3 Hacks to Manage Time Blindness in Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder
Does your teen struggle with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder? Do you find her flying through homework at 11:59 pm Thursday night and still ending up with missing assignments and poor grades?
Children with ADHD are time blind. They have an impaired sense of time. Therefore, these kids struggle with time management. They can not use time to guide their behavior. They do not anticipate for the future. Thus, they do not organize their assignments ahead of time. They live in the now. That is why, they always leave their projects for the last minute thereby negatively impacting their academic performance. Furthermore, living in the now makes kids with ADHD very impatient. If she sees a dress she likes on the YouTube, she needs buy it now!
My daughter battles ADHD and executive function disorder every day. If she is in study mode and all of a sudden she craves a chocolate chip cookie, she will stop everything and make a batch of chocolate chip cookies. I asked her why do you need to bake chocolate chip cookies and it needs to be done right now, but you can’t do your homework right now? This was her reply.
Because baking cookies is a small simple task that I know I can get done quickly, if I have all the ingredients, a recipe, and know how long it will take to make them. It’s a small accomplishment because at least I’m getting something done.
For schoolwork, I need to know the material from notes /paying attention in class(ingredients), plan out how to approach each question(recipe), and have an idea of how long it should take (time). Like that’s going to happen.
I’m baking cookies!!
Here are three hacks that will help your teen overcome time blindness.
- Timers and sticky notes
Teens with ADHD have impaired working memory. They have no internal sense of time. Thus, they can not hold information in their minds long enough to be useful. They must externalize time. Keep time in front of them. They can keep timers on their desk so that they can visualize time. They can use sticky notes with lists of assignments they need to get done that hour, that day, that week.
Using timers and sticky notes my daughter was able to visualize time. This way, if she had the urge to paint her nails, she would look up at her time and assignments then get back to the task at hand. After the timer went off, she painted her nails!!
2. Break down assignments into small manageable units.
Children with ADHD can not organize and complete assignments due in the future. Gaps in time must be eliminated. They must break down big projects into small units. If a book report is assigned on Monday and due on Friday, they must do the introduction on Monday, body part 1 on Tuesday, body part 2 on Wednesday, conclusion on Thursday, put it all together and turn it in on Friday. Furthermore, self-motivation must be externalized. Rewards for completion of each section must be immediate, be it a candy bar, time to paint her nails, or cash!!
3. Social check in (accountability)
When left to their own devices, kids with ADHD are looking to do anything that is not homework. She will paint her nails, perform Tik Tok dances, or wonder why that cloud looks like her grandfather. Social check in can keep your teen on track with her assignments. She can do her homework with you in the kitchen thereby minimizing bedroom distractions. You will be there to provide her with accountability and moral support.
These three hacks allowed my daughter to improve her grades and get into the college of her choice. But more importantly she developed life skills that will serve her well as she navigates life with ADHD. I believe that if your teen starts with these three techniques to manage her ADHD, she will be able to successfully negotiate her ADHD journey.
