ADHD glossary · Family perspectives
Checklist: decide what each checkmark means
A checklist is a written set of items that someone can mark as checked. In our household examples, each item names something observable: a packed object, an agreed action, or a detail to confirm. A checkmark means only what the people using the list have agreed it means.
General education and practical perspectives. Editorial standards.
This page answers “How do we make a list someone can actually check?” It does not supply a diagnostic checklist or a score for a person. A routine describes a sequence; a calendar places events in time. A checklist can accompany either without needing to include everything in them.
Worked example: returning a borrowed board game
In this invented example, a teen is returning a borrowed game. A parent has agreed to drop it off. A sibling used the game too and offers to gather the pieces from the table. “Game ready” is too broad for them: does it mean the box is closed, or that its contents have been compared with the contents list?
They write:
Return the borrowed game — today's list
[ ] Sibling puts the pieces from the table in the box.
[ ] Teen compares the contents with the list inside the lid.
[ ] Teen records anything not found; an empty box does not mean "all present."
[ ] Teen closes the box and puts it on the agreed shelf.
[ ] Parent confirms the drop-off arrangement with the lender.
Ready for handoff means: the check is complete and any missing item is noted.
The third item allows an honest exception. If a card is missing, the teen can write “one card not found” rather than marking the entire task done or searching without an endpoint. The parent handles the conversation with the lender only because that role was agreed, not because a parent is automatically the keeper of every list.
Build your own list
Write a title that identifies the particular job. Then try reading each line without the person who wrote it standing nearby.
Job and date/version:
Person using this list:
[ ] Item to check:
What counts as checked:
[ ] Item to check:
What counts as checked:
[ ] Item to check:
What counts as checked:
Not applicable / unavailable / not yet checked:
Question that needs another person's answer:
Where the completed list goes, if it needs keeping:
Who updates or retires this version:
Split an item when its parts can have different statuses. “Pack and deliver” may deserve two lines. Keep a combined item when the people using it can tell what it includes. We do not prescribe a maximum number of boxes; remove lines that nobody needs to check.
Related guides
Questions you may have
Can a child draw the list?
The people using it can choose drawings, words, or both. Ask the child what a drawing means instead of assuming. If another adult must use the same list, add their agreed wording beside the picture.
Does someone else need to verify every check?
Not under this household template. Agree whether the list is personal, shared for a handoff, or a joint check. A partner's personal list is not automatically an invitation to inspect it.
What if the list keeps getting longer?
Revisit its job. Separate a future-ideas list from today's return checklist. Stop adding new requirements after a person has completed the agreed task; discuss a new version instead.
When is the checklist the wrong tool?
Pause when a line asks someone to rate another person's attitude, guess an emotion, or confirm information they cannot access. Replace that line with an actual question or leave it unresolved. Do not convert this format into symptom screening, school eligibility, or a compliance record.
Updates and corrections
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