Most children that we provide services for at Kids BRAIN struggle to some degree with organization. This can take many forms, from losing their fourth lunchbox this school year to forgetting their math book and not being able to finish their homework to beginning their Science Fair project the night before it is due. Some students can avoid these pitfalls naturally and navigate the increasingly complex waters of academic demands, rising to the top of their class through hard work that brings success. Those kids do not usually show up at my office (or my house by the way). My kids work hard and have very little success. My role as a supporter of children who learn differently, think differently, and behave differently means working with those that are the opposite. My kids (at home and at work) don’t often follow the standard trajectory of making the gains needed for them to organize their materials and work space, record assignments consistently, prepare for longer term projects, and study for tests. They exhibit executive function deficits that impact these skills and many others. When allowed to see patients directly, Kids BRAIN offers the Organization Skill Training program by Gallagher, Spira, and Rosenblatt. At a minimum, we pass along the parent guide to this program, The Organized Child. For others that are not “read a book and make a change” kind of families, a more direct approach is used. In these cases, we serve as the guide to building these skills and fostering academic management and independence.
When using the Organization Skills Training program, this usually means committing to two session per week for 10 weeks. Some kids need more time. This is both a large time commitment and a financial investment for their families. It works, I love it, and I use this program at home with my children. I have guided families to building these skills and have watched failing students progress to A/B students. Now that in-person services have been impacted by the COVID-19 outbreak, the traditional in-person and small group formats that are usually offered for support have become much more complicated, if not impossible. I have been working hard over the past week to condense and package the major elements of this program in a webinar course for parents called Organizing Your Child. Instead of paying for 10 hours of in person time with a psychologist, I have provided video instruction and examples for implementation that spans less than 6 hours and for a fraction of the cost. My goal for this post is not to advertise but to offer a different level of support for parents that are now structuring and supporting their child or children with ADHD, learning disabilities, high function autism, or mood symptoms impacting learning as they receive distance learning. Some people can take a book and run with it. Some need a direct guide to draw the road map and step along each marker along the way. The webinar that I have created offers a nice hybrid of the two that you can access at midnight and without committing your already full schedule to a series of direct or virtual sessions. Your kids need the bandwidth for Zoom sessions during the day after all! If you want the longer, more intensive version, feel free to contact us at Kids BRAIN. We would be happy to help!
