ADHD is a neurodevelopmental condition that affects the brain. It can make it very difficult for a person with ADHD to manage and measure time efficiently. If you have a child with ADHD, you may have noticed that they may have time blindness. For example, you may be working on a fun coloring activity. You tell them that they have to clean up in 5 minutes and you give them warnings as it draws closer to the clean up time. But 15 minutes later, they’re still working on it and they tell you that five minutes isn’t up yet even though everyone else has put their work away.
Time blindness causes people with ADHD to be “blind” toward how long it takes to complete a task, how much time has passed and how to estimate how long it will take to complete any given task. To people who aren’t familiar with time blindness, it may seem like the child is being defiant, when in reality, they aren’t trying to defy you. The child genuinely isn’t able to manage the allotted time.
Additionally, if the child is told about an event that will take place far in the future, they will have a difficult time trying to remember the timeline. Either one of two things will happen: 1. your child will keep asking you if the event is going to take place today; 2. the child will forget about it. Your child will perceive the event as “happening now” or “not happening now.” Whatever is in the “happening now” compartment of the child’s brain will take priority.
Even though your child with ADHD may have time blindness, it doesn’t mean that they can’t live a fulfilling and successful life. Yes, there will be many times when they’ll be distracted, but as educators and parents, we can help them stay as focused as possible.
The following are three ways that you can help your child. Please remember to alter these strategies to meet the needs of your individual child.
Actionable Steps:
#1. Break it Down Game
This section is going to be in a step-by-step format so that you know exactly how to implement it.
- Write down all of the tasks that your child has to complete.
- Break each of those tasks down into the smallest possible action step. For example, don’t write put on shoes and jacket. Instead, write put on socks, shoes, and jacket. This may seem tedious but it will help your child with ADHD with time blindness to understand and visualize each task that needs to be completed.
- Have your child do each of the tasks and time them doing it. Here’s the fun part. Instead of using a regular timer, have them do it to their favorite song(s). Based on how many minutes each song is when they finish the task, write down the number of minutes. Repeat this same procedure for the next item and keep it going. Keep in mind that you don’t need to do it all in one day because it will get to be a bit much for you and your child. Do this over the course of a few days. If you’re a teacher or a parent with multiple children, do this with all of them as a way on including everyone in on the fun. It will also help with your ability to manage the behavior of all of your kids.
This step needs to be completed before moving on to the next one.
#2. Let it Ring
Based on the activity in step #1, create a schedule. Include how long it may take your child to complete each task. Remember that every child with ADHD with time blindness is unique, so the time should be personalized to the individual child and should not be a general time that it would take the average person to do it. Once this schedule has been created and agreed upon by everyone, post it up in multiple places for your child to see.
The next step is to take your child’s phone and input this data into their alarm. Create three or more alarms for each task. For example, if you want the child to clean up an area, the first alarm should be about 5 minutes before the activity starts, the second one should indicate the actual time that the activity should start and the final one lets them know when the time is up for that task. To jazz it up, add your child’s favorite ringtones so that it doesn’t seem like such a chore.
For little ones who don’t have a phone, you can use a visual timer or use an old phone with a functioning alarm or calendar. The visual timer is a better option because it allows the child to see how much time they have to complete a task before their time runs out.
This may seem like a lot of work, but once you’ve put it all into an alarm system, it will be automatic.
#3. Create a Buffer
Assume things will go wrong or something will come up and give yourself and your child extra time. If a task is supposed to take 15 minutes, have an extra 15 minute buffer. For example, if you’re getting ready to go to school in the morning or on a field trip, and it takes 30 minutes to get everyone organized and out the door, give yourself 45 minutes instead. It will not only help your ADHD child with time blindness, but it will also give you time to breathe not rush.
Recap:
Let’s recap really quickly. Today, we looked at the following:
- What is time blindness and how does it affect a child with ADHD.
- How to help my child with ADHD with time blindness: break it down game, let it ring, and create a buffer.
Free Resources:
If your children are struggling to hand in assignments on time, check out the following video training: 3 Steps to Teach Children How to Overcome Procrastination to Increase Productivity.
Next Steps:
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If you found this video beneficial, would you do me a favor? Share this with your family, your friends, your loved ones, your co-workers or someone who you think could benefit from this. Thank you!
I’ll see you next Friday at 5:30pm PST.
Until I see you next time, remember to create, experience & teach from the heart.
Take care,
Charlotte
Disclaimer: I’m a teacher and a parent. I’m not a medical professional, so please don’t take this as medical advice. The advice that I provide in my videos and online are strategies that I have used in my own class or at home that have worked beautifully. Since ADHD is a spectrum, make sure to adapt these strategies for your individual child. Thank you!
