Articles

Homework is an important component of your child’s school experiences. It affords the opportunity for practice and review, and helps your child become an independent learner, an essential skill in high school and beyond. If you are like most parents, you feel a mixture of...

The way you and your child structure your home conditions (e.g., place for homework, noise, light, television, availability of resources) has been found to play an important role in predicting homework performance. In fact, these issues have been found to be even more important than checking and signing homework.

A number of years ago I offered a metaphor to help parents accept and understand the nature of ADHD. In light of the emerging body of research reflecting the delayed development of self-control in children with ADHD, it is worth re-visiting this concept.

Difficulty beginning an assignment efficiently is a common problem for many children. We suggest you assist your child by first identifying the primary source of the problem. Does this problem result from your child’s inability to choose which task to begin first, an aversion or dislike of the task, an inability to ask for help, lack of a consistent getting-started routine, or difficulty knowing how to break a large task into smaller parts?

The amount of assistance your child requires with homework will be determined by his/her age and level of ability. Elementary school students, as well as those with learning problems will require more of your time, assistance, and support than secondary students. Your assistance also depends on whether the homework assignments represent practicing a skill already mastered by your child or developing and mastering a new skill. The later will take more time and involvement on your part.