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By Glenn Hefley

The father of a boy with ADHD writes about how he prepares for the changes that come with summer break...

Summer vacation is that time of year that hits the child with ADHD the hardest is my experience. It is amazing to me they aren't desperate to get back to school and away from us. Seriously. Not only is it the time of year when their schedules are completely messed with, they face parents like myself, who try to plan a bunch of "new things to do".

One infamous year we were going to alter my son's medications by taking him off them completely. When did we do this? Summer vacation of course. Why? Because I'm a well-meaning dad that's why, and there is nothing more dangerous than a well-meaning dad.

Yes, logistically (a term used during a campaign of war) you make big changes like that when it won't affect the child's schoolwork. But realistically, making a major change during a period when everything else has changed is never a good idea, whether you are dealing with children or debugging computer code. It is little wonder we quickly realized it was the worst idea in the world and had him back on the medication in less than a month. Looking back at it, I laugh and wince at the same time.

Now that some years have passed and I'm a bit less "well meaning" and a bit more educated, I have discovered activities and plans that can make a difference during summer vacations.

First off, it is always good to start letting our children know what is going to happen during the summer vacations a few months in advance. Many articles I have read in the past suggest that you should have the child help in the planning. I personally put these articles in the "well meaning" category, and have found it is better just to bring it up, as in, "summer camp this year is at the Blue Jay Lodge Mountains ."

The response is always "No way! Why can't I go back to the Red Robin?" or "I don't want to go to summer camp!" or simply "Ugh!"

I have discovered there is another level of conversation going on here. What is really being said is, "Huge change is just around the corner", and the response is, "I don't like huge change." Getting them involved with the planning might work out for you, but it has never helped in my house or anyone I've ever talked to. It just creates arguments

I have also discovered that if I keep bringing it up, about once a week, eventually it is received with interest, and then even looked forward too because he has been able to get past the "Ugh, I hate big change" to "Summer Camp".

Letting our children know there is a plan and a schedule is probably more effective than what the real plan or the schedule is anyway. Just having it there on the calendar helps them keep focused.

The Day Schedule is the most important. During the Summer I see it as the default schedule. If he is not spending the night at friends or at camp or going to an amusement park, then this is the schedule.

Study hour stays in our house. I believe that is a basic. It helps enormously for him to keep a scheduled task from the school year, and just about everyone I've talked to, including several doctors, agrees with me on that one. Keeping as many scheduled tasks as you can from the school year is great for them. It helps with their sleep and their attitudes.

Frances E. Kuo and Dr. Andrea Faber Taylor suggest an hour of "Green Time" a day as well. Their findings on this are quite impressive. An hour at the park according to the study they did at Illinois University and their published paper in American Journal of Public Health, can have profound effects on our children's mental health and general state of mind.

I have found it best to have at least 3 things in the day that are scheduled. My best schedule had five (best meaning the switch from school to vacation to school again seemed to go very well), but I understand the "two working parents, with childcare life style" as well. Having three scheduled tasks/time areas they can spend around you in their home is enough to keep them centered and sleeping well at night.

I know I was just using the Summer Camp issue as an example for Summer Vacation Things To Do, but I would like to point out that Summer Camp is really a fantastic idea for ADHD kids. If you can locate one near you that has some experience with ADHD children, great. Even if you can't however, the Green Time is still fantastic for them.

You want a camp that is structured, with only an hour or so of "free ranging" time in the Schedule. Also it is great for them to be in the mountains or some place green, the wilder the better. I'm not suggesting that they live in caves with wolves (though my son would love such a camp), but the more trees, bushes, and tall grass, the better.

It is not just the Green Time that helps these kids, it is the structured interaction with other children their age in an environment where they are probably not standing out in the crowd that is positive for them. It is a place where they are "normal" for a change and can make some friends that they can relate to.

Getting email addresses and Instant messenger addresses for those new friends at the end of camp is a good idea. Getting some email addresses of the parents of those kids is also a great idea. There is nothing better than being able to discuss ideas and plans with other parents who understand what it is we are going through, the more the better. Our children sometimes feel like they are alone, and we forget sometimes that we are not.