Thursday, June 4, 2009

Memorization Hint...

The human mind remembers best the first and last things it encounters. This is why telephone numbers and social security numbers are hyphenated. When studying with your child, sometimes it helps to break the sessions into small sets of information, so there are more beginnings and ends. If you have 20 vocabulary words, for example, study the first five after school, the second set right before dinner, the third set after dinner, and the last before bed.

Like this hint? Then you need to check out Memory Training for Students? For those of you that got the program, don't you love it? Write and tell me how it's going for you! If you missed my plug last week...Memory Training for Students teaches very powerful techniques to solve the problem of memorizing the information students need to know. It's great for school, and it's great for life. (Yes, I've used the stuff!) If you and your child have reviewed information over and over, only to have it disappear at test time or shortly thereafter, you need Memory Training. The program is an instant download of a set of five audio .mp3's and a workbook. They are fun to listen to, and easy to follow. Go check it out now, and then forward this newsletter to others - your child's teacher, your best friend, your family…

Visit our website at http://www.goaskmom.com.

Tuesday, June 2, 2009

Three Tips for Finishing Out the School Year - By Alana Morales

Ending the school year can be a joyous time. A time to look forward to a few months of no homework, a time to work on building skills (and not just video game skills) and a time for siblings to drive each other crazy on a much bigger scope. It's also a time to remain diligent about studies - you don't want to have your student trip up at the end of the year and undo all their hard work for the school year.

Here are my top three factors to keep in mind as you finish out the school year:

1. End of the Year Review. Talk to your student's teacher to get an assessment of your child's strengths and weaknesses. It will also be a good idea to get an idea of what you will need to be mindful of for the next school year. Some areas you can cover are:

  • Classroom Accommodations

  • Academic areas of strength

  • Academic areas to work on over the summer

  • Any social skill concerns

  • Organizational skills they might need in an advanced grade

  • Medication issues - review the coverage the meds provided so you know if you need to decrease or increase for the following year.


This is a time to get a complete overview of your child's academic progress over the year and plan for next year. It doesn't have to be a long, arduous process - send an email asking what you need to know. If you explain your purpose to the teacher, they should be more than willing to help out and provide feedback.

2. Keep Up with Social Skills. Since social skills can be a sticky areas for ADHD kids, find ways to maintain their friendships over the long summer. Have your student get phone numbers or email addresses of their favorite classmates so they can keep in touch.

To help your child foster new friendships, find a summer activity for them to participate in. Summer school or recreational classes are great and affordable ways to get your kids involved and keep them off the couch this summer. Your local newspaper is another great place to find local camps. Some areas even have camps that are specifically for ADHD kiddos.

3. Start Your Preparation for the Next Year. I know it seems early, but think about and brainstorm for the next school year. Here are some of the things to think about:

  • What can I do differently?

  • What worked?

  • Is there anything I can streamline to make it easier for me/my child/my family?

  • What supplies do you need to replenish your homework center? You can gradually add to this over the summer to prevent the before school rush.

  • Updating your child's ADHD binder. Don't have one? In a future column, I will cover the basics of organizing an ADHD binder so you have all your students' information in one handy location.

You should also think about other things related to school. Did you have to scramble during the year to find a tutor? Take the summer to find one that you can use on a drop in basis. Thinking that an independent psychological evaluation will be helpful to have? Schedule one for over the summer. Many offices are scheduling several months in advance.

Stay tuned for the summer issues, where I will discuss 504 plans, ADHD binders and easy and fun summer enrichment ideas.

Have a question about your child's education? Email me at add@alanamorales.com to have your question answered.


Author Bio:

Alana Morales is the author of Domestically Challenged: A Working Mom's Survival Guide to Becoming a Stay at Home Mom. She is also a veteran English teacher and the mom of two ADHD kids. Despite being an English teacher, she dearly values her Psychology degree and is impressed at how often it comes in handy. You can learn more about the author at her website, www.AlanaMorales.com.


Visit our website at http://www.goaskmom.com.