Autism and Homework

Now that school is over for our autistic son, I would like to give some helpful hints to parents and teachers about ideas to help the educational process.

Homework assigned to students will always be a controversial topic in education especially given the schedules that many students keep after school, but also the pressure to keep standardized test scores at a high rate causes schools to remain committed to constant improvement. While a certain degree of homework can supplement the in school process or, in the case of students unable to complete assigned work during the day, homework can keep slower students caught up, it can also be a great burden to both the student and the parents. When homework causes serious emotional duress and becomes a time-consuming project to the exclusion of family time, personal endeavors, or positive support, then the gain is actually a loss, a bear market with little hope for a rebound. This is often the case with autistic students.

Autism is a difficult disability to define partly due to its complexity and diversity, and partly due to the often accompanying disabilities such as speech problems, reading disorders, behavior problems, and various learning challenges. Since these problems may or may not attend during the day, it should come as no surprise when a teacher assigns work to be done at home, assuming the student would benefit from the supplemental learning experience or stay caught up on the work required. But, sadly, unless the instructions are very explicit, and unless the required work is prepared to accommodate the disability, most likely the homework will take several hours and be a combined effort, or combined torture, of student and parent.

Educating the autistic, as has been discussed in earlier entries, requires a thorough and precise process to include modeling, pictures, limited sequencing, and opportunities for practice. While homework can include these elements, most likely, unless the teacher has provided some of this, and unless the parent has received the proper training, the homework will be missing some these necessary ingredients for success, making it a hardship for everyone and most likely a moving target for any kind of winning benefit. This probably becomes compounded as the autistic student progresses through the grade levels, and in having several teachers and several subjects, all of which are committed to the finest in education for all students. It then becomes a difficult arena for even the most advanced student to deal with 5 or 6 different homework expectations, with the difficulty multiplied several times for the autistic and his parents.

So how do we solve this problem? We do not necessarily advocate zero homework, for there is no question that study time and supplemental work can be constructive when handled judiciously. And we certainly do not advocate lower expectations in the classroom, for many autistic students can learn at or sometimes beyond that of other students. But the system has to be different from the norm, with great preparation, and exact deliberation of presentation, allowing for time, minimal distractions, and fewer problems on each page. Mostly, it is necessary to provide a thorough education to teachers and parents that will prevent any kind of stressful home situation including excess homework time, emotional strain, and negative educational dividends.

To teachers I suggest coordinating the homework assignments with the other teachers to prevent too many subjects being dealt with at home. This may require a bit of centralization through the system but is definitely worth the challenge. I also recommend that when homework is necessary, the teacher give very specific instructions as to the expectation, including minor recommendations such as pencil or pen or time suggestions. Furthermore, make sure that no homework assignment would take more than 30 minutes. Remember a rule of thumb of doubling the time: a 30 minute assignment will probably take an autistic student 60 minutes.

To the parent, don't allow the total homework to exceed 60 minutes and 30 minutes is much preferred. Avoid any kind of emotional duress or excess tension during the process. Help your child to think critically by encouraging the responses rather than providing the answers for him. Remember that our goal is independence,with the ability to make informed, responsible decisions. Mostly, remain committed to the educational process, knowing that teachers and schools have the best interest of the student at heart, but also be firm in your convictions to develop a healthy, loving, and patient environment both at school and at home.