Routine Rules!!!  This has worked well for us especially when it comes to homework.  We have a significant amount of homework each night due to our son’s learning differences.  It has taken some time to get to this point but nightly homework now goes pretty smoothly.  We do the homework in the same place, in the same subject order at approximately the same time each night.  There is no longer the nightly battles to do the homework — it is amazing. So for those of you going through the nightly homework battle, take heart.  I believe that if you consistently pursue the homework battles and establish a routine of what, when and how — you too will achieve a point where homework is no longer a nightly battle.

I didn’t really believe that we would get to this point.  If I think back on all of the battles, the tears, and the exhaustion … thank goodness I have a stubborn streak a mile wide!!

We have also added another element to our homework routine.  Our school does offer an after-school study program.  It is a safe environment where our son can start to transition to independent homework under the close supervision of teachers.  We do this two times per week and both us and our son love it.  He gets most of his homework done at a reasonable hour and he is very proud of the fact that he is starting to transition to being an independent responsible student.  This is a concept strongly messaged and reinforced in our son’s school.  Each student is responsible for doing their work with their best effort possible.  This is expected at school and at home.  After nearly 2 years of this messaging, the responsibility concept is really starting to take root.

Now don’t get me wrong, we still have our setbacks, of course.  There are times when our son is frustrated and the fits and tears come back but they are fewer and fewer and they are much easier to handle at this point.

I know in the throes of homework battles that it is difficult to keep going.  Goodness knows that I have had my times of exhaustion when I absolutely could not fight another battle.  I had to take a break for a couple of weeks to rejuvenate and restore.  The last time this happened, I was able to hold on until the couple of weeks of break between the regular school year and school camp (where he does reading and writing throughout the summer).

If you are in the throes of battle, please keep fighting the good fight.  Establish a nightly routine of homework and try to incorporate the message that it is your child’s responsibility as a good student to do their homework and to do it to the best of their ability.  When you do hit speed bumps in this, work with your child’s teacher(s) to reinforce the responsibility message at school as well.

Good luck and until next time ….. (which will hopefully not be a couple of months like this past time ….) …. take care.

Our son can be very difficult about the most mundane activities.  Like brushing his teeth.  We brush his teeth together 2 times a day — most days.  And he fights me with brushing his teeth — most days.  This fighting back is more than the typical child is having-a-cranky-day-and-refuses-to-cooperate type scenarios.  How do I explain this so that my readers understand? If you are a mother of a neuro-atypical child then you probably don’t need an explanation.  If you are a mother of a neuro-typical child, well, its just that every little thing can become a battle.  It is just the way it is with his neurological makeup.  It is not misbehavior … it just is.  How did I do with that explanation?

So this daily teeth brushing battle can be really wearing.  In isolation it is not a big deal.  But taken in the broader context of daily life, it is a battle I wish I did not have to fight.

So the question is — do I put the responsibility of teeth brushing solely on him? If he brushes his teeth — great.  If he does not brush his teeth — great.  Then when his teeth and breath get so disgusting, will his friends say anything to him?  Will that shock him into action?

What do you think?  Do I place the responsibility of teeth brushing on a 9 year old that tends to be younger than that in terms of maturity?

I would love to hear your thoughts and opinions!

Thanks,

Karen

http://ldparents.blogspot.com/2009/05/shaky-hands.html

Around the time my son started to talk, his speech therapist noticed that his hands trembled whenever he tried to color with crayons, drink from a cup, put food in his mouth or grasp small objects. An MRI showed everything was fine and we were told that these hand tremors or what we called, “shaky hands,” were here to stay.

I quickly accepted that my son probably would never become a neurosurgeon but I didn’t realize the effect that poor fine motor skills and “shaky hands” would have in the classroom. Writing is tiring and mostly illegible. Over the past 10 years, the schools have tried to help and I’ve sought help from outside professionals but the problems persist and handwriting remains his biggest obstacle in the classroom.

Poor Handwriting (dysgraphia)

What’s worked – Using an AlphaSmart or small portable keyboard. I bought him one in third grade, he’s now in sixth and he’s finally accepting that it’s his friend. (www.alphasmart.com)

What hasn’t – A well-meaning occupational therapist with the school district tried placing a weight on his wrist to steady the shaking. It didn’t work at all and was painful! She also tried a contraption made of string that made him hold the pencil differently, also ineffective and very distracting.
 
TO READ THE REST OF THIS BLOG POST, PLEASE GO TO
http://ldparents.blogspot.com/2009/05/shaky-hands.html

http://schwablearningforumarchive.greatschools.net/thread/2416.html

GreatSchools is an independent, nonprofit organization that improves education by inspiring parents to get involved. It empowers parents with information and tools so they can choose the best school for their children, support their children’s education and improve schools in their communities. Parents choose GreatSchools to connect with each other – to find the right schools, to share stories and advice, and to get their parenting questions answered. In the past year alone, more than 35 million people visited GreatSchools (www.greatschools.org). With hundreds of thousands of ratings and parent reviews about schools across the country, GreatSchools is the paramount parent-to-parent education community. A Webby award-winning site, GreatSchools is supported by foundations and corporations, including the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, the Robertson Foundation, and the Walton Family Foundation. GreatSchools – Involved parents. Successful kids.

GreatSchools has a section of their website dedicated to learning issues:

http://www.greatschools.net/content/specialNeeds.page

GreatSchools.net – The Parent’s Guide to K-12 Success
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