There will be many changes for your child to adjust to once the new school year is underway. The one thing that you can pretty much count on is that your child will end up with homework to do. This means you need to set up a good homework space for him or her to work in.
Children who have special needs tend to thrive when they know that there is a routine to follow. They can predict what will happen next, and this can make transitioning from one activity to another a little bit easier. This means that it is a good idea for parents to select one, specific, place in your home, and designate that as the official “homework space”.
Exactly where this space should be located depends on a few factors. Choose a place that will be as distraction free as possible. The “homework space” should not be in your child’s bedroom where all of his favorite toys are at. It also should not be in the room that the television is in. If you anticipate that your child will be doing homework while you are making dinner, then the kitchen might not be the best place either.
Perhaps the dining room would work. Make sure the “distraction-free zone” is also within earshot of a parent. This way you will be right there to help when your child gets stuck on a math problem. You will also be able to redirect your child back to her homework when she wanders, or starts daydreaming for too long a span of time.
Make sure that the “homework space” has everything your child needs in order to do her homework. There should be plenty of appropriate school supplies, such as pencils, pens, paper, a ruler, and a calculator. An electronic dictionary can be useful to help your child look up the correct spelling of words (without resorting to a word document on a computer for help). You could store these items in a shoebox, and bring them to the “homework space” when it is time for your child to work.
Kids with special needs can benefit from having a “fidget” in the “homework space”. A “fidget” is a small, easy to grab, toy that provides some sort of sensory stimulation. It could be a beanie baby, or a “stress ball”, or whatever works best for your child. Many kids find that holding, touching, or squeezing a “fidget” actually helps them to focus on what they are reading, or studying.
If your child has ADHD, then you need to get a small timer. Parents need to understand that your child cannot help his or her short attention span. Set the timer for five or ten minutes, depending on what your child can handle.
Instruct your child to focus on doing homework until the timer goes off, and then, promise a break for the same amount of time. This will lengthen the time your child spends doing homework, but it is also a good way to work around your child’s tendency to daydream. Overall, this will make the process of doing homework easier on your child.
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