Coming alongside your child with executive function (EF) deficits is the best way to support him in school.

Lack of organization and follow through are at the heart of his struggles and these are things you can help with. As you know, educating a child is hard work.

How you work just looks different for a child with EF deficits. 

The first and probably most important support you can offer is organization. This starts with a routine. If you do nothing else everyday, stick to your routine. These are basic things like personal hygiene, making the bed, eating a healthy breakfast,feeding the dog, or tidying up his bedroom before doing anything else. These are non-negotiable, need to be short (3 or 4 items max) and are required.

As you develop this routine, you will find that the process is actually calming and reduces stress. Knowing what you have to do first thing each day helps him start the day with defined expectations and actually reduces his anxiety. 

Along the lines of organization, a written plan for the day is important too. Depending on your child, a timeline can also be helpful, this really depends on his personality. Knowing what subjects and assignments are expected reduces his stress and sets expectations.

Be realistic with the schedule. Be sure to factor in exercise breaks, snacks, and down time. Have a reward in place if necessary. The reward can be tied to screen time, free play outside, a special food treat or whatever motivates your child.

It is ok to not do math daily if it leads to frequent meltdowns or focus on only one subject a day if that is a more workable plan. It is also ok to set time limits on subjects if you find that reduces anxiety in a certain subject (math comes to mind).

There is no right way to set the schedule, do what works for you.

This is possibly the most important part of organization for your homeschooler and often gets overlooked (consciously or unconsciously).

Set boundaries for screen time and gaming. Cell phones, tablets, computers, and gaming are hard to ignore and almost always lead your child astray. They also reduce his attention span and sap his motivation.

A sure way to get work completed in a timely manner- for most students- is to not allow screens until schoolwork is completed. And once work is completed and screens are allowed, limit the time! You can be creative here, policies like 1 hour outside = 1 hour of screen time can instill a healthy balance.

Set a hard, non-negotiable time at the end of the day of no screens. This will ensure good sleep patterns and reduce anxiety. If your child is younger, this will be much easier so set the expectations early. 

You may read this and think that this all feels very overwhelming. I encourage you to look at it from a different perspective.

Think of how a few small steps can change the daily routine for your child.

Imagine the overwhelm and anxiety that you are removing from his day if you do set up a few processes in place to ensure his success?