"Clean You Room"

Amazingly most parents of children with ADD/ADHD believe they
can just tell their kids a list of things that equal a clean
room and they will be able to do it. Like being able to follow
directions at school, (or not), children lose focus after
a short time or after about the second thing their parent is asking them to do. Many of the children I see in my practice call what their parents requests "rapid fire" or tell me
that it reminds them of the sound of a machine gun.

All children, not just those with ADD/ADHD can retain directions
best when they are short and concise. Some do better with a short
list that they can see and cross off the parts as they complete
them while others need to be verbally told or physically shown
1-2 things at a time, and then be given the opportunity to complete the tasks, prior to being given another.

Another component to a clean room, or any other chore completion is breaking the task down into "edible bites",like a large cookie broken into pieces...so that the child can understand
and carry out what is being asked of them. Some children can
digest more directions than others, which can be picked up by
an observant parent.Once aware, each time a chore or task is
assigned parents can give it to their child in pieces they
understand & reasonably carry out.

So the next time you say "clean your room", remember the
indidual tasks and actions that go into it! Perhaps starting
with "pick up your clothes", praising the results and then
giving another mini task to the end of a clean bedroom,
will not only lead to what you as the parent desire, but
with alot less stress on you and your child!





Jodi H. Underhill MEd. LMHC Licensed Mental Health Counselor & Certified K-12 Guidance Counselor License #MH9166 Phone: 386.747.7148 Fax: 407.264.8289 www.junderhilltherapy.com