Aspergers Syndrome

Children in general can be disorganized and their rooms cluttered.  This is a part of maturing and learning responsibility.  However, many children with learning and developmental disabilities such as Aspergers or ADHD continue to have problems with organization.  This can also include remembering tasks.   They often appear off task or easily distracted by both internal thoughts and external stimuli.  Tasks often are overwhelming as a whole and can cause a child to panic or melt down as they try to organize in their mind how to tackle them. 

Organization is a basic need for school, home and work environments.  Just as with anything else in life there are always consequences to our actions.  Helping them understand these consequences can often help motivate them to work harder.   If homework assignments are not properly put in their folder for school they may be lost and get a failed grade.  If their clothes are not put in the laundry they will not have clean clothes.  The child must identify there is a problem before they will be willing to deal with it.   Don’t assume they know or care about consequences until things have been fully explained and they truly understand.   

A highly structured environment is often needed.  Giving time limits for assignments/tasks, checklist for tasks, daily schedule, step by step directions for tasks, calendar of events/activities, color coding school folders, provide a homework assignment notebook are a few things that can help.  Sometimes having a folder for “to do” work as well as “completed” assists them in organizing.  Discuss with teachers options to help a child who struggles to stay organized with class notes or even assignments.  

It is important to simplify each task.  Teaching these children to break it down into smaller steps will help them stay on task to accomplish one part at a time.  Instead of being overwhelmed by all their math problems take it one math problem at a time.  Instead of cleaning their whole room assign one thing at a time such as picking up clothes first.   Make a chore chart or checklist and post it in their room of things to do before they go to bed.  Break assignments up by days (one day put away all toys, next day pick up all clothes). 

I have become my daughters “personal secretary”.  I have to stay in touch with her teachers on assignments by email, phone and checking their websites.   Because of Aspergers she is extremely unorganized and also forgets homework assignments.  I regularly help her clean and check her backpack which can often look like a trashcan with whads of paper instead of assigments properly placed in folders.  This has become a teamwork effort as she and I work together to organize for her.   I know she may always struggle with organization but we tackle things one thing at a time and try to stay structured.  By staying informed about her assignments and making checklists I can make sure everything is taken care of, but still allow her the opportunity to remember and try to be organized on her own.