Double the time needed to complete a task for children with ADHD. Every book I’ve read on the subject makes this assertion. And they’re right. If the average child can get their shoes and socks on in 5 minutes, mine takes 10 minutes.
And that’s with me, shouting from the other room, “hurry, get your shoes and socks on, we’re going to be laaaaaate!!!”
And the boy, shouting back “I AM getting my shoes and socks on, why are you always rushing me?? I’m going as fast as I can!!!!”
Fine. You’re going as fast as you can, says you. Like earlier, when it took you 23 minutes to eat a bowl of Cheerios….while staring slack-jawed at the Backyardigans, singing and dancing as pirates.
This has been pretty much the routine each morning as we rush out the door for school and work. This year, Connor has asked for the coveted pull up and drop off, rather than the park-the-car-and-get-walked-in-by-your-mom routine. I’m fine with that, and want him to feel like a big boy, so each morning at about 7:30 am, I pull into the drop-off lane and send him on his way. Class starts at 7:40 am, so it’s just the right amount of time to go to his resource room first. It gives us an extra 5 minutes of getting ready time in the morning, since I don’t have to worry about parking.
Then, a couple of days ago, a statement of account came home.
What could this be?? Why, it is a statement of the balance on his lunch money account, and it says there is a negative balance of -$6.00. Hmmmmm, I know I still had about $5 on it, and he has taken his lunch every day this school year. Last night I logged onto the lunch money account, and found an activity report. Here’s what it says:
Student Meal History
| Date | Student Name | School | Meal | Items Purchased | Price |
| 9/27/2011 | Connor | Neighborhood Primary | Breakfast | BFAST 3 | $1.75 |
| 9/28/2011 | Connor | Neighborhood Primary | Breakfast | BFAST 2 | $1.75 |
| 9/30/2011 | Connor | Neighborhood Primary | Breakfast | BFAST 2 | $1.75 |
| 10/3/2011 | Connor | Neighborhood Primary | Breakfast | BFAST 1 | $1.75 |
It appears that someone has been double-dipping on breakfast. But beyond that, it confirms that little man is more capable than he appears when it comes to time management. He is managing to go to the cafeteria, charge a breakfast to his account, and sit down and wolf it down in 10 minutes.
So busted.
BUSTED, BUSTED, BUS-TED!!!!!
We had a little chat this morning, he and I, while he ate his oatmeal (making sure he’s got something substantial in his gut!). In his defense, he didn’t really seem to think there was anything wrong in what he’d done and, to be honest, I’m pretty sure I never clearly said, “do not go to school and buy another breakfast since you are eating this at home.” It just never occurred to me that I needed to cover that base.
Frankly, it would save me a lot of hassle in the morning to just let him eat breakfast at school but, unfortunately, the school serves up a big load of crap in the cafeteria. Here is a sample of their breakfast menu:
Monday: Breakfast pizza and graham crackers
Tuesday: Turkey pancake wrap with syrup
Wednesday: Pancakes with syrup or oatmeal
Thursday: Egg biscuit with cheese or blueberry muffin
Friday: Chicken biscuit sandwich or oatmeal
As you can see, it is a veritable cruise ship smorgasbord there at the primary school. No fruit, yogurt, or cereal. I suppose they expect a 6-year-old to have the self-restraint to choose oatmeal over pancakes, but mine has not developed that level of discipline yet.
Nor have I. I would pick the pancakes too, hands down.
But it does show that when a child with challenges is HIGHLY motivated, he or she can do amazing things.
And if one more flyer comes home from the school about physical fitness, and promoting healthy habits for my kid, I am going to be HIGHLY motivated to start a picket line at the district office. Offer my kid a big load of crap to eat, then put the onus of health and fitness on the parents?? This little piggy in a blanket goes WEE-WEE-WEE all the way to the school board.
For now, I need to figure out how to get this newly acquired time management skill transferred to the home environment, without using food bribes. Oh, and thanks to the school, now I have to explain why they don’t serve healthy food, even though it’s important to eat it.
Living on the Spectrum: The Connor Chronicles 
OMG, you have to give it to him. Hands down, he had you beat! Maybe if you started serving pancakes he’s get those shoes on a bit faster….just kidding! I’ve got nothing other than bribing him with Lego’s….
Our school switched to a healthier menu and the kids tried it once, starved, and they’ve packed every day since. The food was bad last year and even worse this year.
Boy is this familiar… my Aspie gets lunch at school every day, so there is always money in the account (except, you know, when she surprises me with the amount of stuff she grabs). Well, every now and then, she totally mows down on sugar-fest breakfast without asking. This year, in 4th grade, she’s got open access to the delightful lunch cart items- cookies, sports drinks, pizza, extra meals (yes, they actually offer to let kids get not 1, but 2 MEALS). Needless to say, my lunch account seems to drain a LOT faster these days.
I talk with her every few weeks to remind her of the rules- regular lunch, not “special lunch” (not sure what they call it- deluxe, maybe? but it’s like $.50 or $.75 more than regular), and she can only get an extra snack on Friday’s.
With Breakfast, I tell her specifically in the morning whether or not she can go in for hot breakfast. Ours sounds a small bit healthier, though- there’s always fresh fruit with it, and a yogurt cup. Some mornings it’s just cereal, others it’s pancakes, or eggs, etc for the main portion.
She usually saves some of it for her mid-morning snack, though.
I have to give our school credit. They really do try to offer healthy food, but my son will eat lint before he’ll even go near the green beans, carrot sticks, or salad with low-fat dressing. So I end up spending $2.20 for four chicken nuggets.
And breakfast? He tried breakfast once. As soon as he realized the pop tarts were WHOLE GRAIN pop tarts, that was the end of that.
I like Connor’s little scheme that he had going on there, though. Deviously brilliant. Next he’ll be telling his teacher you forgot to pack him a snack every day so that he can eat all of her snacks. Oh wait. That’s my kid.
I had a student who was eating breakfast at home, eating in the cafeteria once he got to school, and THEN telling his teacher he was starving once he hit the classroom. Three breakfasts, every day! I secretly started calling him a hobbit, with their ‘second breakfasts’ and such.
But seriously, that’s a pretty smart kid you’ve got there. He can work a system!
“A pirate, a pirate, a pirate says…Arrrhhgghh!!” Why did you do that to me?
Connor is brilliant. Seriously, he’s only 6?! That’s some major smarts going on there, woman. You’d better watch out. Not only does it take talent to go buy the (very yummy, delicious sounding) second breakfast but he got you to do the drop off so he could sneaky go do it… Did not think through the money management part, though – only part of the scheme that got him busted!!
He may figure out a way around this. (remember- smart? above)
He is destined for greatness with a side of pancakes.
lol, why is it always the pancakes? (Can’t say I blame him though!) And yeah, that kid’s got some pretty smooth moves.. *Discreet high five to Conner*
My children do not eat anything made of food.