Podcast Summary: Helping Tweens and Teens with ADHD Tackle Homework Independently

ADHD Experts Podcast – Episode 578
Host: Annie Rogers (ADDitude)
Guest: Ann Dolan, M.Ed., Founder of Educational Connections
Date: October 7, 2025

Episode Overview

This episode presents practical, ADHD-friendly strategies for helping tweens and teens become more independent with their homework. Ann Dolan, an expert in executive functioning and educational support for neurodivergent learners, draws on 30 years of experience to guide parents and educators in supporting resistant, overwhelmed, or disorganized students—turning homework struggles into opportunities for skill building and greater self-confidence.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Understanding the Homework Struggle for ADHD Students

• Many students with ADHD struggle with homework not due to lack of motivation or character, but because of underdeveloped executive function skills.
• Executive function skills include organization, planning, prioritizing, starting tasks, focusing, and following through (02:50).
  • “The real truth is these kids do not lack character at all. Instead, they struggle with underdeveloped executive function skills.” – Ann Dolan [03:31]
• Parents often feel exhausted, concerned, and frustrated as repeated struggles create home tension.

2. Executive Functions and Their Importance

• These skills are rooted in the frontal lobe—affecting not just homework but lifelong learning, independence, and future career options.
• The good news: Executive function skills can be developed gradually with support and practice, not through quick fixes or standardized workbooks.

3. Building Homework Independence: Practical Strategies

a. Making the Homework Portal Work (07:40)

• Get on top of the school’s homework portal (Schoology, Canvas, Google Classroom, etc.).
• Establish a daily routine for checking all classes, assignments, and due dates side-by-side with the student, fostering independence over time.
• Develop a back-up system for assignments not posted digitally (e.g., taking photos of whiteboard tasks, using a portable notebook on a keychain).

b. From Chaos to Planning: The Two Essential Questions

• Shift students away from starting with random assignments.
• Teach students to answer:
  1. What do I have to do?
  2. When will I do it?
• “We basically want kids to be able to answer two questions for themselves. What do I have and when will I do it?” – Ann Dolan [11:10]
• Use calendars and time slots, factoring in sports and other commitments.

c. Incorporate Studying as ‘Homework’ (13:25)

• Many students overlook studying for quizzes/tests as actual homework.
• Explicitly schedule and plan study blocks, not just assignments with hard deadlines.

d. Addressing Resistance: The Stages of Change (14:10)

• Resistance is usually a mask for overwhelm, anxiety, or low self-confidence.
• Dolan shares the Stages of Change (Transtheoretical Model):
  • Pre-contemplation: Student doesn’t see a problem.
  • Contemplation: Admits the issue but is uncertain about changing.
  • Preparation: Open to trying new strategies.
  • Action: Actively making a change.
  • Maintenance: Sustaining the new behavior.
• “You cannot get your child to do anything… until they feel like you hear them, like you have a relationship.” – Ann Dolan [18:54]
• Build rapport before jumping to solutions.

4. Effective Tools & Visual Strategies

a. ‘Rocks, Pebbles, Sand’ Visualization (21:09, 24:56)

• Rocks: Large, urgent assignments.
• Pebbles: Medium/should-do assignments.
• Sand: Fun distractions (TikTok, video games, etc.)
• Kids naturally gravitate toward ‘sand’ and small ‘pebbles’ for easy wins, leaving rocks for last—often unfinished.
  • Key: Start with rocks, then pebbles, then allow sand. Striving for balance, not deprivation.
• “What if you flip the process…you start with the rock, then you do your pebbles, and then you have time for your sand. And look, everything fits.” – Ann Dolan [24:56]

b. Environment & Focus Optimization (27:00)

• The student’s environment hugely impacts productivity.
• Tools: ADHD-friendly playlists, whiteboards for to-dos, minimizing phone distractions.
• Use a “Focus Finder” activity to help students identify their individualized best workspace conditions and anticipate distractions.

c. Making Skills Stick & Adaptable (35:00)

• Routine, practice, and adaptation keep checklists and strategies fresh.
• If a tool loses effectiveness, “sparklize” (revamp it visually, change its location or color, or adapt it to a specific class).

d. Metacognition and Study Strategies (38:00)

• Encourage students to reflect on what works for them (metacognition is the “superpower behind motivation”).
• Efficient study: Replace rereading with active recall (self-quizzing, using blank study guides).
• The Stoplight Highlighter Method: Green—know well; Yellow—shaky; Pink—don’t know. Focus study on yellow and pink.

e. Timer Techniques (41:00)

• Introduce brief, bounded work periods (Pomodoro Method: 25-minute work sprints), especially for reluctant starters.
• Allow small, immediate rewards after each work interval.

f. Scripts and Communication With Teens (42:00)

• Replace nagging with open, curiosity-driven questions:
  • Instead of “Why haven’t you started your homework?”, try “What would make it easier to get started today?”
  • Replace dire forecasts (“If you don’t get your grades up…”) with expressions of trust and support.

