Homework Survival Guide: Special Needs Edition

by jphilo | Sep 25, 2012 | Different Dream, School/Education, Special Needs Parenting

Homework Survival Guide: Special Needs Edition

Homework can be a challenge for kids with special needs and their parents. But never fear, guest blogger Rachel Cordeiro is here with her Homework Survival Guide’s six tips to make study time easier for child and parent.

Homework Survival Guide: Special Needs Edition

Survival Tip #1: Preparation

During this past school year homework was a struggle for my daughter. I’m not sure who began to dread it more—Cami or me! Without fail, it was days with the most difficult start to homework that the Braille writer would become jammed while loading the paper into it. This caused an already stressful situation to escalate, and I knew something needed to change. My solution? I decided to load the paper into the Braille writer ahead of time, which cut out a lot of unnecessary stress. It was a small step that made a big difference.

I do realize some steps involved in the homework routine may help to reinforce a necessary skill, but sometimes you have to pick your battles (and I was tired of the jammed paper winning!). You will have to decide what is best for your child. Take a step back to consider which steps in your child’s homework cause unneeded stress, then prepare as necessary for the smoothest transition into homework time.

Survival Tip #2: Communication

As I already mentioned, Cami had a difficult year and we both cried many tears over the homework load. My advice? Communicate often with the teachers. Be honest about any problems you are encountering during homework, and make sure they are aware of how long it took your child to complete the assigned work. Remember, as your child’s advocate, it’s important to let the teacher know how much your child can or can’t handle.

Survival Tip #3: Adaptation

Last year in science, Cami’s class had to learn the physical states of water. There was a study sheet containing pages of facts with pictures, but the information was overwhelming for her, and she couldn’t see the illustrations. After reading it through to her several times, she was having trouble remembering it all, so I put the paper aside and tried a different approach (boiled water on the stove to illustrate water vapor, placed ice cubes in a glass of water to illustrate condensation, etc. ) to illustrate the different changes in matter.

Because Cami retains knowledge best when it’s something she has experienced, she was able to remember the different states of water much better. I made sure to send a note explaining what we had done in place of the written assignment, and her teachers accepted that (this falls right in line with communication as well).

Survival Tip #4: Concentration

Create a homework environment most appropriate for your child. Where exactly that will be may differs from child to child as long as it enables him to focus on his work. The key is to set aside a time and place dedicated to homework and be consistent in implementing that as part of the homework routine.

Survival Tip #5: Motivation

There are days when I wish I had the magic formula for motivating Cami to do homework. Other times I think I’ve discovered the greatest motivator for her, only to have it last for one week. Motivate by keeping things fresh. Make it as fun and enjoyable as possible and be flexible in your approach. The key I have found to motivating? Focus on motivation for that particular day and use a different approach tomorrow if needed.

Survival Tip #6: Relaxation

After your child has completed their homework assignment it’s a good idea to reward them for their hard work and effort. Choose a reward that you deem appropriate for them and something they can look forward to each day (this works as great motivator as well!). For Cami, her reward is to play with whatever she chooses, allowing her to enjoy much needed down time and relaxation. And don’t forget yourself…now that the homework for the day has been completed it’s time for you to relax as well….at least until tomorrow!

What Tips Would You Add to Rachel’s Survival Guide?

Did reading Rachel’s survival guide bring your favorite homework survival tips to mind? If so, share them below. Or leave a comment about which of Rachel’s tips makes life easier for you.

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Julie Keon’s Advice for Parents, Part 2

Julie Keon, author of the essay, What I Would Tell You, is back today. In yesterday’s post you learned Tim and Julie Keon’s special needs parenting story. Today, she explains how life changed after the essay went viral and she started her blog, www.whatiwouldtellyou.com.

Julie, what’s the history of your What I Would Tell You essay? When it went viral, how did your life change?

The essay What I Would Tell You felt like some sort of divine intervention. I saw the mother in the waiting lounge at our children’s hospital in late June of 2011 and I was so profoundly touched when our eyes met that the moment I was out of the building, I started to weep. The words of the essay started flowing into my mind. I could not wait to get home to write it all down. Hours later, I ran upstairs and opened a journal and scribbled the entire essay out in a matter of 30 minutes. I then posted it as a “Note” on Facebook. Within 24 hours, I was receiving messages from all over the world. My friend, who is also the father of a child with special needs, urged me to allow him to create a website as a home base for the essay so that more people could access it. The website was born and I started the blog portion of it in September of 2011.

What encouragement do you have for parents raising kids with a special needs diagnoses…other than your wise words in What I Would Tell You?

That’s a tough question, as I think the essay covers everything. Perhaps, I would encourage them to have faith whether that be through their religious, spiritual, or universal beliefs. I hate to admit it, but I am starting to really surrender to the possibility that there really are no mistakes and that we all have a journey and purpose to live out even if that journey or experience makes absolutely no sense to our limited human mind. Having faith in something greater can be very comforting when things start to get really overwhelming.

What can churches, schools, friends, family, and the medical community do to better support parents of kids with special needs?

I think that there needs to be a genuine understanding that the parents really DO KNOW BEST when it comes to their children. There is a whole lot of talk about this, but I am not certain how many professionals really believe it. I think that when any individual or group makes an effort to ask questions and attempt to understand the real day-to-day experience of the family, then naturally they will offer support that is both effective and useful. Support must be given under the terms of the recipient as opposed to the giver assuming what the recipient needs…..if that makes sense.

What do you want to say that’s not been asked?

I would just like to say thank you for interviewing me, Jolene, and for the wonderful work that you do! I would also add that I am working hard on a book that I hope will be helpful to those who read it eventually. Thank you to everyone who has read and supported What I Would Tell You.

What Would You Like to Tell Julie?

Julie, you are most welcome. The pleasure was all mine! And when your book comes out, please send an update. I’d love to post a review and help publicize it.

How about the rest of you? What would you like to say to Julie? Leave a comment with your own thoughts and experiences or just to say thank you. And if haven’t yet ready Julie Keon’s essay, What I Would Tell You, please stop by her website to read it!

Julie Keon’s Advice for Parents, Part 1

Do you like what you see at DifferentDream.com? You can receive more great content by subscribing to the quarterly Different Dream newsletter and signing up for the daily RSS feed delivered to your email inbox. You can sign up for the first in the pop-up box and the second at the bottom of this page.

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Jolene Philo is the author of several books for the caregiving community. She speaks at parenting and special needs conferences around the country. Sharing Love Abundantly with Special Needs Families: The 5 Love Languages® for Parents Raising Children with Disabilities, which she co-authored with Dr. Gary Chapman, was released in August of 2019 and is available at local bookstores, their bookstore website, and Amazon. See Jane Dance!, the third book in the West River cozy mystery series, which features characters affected by disability, was released in October of 2023.