Organizational Skills Treatment for Children

Loose papers, late assignments and a messy room can be frustrating occurrences, but are common organizational slip-ups, that most people experience. However, if organizational challenges become a persistent and impairing problem at home, or school it may be worth looking for ways to improve these skills. After all, it is important to recognize that effective organizational skills can improve academic performance and the family environment at home (Abikoff, H. & Gallagher, R. 2008).

That being said, organization can be hard. Not to mention, challenges with organizational skills can be exacerbated by Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD),  Anxiety Disorders, Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), and Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD). Fortunately, there is an evidence-based program available to help you and your child improve organizational skills in ways that can be applied at home or school to help yield successful academic performance and productivity altogether. (Gallagher, R., et al. 2014).

At the Clinic: Organizational Skills Training is a well-researched, evidence-based, mannualized program designed to help improve the organizational skills of children diagnosed with ADHD. However, the program can also be applied to help address organizational difficulties that individuals with ASD, Anxiety Disorders and OCD experience (Gallagher et al., 2014). At the Sunfield Center, we incorporate Organizational Skills Training into our treatment programs to help individuals develop skills and learn strategies that can be applied at home, school and work. Sessions begin by educating individuals about the relationship between their specific diagnosis and organizational challenges. Sessions include helping individuals recognize and acknowledge instances of distraction and other probable cases where organizational slip-ups typically occur. Next, we focus on managing these instances, practicing strategies associated with regaining focus and task completion.

In the Organizational Skills Training program, these moments of distraction, forgetfulness or disorganization are referred to as, “glitches”. The program provides examples of glitches such as the “go ahead and forget it” glitch, and helps normalize the occurrence of glitches, while emphasizing the tendency for some children to experience them more frequently. Treatment emphasizes an individual’s ability to manage these glitches in order to minimize the frequency of their occurences. For children, The Organizational Skills Training program also uses fictional characters named the “Time Bandit” and “Mastermind” to help conceptualize instances of distraction. These references help reinforce one’s power of control and conscious decision-making, which can help improve a child’s attentiveness during specific tasks. Throughout the Organizational Skills Training program, these metaphors are consistently referenced, with the focus of helping individuals improve their abilities related to tracking assignment, managing materials, time management, and task planning, commonly referred to as (OTMP) skills.

At Home: Working on Organizational Skills Training with a clinician at the Sunfield Center is only one component of treatment. This intervention also incorporates home practice between sessions. One specific at-home behavioral training intervention emphasises prompting, monitoring, praising, rewarding and modeling. The prompt-monitor-praise-reward model incorporates psychological concepts into a usable practice method proven to be effective for parents looking to reinforce their child’s newly learned, organizational behaviors. It is important that parents are involved in the Organizational Skills Training program, as collaboration between the clinician and parent will help ensure that strategic organizational skills are taught with consistency at home and at the clinic. If this is your first time learning about the Organizational Skills Training program, do not fret. We ensure that take-home practice is clearly explained and understood by parents in sessions ahead of time. Your contribution is important, appreciated, and valued, which is why the Organizational Skills Training Manual includes sessions directed towards parents, and worksheets that can help demonstrate the concepts covered.

At School: The design of the Organizational Skills Training program was influenced by specific school demands that children with ADHD struggle with. The program implements strategies aimed at overcoming these challenges, helping to improve functionality at school and overall academic performance. Furthermore, it specifically targets skill sets that will help a child complete school assignments with high quality and in a timely manner. To help achieve these goals, communication between the clinician and school teacher is important. This way, the clinician will be able to provide the teacher with updates about what the child is learning and their progress. Communication with the clinician helps encourage consistent learning and practice at the clinic, home and school in order to maximize the individual’s application of these skills across multiple environments. Not to mention, many sessions are directly related to school, such as tracking assignments, planning for deadlines, organizing backpacks and documents, and using a planner. Thus, it is important for the clinician to be made aware of life at school in order to evaluate treatment progress, and make appropriate modifications to suit a child’s specific needs.

If you or your child has difficulties with organizational skills, which make homelife, school or work a challenge, we recommend that you consider a treatment intervention that utilizes the Organizational Skills Training program. Organization is important, and it can be hard. Fortunately, with appropriate treatment, it can be effectively improved.

For more information about organizational skills training and some quick tips to use at home, please review the following articles:

How to Help Your Kids Get Organized Without Nagging 

Mastermind versus the Glitches: Organizational Skills Training 

References:

Abikoff, H. A., & Gallagher, R. (2008). Assessment and remediation of organizational skills deficits in children with ADHD. In K. McBurnett, & L. Pfiffner (Eds.), Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder: Concepts, controversies, new directions. (pp. 137-152). New York, NY: Information Healthcare USA

Gallagher, R., et al. Organizational Skills Training for Children with ADHD : An Empirically Supported Treatment, Guilford Publications, 2014.