Set homework routine at home for children with LD and ADHD
Organisation skills vis a vis studying requires the simultaneous engagement of comprehension, processing and categorisation, along with problem-solving. While generally children, as they age, develop their system independently based on what they see in class and outside. However, many, especially those with learning disabilities and ADHD, struggle to come to independent conclusions and need systematic direction to develop these skills.
Foremost of these skills is to set homework routine to enable studying. Here is how to set homework routine:
- Spell out the study schedule or visualise it via a calendar/weekly planner or a time table. Print it or paint it onto a huge chart and place it in the house for reference.
- Colour code assignment books for different courses, making it easier to find. Review the assignment book daily and check for unfinished classwork and homework.
- Divide coursework into sections based either on difficulty level or time of submission, example, do long term projects at the end
- Make a checklist for marking completed tasks and breaking down the process. Use visual progress bars and fill them as you complete each section. Encourage your child to realistically estimate how long things take to finish and then see how they meet targets, so they get an idea of how to manage time.
- Create an incentive system that rewards them for studying and sticking to a routine. Do not use negative reinforcements or penalties; this is because your child needs to see homework and learning as a positive process and not as a form of punishment.
Encourage your child to study daily, do so by personalising or by using methods that engage them independent of studying. Here are some tips to get children to study every day:
- Set up an exclusive space for studying and make sure it is free of distractions. Further, ensure that all study material and tools are readily available in the grabbing distance. If using digital resources like laptops or tablets, put in child protection apps, so they do not get distracted on to other web pages.
- However, if your child is seemingly getting bored of the repetitive nature, do not hesitate to sometimes switch up the location. It does not always have to be on a study table. On some days, let them study on the couch or the dining table. Depending on how your child receives this, you can also have specific locations for specific subjects.
- If your child does not like to study in silence, you can also play acoustic music in the background to create a conducive environment. You could play specific music that your child likes and is not distracted by or you could play general ‘ambient music.’
- When working on a schedule, encourage your child to take breaks in the middle (the time can range based on the urgency of tasks), this helps in expanding concentration as constant study time may make them finicky which can lead to a loss of attention.