“I Did the Assignment… I Just Forgot to Turn It In!” How Parents Can Help Teens with ADHD Turn Work In On Time Using Executive Function Strategies
May 02, 2025
If you’ve ever stared in disbelief as your teen pulls up a completed assignment—time-stamped, formatted, maybe even color-coded—that somehow never made it to the teacher, you’re not alone. For some teens with ADHD, getting work done may not the biggest hurdle. It’s actually turning it in—a task that seems simple but relies heavily on underdeveloped executive functions.
Let’s break down what’s really going on and how you, as a parent, can use executive function coaching techniques to help.
Why Does This Happen?
Turning in work requires a multi-step chain of cognitive functions, many of which are challenging for the ADHD brain. These include:
• Working memory: Remembering to hand in or upload an assignment at the right time.
• Task initiation: Starting the process of turning it in (especially if it requires logging in, uploading, emailing, or printing).
• Organization: Knowing where the file is and that it’s the correct one.
• Time management: Realizing the deadline is approaching and acting accordingly.
• Inhibition: Not getting distracted between intending to submit and actually submitting.
ADHD isn’t a lack of intelligence or willpower—it’s a deficit of self-regulation and executive functioning, meaning these skills need to be explicitly coached, not just expected.
Executive Function Coaching Strategies for Parents
Here’s how you can coach your teen—without nagging or doing it for them—using EF-informed strategies that promote independence and accountability.
1. Make the “Invisible” Visible
Strategy: Externalize every step of the process.
Teens with ADHD benefit when tasks and expectations are visible and broken down.
How to do it:
• Use a visual checklist for every assignment (e.g., “Complete → Save → Upload → Confirm Submission”).
• Add visuals or emojis if your teen finds that helpful.
• Post the checklist on their wall or workspace—or tape it to their laptop.
Coach’s Tip: Involve your teen in making the checklist. Ask, “What steps do you usually take when submitting a Google Classroom assignment? Want to map that out together?”
2. Build “Submission Routines”
Strategy: Create a consistent ritual around turning in work.
Routine builds automaticity—which reduces the load on working memory and task initiation.
How to do it:
• Establish a daily submission check at a consistent time, like right after school or after dinner.
• Create a “Launch Pad” (a designated space or digital folder) for all completed assignments that are ready to submit.
• Use habit stacking: link the act of submitting work to an existing habit. Example: “Right after brushing your teeth at night, do a ‘quick upload check.’”
Coach’s Tip: Frame it like a pilot’s pre-flight checklist. “Want to do your nightly check-in before you shut down for the night?”
3. Use Technology Strategically
Strategy: Let reminders and automation carry the memory load.
How to do it:
• Use calendar notifications or reminder apps that ping at specific times.
• Set up auto-reminders in Google Classroom or Canvas (if allowed).
• Teach your teen to take a screenshot or photo of each assignment after they submit it (visual proof builds confidence and reduces anxiety).
• Use voice assistants (Siri, Alexa) to say, “Remind me at 8 a.m. to turn in my history paper.”
Coach’s Tip: Help your teen understand that tech isn’t a crutch—it’s external executive function.
4. Gamify Accountability
Strategy: Create low-pressure systems that make follow-through more engaging.
How to do it:
• Use a “submission streak” tracker: How many days in a row did you remember to turn something in?
• Let them earn privileges or screen time after a consistent week of submissions.
• Use apps like Habitica or Brili that turn daily tasks into game points.
Coach’s Tip: Don’t use rewards for punishment or bribery. Keep it playful: “Let’s see if you can beat last week’s streak!”
5. Coach the Process, Not the Outcome
Strategy: Focus on helping them reflect and build metacognition, not just correct errors.
How to do it:
• After a missed submission, ask collaborative questions:
• “What do you think got in the way?”
• “What would have helped?”
• “What could we try differently next time?”
• Avoid saying “You should have…” Instead, say, “Let’s figure out a system that works better.”
Coach’s Tip: Teens resist criticism but respond well to curiosity. Get in the habit of asking, not telling.
6. Use Environmental Cues
Strategy: Prime their environment to support memory and initiation.
How to do it:
• Place sticky notes on their desk, Chromebook, or mirror: “Did you upload it?”
• Use color coding for folders or tabs: green = completed and submitted, yellow = completed but needs submission.
• Keep submission links bookmarked and easily accessible.
Coach’s Tip: These visual cues act as “prosthetic memory.” They reduce reliance on brain power and increase success.
7. Teach “Time Mapping” and Backward Planning
Strategy: Help them develop awareness of how time flows.
How to do it:
• Teach your teen to look ahead at due dates and “map backwards” to set submission reminders.
• Example: If a paper is due Friday at 11:59 PM, plan:
Monday: Finish draft
Wednesday: Review and finalize
Thursday: Submit by 7 PM
Coach’s Tip: Use color-coded weekly planners and practice doing this together every Sunday evening.
8. Make the Emotional Load Explicit
Strategy: Acknowledge that submitting work can carry emotional baggage.
Teens with ADHD may fear feedback, feel shame, or get overwhelmed by perfectionism, which causes emotional avoidance—they’ll procrastinate or “forget” to submit just to avoid discomfort.
How to do it:
• Normalize these feelings: “It makes sense that hitting submit feels hard sometimes.”
• Help them name what they’re feeling—then co-regulate or problem-solve.
• Use humor, empathy, and reassurance instead of pressure.
Coach’s Tip: Build emotional literacy alongside task routines. “What’s the story your brain is telling you about this assignment?”
Final Thoughts for Parents
Helping a teen with ADHD turn in work on time requires more than reminders or punishments. It requires understanding that executive function is a skill set, not a character flaw—and skills can be coached. You are your teen’s best coach when you step into the role with curiosity, compassion, and tools that scaffold their success.
Parenting Alongside You,
Dr. Emma and the Aparently Parenting Team
Turning things in isn’t just about school—it’s about learning how to follow through, regulate emotions, and bridge intention to action. These are life skills—and every checklist, routine, and conversation you create with your teen lays the foundation for independence.
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