The Saturday before we go, we will have to put together a bag of toys and
things for you to do in case it rains or the neighbor boy isn’t home. That
way you’ll have things to do, not to mention that Aunt Sue lets you throw a
ball for the dog in the basement. And remember that cake she makes that
you love? I can’t wait to see Aunt Sue!”
So it’s also a great idea to add “Get Toy Bag Ready” on the calendar so
that everyone remembers to get this done in time for Sunday.
Use your calendar to plan out weekly events (grocery shopping, soccer,
birthday parties). Remember not to over schedule. Kids need down time.
They need unorganized activities to teach them hierarchy, unplanned
teamwork, and just to have a little outdoor fun. You can also put play dates
on the calendar.

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Chores
Chores can be a source of frustration for parents who have a child with
ADHD. They can become so challenging that many parents take the “I’ll do
it myself” attitude. This is a great disservice to a child. Chores teach
responsibility, organization, and how to work as a team.
When establishing chores for your child, make sure they are age
appropriate and that the list does not resemble the laundry list of things that
you may not want to complete yourself. Also, be sure that your list includes
only things that you are leading by example. For instance, if you want your
child to make the bed every day, is that something you do? If it’s not
important to you, it won’t be
important to your child.
Also, keep in mind that your child
has other things that may be more
important than the list of chores
you have created. We must
remember that children are not
small adults, and that they should
not be expected to carry the same
workload in the home as we do.
They have homework, school
(which is a full day), and play time. Yes, that’s correct! Play time is part of a
child’s responsibility. It is how they learn most social skills, working
effectively as a team, tolerance and hierarchy. If these skills are not learned
through play at an early age, your child is likely to struggle in social settings
as they grow up.

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Set Up Routines
Success when working with an ADHD child comes from setting routines
and sticking to them. It helps establish consistency and sets expectations.
It’s important to understand that routines take time to become consistent
and ingrained.
Think about a routine that you tried to establish for yourself. If you were
successful, it’s probably because you established the routine, executed it,
and were consistent.
Let’s say you’re setting up a morning routine for your child. As it stands
now, things are chaotic in the morning, always looking for the lost shoe,
homework left in the bedroom, teeth rarely brushed, etc.
To establish a consistent routine, you may want to start with a check-off list.
It may look something like this:
1. Eat Breakfast.
2. Get Dressed.
3. Brush Your Teeth.
4. Make sure everything is in your backpack.

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Keep things simple. Set your child up for success. If your check-off list
includes many more things, like make your bed, make your lunch, etc., and
your child doesn’t have time to do those things, you’re setting them up for
failure.
It’s important to understand that a checklist is designed to successfully get
them to the goal, which in this case is getting ready for school.
Since mornings are hectic, it’s not recommended that you overload it with
chores that can be done after school. Just focus on what is needed. The
only other thing you may want to add is:
5. Watch TV when 1-4 are completed.
You’ll be amazed how quickly and efficiently the list gets completed.
Questions? Call 800.788.6786 or email us at info@playattention.net
Register for our informational webinars at www.playattention.com/seminars