Forgetting Homework and Bottle Games for 03/25/2017

Dear Family Coach: I just found out that my 10-year-old daughter has been forgetting to complete or submit school assignments. She does well on assignments when she does them. But she often gets sidetracked in her imagination or just forgets to turn in completed work. How can I help her get organized and stay focused before missing assignments derail her? — Lost Parents

Dear Parents: Your daughter's issue has nothing to do with ability. It has everything to do with executive function and attention to detail. Executive skills relate to being able to plan, organize and remember to follow through with tasks. She may also have difficulty breaking complex tasks into steps, causing her to stop doing an activity when she gets overwhelmed. She may even come up with alternative assignments to avoid doing what was assigned.

Updated: Sat Mar 25, 2017