Organisational tips for AuDHD DS heading into Y7

[ProfessorPeppy]

Luckily (or unluckily 🤣) for DS1, I teach at his prospective secondary school, so I will be on hand to help with organisational pickles. He is medicated, so I’m hoping that this has a positive impact on his executive functioning.

However, he doesn’t really have an overview of what needs doing, and I’m worried that he’ll struggle with the cognitive overload of different classrooms/teachers/subjects/homeworks. He’s academically able, so that’s less of a worry.

What are your failsafe hacks for disorganised kids? This is my thinking:

1. I will ensure that he’s permanently logged into his school-based apps on his laptop/iPad and has access to passwords.
2. He’s having his bedroom decorated and a huge 5x5 kallax attached to one wall. This could be used for organising school work according to subject.
3. Laminated timetables EVERYWHERE including a mini one attached to his bag.
4. Springy key ring things for stuff he might lose.
5. Clear plastic zip wallets for each subject.
6. 2 x clear large pencil case: one for home, one for bag.

If you’ve got some excellent ideas that have worked wonders, please share! I don’t want him to hate school because he struggled to organise himself 😢

These are brilliant ideas! I wish I'd been this prepared for my DC with ADHD going into Year 7.

I'd add: locker hygiene. It only took a few weeks for my DC to get in a proper pickle about what books were where. Some in the locker, some at home, some goodness knows where... so now EVERYTHING is brought home every night, in a giant backpack, so we can pack everything needed for lessons the next day.

Oh, we also have a Post-it permanently stuck to the back door. It's a checklist for when DC leaves the house in the mornings.

BLAZER
BAG
WATER BOTTLE
PHONE
EARBUDS
PILL (I.e. medication taken)

This has proved to be invaluable. Otherwise DC will happily toddle off without that giant backpack.

I don't know if your DC's requirements are on this level though

All of what you said but instead of two pencil cases, just put the stuff he needs for maths (protractor etc as well as pencils and pens) in his maths zip lock, a set of coloured pencils in his geog folder, extra pens for Englsih etc. So much easier if when he gets the folder out, it's all in there and he doesn't have to hunt in his bag for his pencil case which he got out for his last class and left in the last classroom.

We also colour coded each subject and put a homework diary up in the kitchen as well as the bedroom, with subjects highlighted in same colour for the day they were due in as well as the day they were set.

We tried to stick to the rule - do homework on the day it's set not the night before it's due in.

Add kit to the timetable - so write on each day if he needs swimming stuff, PE, football kit etc. Have separate sports bags for PE (clean) games (filthy) swimming (wet)

If school allow it or if you can swing it as adjustments with the senco... a smart watch.

My DD yr10 has similar issues. She has a Samsung watch 3 - so no camera etc. It's attached to her Google and school Outlook calendars. On the Google calendar we have every Individual timetabled lesson- (yes a pain to set up especially with. 2 week timetable) as an appintment with reminders 5 mins before, with rooms and teachers. She can then access this throughout the day so know where she needs to be.

We could probably do with finding a way of adding a kit list to each class but haven't done that yet. We also have a checklist at 8.30 on an alarm.. so lunchbox, pe kit etc - again varies by timetable day. She can add to this calendar on her laptop in school or on her phone with appointments so they come up as well.

My daughter had a different colour for every subject. Stuff never made it into the folders she was given (by a senco lead), so we just backed everything in a variety of colours so easy to spot.
School stuff did not go into her room or it would instantly get lost.
Separate pencil case, big ruler and calculator for home so school ones stayed in bag.

Lots of spares of stationery. Large bag so they can put things in it easily and look through it. We just put all the books in a box in his room. He then picks out the ones he needs for the next day. We have a routine for homework/bag pack/music practice which stays the same across the week as much as possible.

These are great tips! I'm in the same position. No lockers in our school so I've had to agree to keep a football and astro trainers in my classroom...

I'm thinking she needs a location to do homework after school every day before going home. Probably the library but I will also sign her up to year 7 study hall. Or failing that I will start an account with one of the nearby cafes!

We are going to do a lot of practice of the train commute and run through various scenarios of what to do if lose phone/railcard/scared of someone/train cancelled etc etc.

Following this too.

DD (ADHD) is starting Y7 in September and I'm so keen for her to start off on the right foot with her organisation.

She has to get a device for school (either iPad or Surface) and I'm wondering about if we can get some good software on that that'll help.

Her school provides them 2 lockers each and I dread to think they state they'll be in 😭

So far I'm clueless if they get paper schedules. I imagine it'll all be online but I think if I'm able I'll keep a few print outs around along with some homework timetables etc.

Expecting a pretty stressy first term so keen to do what we can to make things smoother.

@Phineyj Yes, he will stay after school to do homework in the library/a spare classroom. I think home will need to be for chilling (he needs a lot of downtime).

Thank you everyone 🥰 there are no lockers so we’ll need to be really systematic about packing bag every night and putting books in the right ziplock/kallax 😅

Im going to spend time at Easter walking round school with him playing the ‘where’s Geography?’ game. Hopefully he can take a bit of a lead on this with his friends when they get there in Sept!

Any more ideas gratefully received!

Just bumping this for a Sunday-scrolling audience! We just decorated DS1’s room ready for September, he now has a 5x5 Kallax attached to a funky dark blue wall. I’m hoping it will encourage him to stay organised, with different cubes for various school stuff!

Ooh nice!

I told DD the ideas on this thread and she was excited to do the ziplock coloured folders.

My son with ADHD uses his phone to remind him of stuff like take PE kit/food tech ingredients or put PE kit in wash basket. He has like a dozen reminders for his morning routine which includes coming back home once when he inevitably forgets something

Things that have worked for us ( ASD teen) and that I’ve seen my pupils do at work, sometimes encouraged by Support and sometimes parent-led:

Laminated lists in lots of locations in the house re prompts for PE kit, cooking, instrument day etc. This also helped us to prompt, as her dad has similar exec function difficulties.

Multiple and laminated colour-coded copies of the timetable at home and in bag, blazer pocket, in purse etc. If it’s small enough, it can be tucked into the back of a phone or attached to a lanyard if they wear one at school.

A concertina folder with separate, labelled pockets to file each subject’s sheets.

Door keys etc attached to those clips that attach to bags and belts.

Encouraging regular filing and sorting sessions (at least every half -term) whereby sheets go into folders at home and the school bag is kept under control.

A lot of prompting from us by using the school timetable and the alerts from SMHW and Teams.

Anyone with this combo of additional needs should be having additional transition in the summer term and they need to be shown and walked through things like changing for PE and where lost property is as part of this.

@Wavingnotdrown1ng

Thanks for the list, lots to think about!

DS1 been having additional transition sessions since September. The school are great at recognising and meeting additional needs. And, as I keep telling him, he’s actually been visiting the school since he was a tiny cluster of cells