Help! My Child Never Turns in Homework....
/I can’t begin to count the number of reports and meetings I’ve sat in where “turning in homework” was a hot topic of conversation.
“He’s so lazy, he just doesn’t put in the effort”
“The student demonstrated low work production….”
“He’s missing 10 assignments since school has started!”
It’s a stressful topic of conversation because teachers, specialists, and especially parents, feel helpless. It’s a battle that can start in 2nd grade, and last until a child is well into their academic years. Unfortunately, homework completion can cause many heated arguments and increase the tension in households, which ends up carrying over and impacting work performance and self-esteem even more.
According to CHADD, the nations leading nonprofit organization for children and adults with ADHD,
“Problems with homework completion are the most common and frustrating challenges faced by parents and teachers of children with ADHD".”
So, this is a very common challenge….meaning you’re not alone!
There are in fact many variables that go into successfully completing homework. Many of the variables that require specific neural networks of the brain to work in unison, areas of the brain which are vastly different from individuals with ADHD and/or Autism.
Homework completion can actually be broken down into three parts, all of which require success in a unique set of skills:
Initiation
Make sure your child knows what is assigned and when it is due.
A teacher saying the directions in class is often not enough because it goes “in one year and out the other” due to language learning differences.
Have a designated learning area that is distraction free for your child/student, give him/her a timer and point out, or highlight the homework that needs to be worked on
Completion
Make sure your child knows how to complete his/her homework. It is possible that due to language learning challenges (e.g., comprehension, vocabulary, expressive language challenges, etc.) that a student/child doesn’t even know where to begin with his/her homework.
He/she may not understand the directions, know how to express his/her thoughts, how to organizer his/her thoughts, etc.
There is a lot that goes into homework completion. A child usually doesn’t want to be the one who “never” turns in his homework…there is most likely a reason behind this action that is beyond “just being lazy” (i.e., laziness is not the reason homework isn’t being done!)
Turning in Work
Make sure your child knows the steps required to turn in his/her homework. So many of my student’s forget this step and end up receiving zero points for things they actually did complete!
Read with your student HOW the teacher wants it turned in: is it through email? On Google Classroom? on Canvas? A hard copy? There are many variations that teachers request
All three of these steps require executive functioning skills, which is almost always impacted for someone with Autism or ADHD. It is the area of the brain that sits directly behind the forehead (the prefrontal cortex) and is responsible for keeping ourselves organized and emotionally regulated.
Quick Tips:
Break down homework into smaller chunks
Re-read instructions TWICE
Color code KEY words
Praise, Praise, Praise!
Self esteem is often impacted for children and adults with ADHD and/or Autism, which has a direct impact on homework and work completion. If confidence is low, a student won’t feel that he/she is capable of completing homework.
Start small
If your child isn’t turning in homework, the first step to work on is simply turning it in! It doesn’t matter how accurate the work is…just get the act of turning in homework into a habit
The Deal with Motivation
For individuals with ADHD and/or Autism, motivation needs to be in the “here and now.” Due to the unique make up of the brain of someone with ADHD and/or Autism, motivation is most influenced when reinforcements are quickly followed by the action completed.
Homework, unfortunately does not give any of that. A student must fill out an assignment, turn it in, wait (sometimes for up to a week), and then get reinforced by their teacher for it.
This does not work for our students/children with ADHD and/or Autism. This response time is WAY. TOO. LATE. The brain has moved on already and can no longer correlate verbal praise or a good grade to something that was done a week (or even a day) ago.
So, setting up a contingency plan helps a student realize that when he/she completes homework, a positive reinforcement follows. This can be in the form of:
Earning points for a prize at the end of the week
Specific verbal praise (good job turning in your homework!)
Being able to play a certain amount of time of video games (or other interests) that night, etc!
