Turning homework from stressful to successful for an autistic child
RelationshipAn autistic child presents unique challenges to schools, teachers, and homework; therefore, they face difficulties in achieving what they want.
A survey reveals that approximately 1 in 68 children suffers from an autism spectrum disorder (ASD). ASD is a developmental disorder that causes behavioral and social communication problems. Simply, it is a disability in which a person is not able to behave properly.
Autism is a common disorder among young children. These types of kids often have a hard time coping with homework requirements after school. Parents try to instill homework skills in their children so that they become self-reliant, responsible, and dedicated. Despite their best efforts, parents often end up dealing with their children’s apathy and disinterest.
Being the parent of an autistic child, you need to understand the characteristics of autism.
easily distracted
Difficulty completing tasks
Difficulty functioning in unfamiliar environments.
Delayed communication skills
According to an investigation of 934 parents, 77% of them had children on the spectrum who studied in ordinary schools.
Unfortunately, the teachers signed up to teach them are not confident in supporting students with autism. In addition, the parents did not know the fundamentals of the education of their autistic children.
From parents to teachers, everyone needs to understand the study requirements of autistic children, which can further reduce the level of frustration in dealing with their tantrums effectively.
You cannot force your child to show interest or be able to do homework on their own at a young age, especially when they have had autism.
Although you have to be patient, you can also follow the tips below to help your autistic child work the right way when it comes to studying at school or doing homework after school.
individualized assignments
Assigning homework is common practice in schools, but make sure there is a specific purpose for assigning it. Homework contains assignments that give students the opportunity to practice more and formulate queries for teachers to solve in schools.
Long assignments with complex instructions become boring for autistic children and as a result they refrain from doing their homework. The purpose is not to make students sit for hours to study, rather the idea is to review every concept they have studied in schools. Ask teachers to give your autistic child graded homework, depending on his or her skills and ability to study.
Additionally, parents can create two folders with two headings: To Do and Done. Teachers will check the “to do folder” after verifying the presence of homework assignments in it. Parents will put all assignments in the “done folder” when their children complete them.
This will make it easier for an autistic child to remain stress-free as they will no longer worry about the tasks they need to complete.
Positive reinforcement is key
Positive reinforcement can work wonders for autistic children. It is a practice of rewarding autistic children for a particular behavior that you expect them to display. When teachers reward classrooms, children are likely to respond well and carry out that particular behavior while motivating their peers to behave like them. This will not only facilitate the study process in schools but also at home when doing their homework. A reward for good behavior could be a class party or any fun activity.
As autistic children are picky eaters; therefore, a reward suitable for one may not go well with others. To maintain continuity of positive reinforcement, parents and teachers need to focus on children’s likes and dislikes to select an appropriate reward for them.
Some of the great ideas for positive reinforcement are:
Verbal praise “Great job!” or “I appreciate your writing skills!” it can fill them with enthusiasm.
decals
rewards
Adaptations for homework
You must have seen kids spend hours doing homework to finish it. Fear of punishment or the lure of reward probably keeps them awake at night. I’m talking about children in elementary school. That’s bad!
If your child suffers from developmental delays and learning disabilities, they should not work on homework longer than their neurotypical peers. Don’t force your child to complete a 15-minute task, as it can take him two hours to complete. This would be like punishing an autistic child for her disability.
The solution is to maintain a balance between hours of study and hours of play. Give your child plenty of time to play as this will keep them mentally and physically fit and reduce the level of distraction.
Last words:
To turn stressful homework time into success, parents of autistic children need to check in and interact with teachers regularly to track performance and iron out weak spots. If you really care about studying, you can even look for a level tuition to ensure the continuity of the study plan for each subject. Foster has a stress free environment where a child can best explain her needs. Keep your focus on reinforcing skills rather than teaching if you want to treat autistic children successfully.