Help for Learning Delayed 13 Yr Old Son

Home school when done right, takes a lot of discipline and time. It does not sound like you have the time to invest. And if I were your parents, I would not want to be in charge of homeschooling. That is an immense task to put on them.

I do have to admit, that I wonder, its it possible your expectations are just too high? If the teacher says he is being challenged and meeting his potential, is it possible he is where he should be and there is progression, just not great leaps and bounds. This may not be the case, but I have to ask.

I would try a few things. If he is not engaged, make it engaging when possible. My son HATES spelling practice. He despises it. It was a fight every night. Then one day I gave him dry erase markers and had him write it on the windows. Took a photo and printed the homework that way. His teacher had NO problems with it. No more fights, and his spelling grade went way up.

When I was a student teacher, I was in charge of a child with ADHD. It was an extreme case and his parents refused any sort of medication for him. One afternoon when he was especially off task, I told him to take off his shoes and socks. There was a square bucket full of sand in the room (it was also a play therapy room) and I had him put his feet in it. He rubbed his feet back and forth and made a little mess. But he wrote two whole pages that day..it was a victory.

Is it possible the schedule needs to be changed up? If he getting a break after school, maybe that needs to stop. I know my son does better if we knock out homework while he is in "school mode". If I wait too long, it's more of a challenge. If he is not getting a break, maybe he needs one? If he is on medication, maybe that needs to be looked at. Either completing work before it "wears off" or changing the meds.

And I know you said there isn't much time for you to help. Have you tried it? Maybe if he has all afternoon "off the clock", he can knock the homework out faster with you at home.

Tutoring may be an option. I would find a private tutor. Many teachers are not fans of chains like Sullivan and Oxford. They often rely on "tricks" and teach things differently than teachers, so it can sometimes become a conflict.

ANd finally, it may be time to reevaluate his IEP. If an entire homework assignment is taking him hours. It may be time to modify things...he does the odd numbers or only half the assignment. I had several students with homework modifications when I was a teacher, it is not an unusual request.

Get him screened for Irlen syndrom , go to Irlen.com. He sounds exactly like he has it. My daughter was the same, as soon as she got her filtered overlay and then glasses 98 % of her issues were gone in a week. No kidding. Its a visual processing disorder. They have lists of diagnosticians on the Irlen web site. for people in your area.. Best thing you will ever do.

C.,
If he has a hard time staying focused in school, he'll never be able to stay focused doing Home School. It takes a very disciplined child to do Home School with little supervision. And it can require many hours on your part to not only help in the learning/teaching process, but, you are also responsible for grading papers and such, it can be time consuming. I would talk to the Guidance Counselor at his school, see if there isn't a resource she/he might know about that could help out, you may also request some testing to see if he is indeed bored with the curriculum he is doing and may need something a little more advanced. It never hurts to ask. You might also suggest at school that they provide him with a more challenging line of study, even if it's one class, to help prevent him from getting into trouble because of boredom. There may also be a program that will provide tutoring at no cost to you,(we have it here for middle schoolers with problems in different subjects). Explore the possibilities, you may even come across some you didn't know were therre. Good Luck ,C. S.

Is he on medication?

What time is he doing homework?

My 7th grader with ADHD knows that he needs to get his homework done before his meds wear off or he won't have the focus to be able to get it done. He's certainly not lazy or defiant, he simply can't focus on the task. So he does his homework during his homeroom class, on the bus, or when he's completed work in other classes. This works very well for him.

If he's not on meds, I strongly recommend that you talk with his doctor about options for him. And if he is, I'd recommend that you work with your son to figure out how to get his homework done while his meds are still in effect, or talk with his doc about a med that will last longer after school (Vyvanse lasts longer than any we've found).

Last year my now 13 yo granddaughter dawdled over work. She has ADHD and a IEP. Her parents pushed and pushed. This year they told her that doing well was up to her and stopped pushing. They added an incentive that she could get a tatoo (I think it is) at the end of the year if she got no grade below a C on her report card at the end of the year. She is getting her work done in timely manner and getting good grades.

Sometimes kids get into a negative pattern when they feel they have little orno control. When they are in charge of their homework they lose the need to push back.

YOU need to have a frank discussion with this teacher.

If he is getting this much homework the teacher needs to have him start it at school. Make him go to a study hall or something so he can get help doing this.

Tell the teacher you and hubby commute to work and that you don't get home until quite late. That if she needs him to do homework he has to bring it home over the weekend.

Since he has an IEP he's disabled correct? They have to make adjustments for his disability under the law. You need to advocate for him and tell them no homework. He should be doing this at school with the aid or someone else who can give him the one on one time. He may also be bringing home this much work because he won't do it at school. He may need an aid during the day to keep him on track. This is a free service the school has to supply.