5. Q&A Highlights with Practical Solutions

a. Letting Kids Fail? (44:51)

• “We don’t want to let kids fail because it doesn’t ultimately benefit them.”
• Instead, require attendance to support (coaches, specialists) but let them choose specific days/times.

b. Breaking Down Big Tasks Independently (47:09)

• Use power-up handouts as discussion starters (not as directives).
• Share personal experiences with “tricking the brain”—time (set a timer for a short work burst) or task (break off a tiny piece as a starting point).
  • “Your brain needs work and a reward, work and a reward…” – Ann Dolan [48:45]

c. Combating Time Management & Distractions (49:19)

• Use environmental cues: specific chair, sound, or time as the ‘start’ signal.
• Each homework routine should include a cue, a routine, and a reward.

d. Best Calendaring Systems? (51:36)

• Weekly is ideal—too short (daily) or too long (monthly) aren’t as effective.
• Options: Family fridge calendar, digital planner (Google Calendar), or a Sunday night session for forward planning.
• Encourage students to look at the calendar nightly for the next day’s plan.

e. Managing Transitions (54:58)

• Acknowledge overwhelm and soliciting student input works best.
• Teach the “5-4-3-2-1, Go” self-countdown as a cue to start.
• Cues like “after dinner, I do X” help anchor routines.

f. Body Doubling for Sustained Effort (57:44)

• Explains the value of an “accountability buddy” for focus (kids or adults).
• Tools like Focusmate pair peers virtually.
  • “That's basically what body doubling is. It's an amazing—it's an old idea, but it's really vogue now.” – Ann Dolan [58:13]

Noteworthy Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “Stigmas around laziness and lack of motivation are myths—our kids do care and want to succeed.” – Ann Dolan [03:31]
• “You cannot get your child to do anything… until they feel like you hear them, like you have a relationship.” – Ann Dolan [18:54]
• “Kids need to learn a skill and practice it, practice it in class, practice it with their coach… until it just kind of becomes part of their routine.” – Ann Dolan [35:13]
• “Your brain needs work and a reward, work and a reward. And, you know, interspersing rewards like that…can make a difference for kids.” – Ann Dolan [48:45]
• “In order to get through something hard, these are the three things that the brain needs: a cue, a routine, and a reward.” – Ann Dolan [50:20]
• “Weekly is about right…if you have a weekly calendar, that helps give kids a framework when they know what to expect.” – Ann Dolan [52:25]

Timestamps for Important Segments

• 02:26 – Ann Dolan introduction and framing the homework struggle
• 07:40 – Making the homework portal a source of structure
• 11:10 – The “What do I have/When will I do it?” paradigm
• 14:10 – Stages of Change for resistant learners
• 21:09 – The “Rocks, Pebbles, Sand” time-management visual
• 27:00 – The role of environment in studying and focus
• 35:00 – Adapting tools and strategies (whiteboards, checklists)
• 38:00 – Metacognition, better study strategies, self-quizzing
• 41:00 – Using timers and small rewards
• 44:51 – Q&A: Should parents let kids fail?
• 47:09 – Q&A: How to help kids independently break down big tasks
• 49:19 – Q&A: Strategies for beating time-wasting/distractions
• 51:36 – Q&A: Best ways to calendar and plan the week
• 54:58 – Q&A: Overcoming after-school overwhelm and transitions
• 57:44 – Q&A: Sustaining effort and the body double technique

Resources & Further Reading

• Download Ann Dolan’s “Stages of Change” eBook, Focus Finder, Homework Power-Ups, and Conversation Starters at: ectutoring.com/attitude2025
• Full episode slides & resources: additudemag.com/adhd-expert-webinars-index (search for episode 578)

Tone Recap

Throughout the episode, Ann Dolan maintains a supportive, relatable, and practical tone, frequently validating parent concerns while focusing on actionable, collaborative solutions for students and families.