HOMEWORK TIME! : The Dreaded Phrase For Many Parents
Tanya Mahaney, M.S. & Patrick Gorman, Psy.D., ABPP

As the late afternoon and evening hours approach, “Homework time!” is a common expression voiced by many parents. Encouraging your primary or middle school level child to engage in homework activities may not be a major problem. However, for those of you that consistently battle with the hopeless task of connecting your child to their work, don’t panic, there is hope in creating specific strategies and interventions which may guide you in facilitating successful homework performance.

Children who are affected by specific neurodevelopmental or neurological issues are particularly prone to difficulties with homework related tasks. Completing homework is not as simple as basic achievement skills learned in school, such as knowing what mathematical sign to use for a specific problem. More importantly, the foundational abilities a child must possess in order to be successful in completing a task include; self-direction, self-monitoring, and time-management skills, all of which can be appreciated through different brain functions and processes.

The first step to accommodating a child’s specific homework needs is identifying the predominate area of difficulty. It is necessary to remember that each child is different; therefore not one strategy will suit all children; and furthermore, one area of difficulty for one child may be expressed differently in another child. A better approach is an “individualized” plan or set of strategies. This approach will better target your particular child’s homework difficulties and help apply the most relevant and valuable strategies for them. Although you as parents are often the primary observers of your child’s homework difficulties, in certain cases, assessing a child’s individual homework needs may require the involvement of a professional. A professional can build a roadmap of your child’s cognitive strengths and weaknesses, and accordingly develop homework interventions tailored to their needs.

Specific neurodevelopmental issues may be the major driving force of difficulties in completing homework, particularly when related to Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI), Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), and/or Sensory Processing Disorder (SPD). Each of these conditions bears unique implications for basic skills related to completing homework. Consequently, strategies and interventions are best appreciated when a basic understanding of their deficits are gained.

Primary problems, especially pertinent in TBI’s and ADHD, are deficits in a child’s executive functioning system. The executive system, known as the driver of the brain, is particularly important for goal-directed behavior, and necessary for successful completion of homework. If your child has an executive driving problem, it is important to use strategies related to maintaining structure, for example, creating a schedule for homework related activities.

Several schools provide basic academic/homework planners, which are sufficient for many children. What you may not know is that for children with executive weakness, these planners are not adequate. Accordingly, these children need greater schedule structure including a formula for identifying a task order, estimating the anticipated length of a task, and lastly recording the time an activity actually takes. In order for the schedule to be effective for kids with executive weakness, these strategies and issues must be considered.

In creating a schedule, another issue to remember is to be realistic, keeping in mind your child’s attentional limitations. Incorporation of multiple breaks between tasks is important for these children. By using a simple reward system for maintaining focus on a task, a child will respond more efficiently to the demands of homework activities. First and foremost, breaks must be rewarding for your child even if they are short in length, and best when physically exerting. Following a short break, your child will be more effective when returning for another short session of work. Again, it is unrealistic and inefficient for kids to work beyond their attentional limitations, therefore be sure to incorporate these strategies. One key issue in developing a planner is there needs to be a mechanism for your child to monitor their performance. By reviewing their daily scheduled activities and recording how long tasks have taken, they are able to improve their schedule for the!
next day, ultimately building their self-monitoring skills.

Another unique population that would benefit from homework interventions is children with SPD’s. Children impacted by SPD’s have very specific homework accommodating needs. The very nature of a SPD is described as difficulty integrating sensory information produced by the environment. As cited in Sandra Wainman’s spring 2008 Bright Feats article, “Your Child’s Development: You Know Something’s Just Not Right”, a young child with a SPD may become frustrated or behaviorally act out, due to a bright light shining in their eyes. Often times, a child may be too young to verbalize this discomfort so therefore they enter a state of “sensory overload”. A child’s reaction may involve a state of overwhelm and expressed emotionality, often described by parents and teachers as a temper tantrum. Successful completion of any homework related task is critically dependent upon managing and decreasing opportunities of sensory overload. Prior to beginning an assignment, the environment!
must be ideal and tailored to decreasing your child’s specific sensitivities. A child with difficulty integrating sound may benefit from decreased external noise, for example, eliminating the low-toned buzz of the ceiling fan, or the sound of the lawnmower outside. Although this may seem simple, identifying the early signs of a sensory overload and being able to disengage them are a key component in producing successful homework outcomes. In many cases this may require further direction by a professional, specifically in investigating extra modifications suitable for your child.

With SPD’s and their likelihood of sensory overload, please be aware of your reactions to your child. At times, it can be difficult understanding their acute needs, identifying the early signs, and extinguishing the overload. Consequently, parents and teachers may find themselves responding to a child unconstructively, which may develop into a negative feedback cycle, due to the re-overwhelming of the child. Because of the unpredictability of SPD’s, parents and teachers may become easily frustrated by a child’s tantrums. As a parent, it is hard to remain unemotional to a child’s reaction. Often times, it is extremely difficult to remain objective, dispassionate, and inexpressive wanting to crumble when your child does. If this sounds characteristic of you and your child, it is recommended to gain a tutor. A tutor can be very beneficial in working with your child, particularly due to their emotional detachment. For parents of children with SPD’s, it is important to re!
member what is best for your child’s academic needs.

Obviously, for children affected by TBI’s, ADHD, and SPD’s, there are significantly different issues to toggle with when encouraging successful homework performance. Whereas for TBI’s and ADHD, greater attention is given to the driver of the brain in encouraging structure and routine in completing assignments; in SPD’s it is more important to provide accommodations conducive to working on homework, with adaptations in both environmental and behavioral realms. Although the previously mentioned strategies and interventions were globally stated in targeting specific neurological conditions, an individualized plan for your child is most beneficial in encouraging successful homework performance. Again, in many cases this is often most suitably completed by a professional who will aim to provide your child with the foundational stepping stones to begin building effective strategies for homework success. In conclusion, by developing a homework plan that takes into account your !
child’s neurodevelopmental strengths and weaknesses, homework time can be a positive experience and an opportunity to promote growth and success.