It seems that back to school time always sneaks up. Before you know it, the summer is over and school is starting again. Helping your child ease from the lazy days of summer to the structured days of fall is important. If your child has Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, also known as ADD/ADHD, this transition can sometimes be difficult.

The Royal Gazette spoke to Dr. Bente Lundh to find out how parents can help their children make this transition easier, and how following a few simple rules can in turn help parents cope with the demands that sometimes come with having an ADD/ ADHD child.

GETTING READY FOR BACK TO SCHOOL

Dr. Lundh believes that for many of us, summer means later bedtimes and wake up times. "If this is the case in your home, help your child adjust to a new schedule by moving bedtimes and wake up times to the actual times they will be during the school year," she suggests, possibly as soon as two weeks before school starts.

"Make sure the new schedule allows for enough sleep time at night as good quality sleep is important for learning and for your child's overall health."

Another tip: Organise School Supplies. "Make a fun time out of buying new school supplies and organising the school backpack and involve your child in this process," she says. "You can also use this time to talk with your child about his or her feelings related to school. Reflect upon his feelings and be a good listener."

Since students with ADD/ADHD typically have trouble with time management and organisation, external structure and routines are important.

Dr. Lundh suggests using calendars and lists: "Use the calendar to mark the first day of school and other important dates, and to keep track of their schedule, assignments and tests. Use lists to remind them what they need to do before school each day, what they do when they get home and so on."

For older students, families can keep a copy of the class/weekly schedule near the front door for quick reference to make sure the student has the appropriate folders and textbooks with them. It is also a good idea to designate special areas where your child keeps their backpack and lunch bag.

Dr. Lundh refers to this designated area as "a launching pad". Help them get into the habit of putting these items in their designated areas when they come home from school each day. Getting into this routine will help them keep better track of important school items. It also helps if they organise and clean out their backpack each day. "Just as important," she says, "is packing away everything after they have completed their homework and checking that they have completed all their assignments."

HOMEWORK

When it comes to doing homework, Dr. Lundh suggests creating a study area at home, ideally before the school year starts: "Make this work space their permanent identified place for study. Make sure all necessary materials are available in the area — pencils, pencil sharpener, paper, good light, crayons, coloured pencils, scissors, ruler, etc."

She says it's important to come up with homework rules and to discuss these in advance — what time it will begin, no television during homework time, no clutter on homework desk, etc.

"Children will often make excuses to avoid starting, like sharpening their pencils, going to the bathroom or getting a drink. Make sure they have everything they need before they start as this will lead to fewer distractions."

At the same time, offer the child breaks and encourage them to do 'chunks' of homework. Parents should try incentives and rewards to complete assignments. "ADHD students often take much longer to complete homework, turning a 45 minute homework task into two hours, so make sure the teacher is aware, and try to have the homework done earlier!" She adds that a typical school accommodation for an ADHD student is to "shorten classroom and homework assignments in order to focus on mastery, not repetition."

When it comes to laying down certain home rules, she suggests involving your child in the making these rules and negotiating a compromise. "If the child wants to spend a lot of time online or texting friends, make a rule that they may only spend a half an hour doing this on as school day, for example, but allow more time on a weekend. This privilege can also be used as an incentive to finishing homework or chores. If they spend more than the allotted time, it gets deducted from the next days. By involving them, and getting them to agree to the rule, there's a better chance they will stick to them."

SCHOOL

Routine, she points out, is vital to relieving stress and ensuring that your child stays on top of their homework, studies and household chores.

It is just as important to visit the new classroom and meet with your child's teacher.

"It's important to tell the teacher that your child has ADHD," she says. When parents resist using the ADHD or ADD 'label', she suggests that parents "at least describe various 'concerns' or 'weaknesses' that have been problematic such as distractibility, poor focus or a tendency to blurt out answers.

Even with a known diagnosis or written reports on file, the new teacher may not have had a chance to review your child's file personally. The parent can even write a short 'summary' of past reports or testing. A brief meeting will also show the teacher that the parent cares and wants to be actively involved in the student's progress and success."

Because children with ADD/ ADHD are easily distracted by movement and noise, it's important to have these students sit as close to the front of the classroom as possible AND as far away from the door or window, or talkative and distracting students. Her advice to teachers is to send children with ADD/ ADHD on errands when the need arises as it's very difficult for these children to sit still and concentrate for long periods of time.

"They need to have 'movement' breaks so asking them to take a note to the principals' office, for example, will give them this much-needed break. The note doesn't even have to say anything. Also, giving them tasks and chores, like cleaning the white board or being a 'back of the line' monitor, can be helpful."

ASSIGNMENTS AND LARGE PROJECTS

Teachers and parents should also help students tackle large projects and assignments by breaking them up into manageable chunks.

"Many students with ADHD have two types of time", reminds Dr. Lundh, "NOW and NOT NOW. So a project that is due in three weeks might not become 'NOW' until the night before!" While many people may look at procrastination as "laziness or a moral weakness", they often have a "neurobiological-based weakness in executive function, so that they are inherently poor at planning, prioritising and self-monitoring." Make a 'to do' list and tick the items off as you complete them.

Given the recent attention on grade retention, Dr. Lundh advises parents to communicate regularly with the teacher throughout the school year, not just at the beginning or only when the student is about to fail.

"Ask the teacher to make sure your child writes down their homework in a homework diary. Some teachers will even agree to e-mail their assignments and homework to you if you ask."

Parents can also check the school's website.

"Ultimately it should be the parents' responsibility to keep track of their child's progress, particularly when a diagnosis has already been made or problems like turning in assignments on time or studying for exams has been ongoing."

"Research shows that students with ADD/ADHD have higher rates of grade retention (being held back) and ultimately higher rates of school failure (dropping out), especially without early identification and intervention," Dr. Lundh says. "Many will simply never live up to their full potential."

Her hope is that parents and teachers will recognise the symptoms of ADHD and intervene with struggling students long before anyone ever considers grade retention.

"A proven strategy for student success is for parents to get involved in their children's schools and education through frequent contact with teachers, supervision of homework and so on."

Lastly, be positive: The new school year can create anxieties in parents, too!

"Help your child to feel positive about school by being calm and positive yourself. Remind your child to enjoy themselves and have fun."