Helping him with organization

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Hi,
First of all, thanks for the tips on getting my kid to read. I tried a bunch of your ideas, but the one that stuck was linking reading time to computer time. For each minute he reads, he gets one minute on the computer. He can read anything he wants, but he can't read the same thing over and over.

Any ideas on how to help him get organized? I'm willing to set up a system for him, but would like for him to be able to maintain it. He's 9 and going into 4th grade. I'm not so good at it myself. He does well will visual cues and I've put labels on many of his drawers, but stuff just ends up all over the floor and when he does clean up, rarely, he just stuffs everything in a bin or on his desk.

Thanks,

I posted this in a separate thread a few days ago. I think it is a good overview of how to tackle organization. It is geared towards homework however, I think the principles can be more generally applied.
http://www.autismsupportnetwork.com/new ... ork-beyond

One thing we did for my son that helped: we labeled absolutely every drawer and shelf in his room, and we have a schedule with a weekly cleanup. I leave him alone for the rest of it.

With homework, our rule is that "Homework isn't done until it is put away" DS doesn't get his privileges until homework is done, so it happens.

Keep in mind, no matter what system you use, you will probably have to prompt him through it: it wasn't until just this year (at nearly 13) that DS was able to do things on his own without supervision. You have to work with him to show how to sort the mess into piles, and the piles into the correct bin.

For instance, I told DS that there are different ways to clean: I like to start in one corner, clean it completely, and move around the room until it's done, but the way he finally preferred was to mentally categorize the mess and clean up one genre of thing at a time (e.g., all the clothes, then all the papers, then all the books, then all the toys.) You have to work with him to figure out what system will work for HIM.

There's a great book, Smart But Scattered that has very detailed plans for how to teach your child to all kinds of tasks like homework and cleaning his room. You have to be very hands on at first and slowly fade out your involvement as he masters things.

Start small. Is there a specific area you want him to organize (school work, bedroom, scheduling, etc)?

I have a four foot monthly calendar I am setting up. I color code based on if it's a project due, appt, etc. I've had all thins on a smaller calendar, but being a visual learner, the huge one excites me.