Homework 911

Students with dyslexia can experience significant stress over homework.  They already tend to work harder than their neurotypical peers to keep up with the language demands of the school day. Coming home to what can amount to hours more of schoolwork can be overwhelming and cause anxiety, stress, and negate the value extra practice and studying can provide. 

Here are some helpful tips from different experts:

1. Prioritize homework along with extracurricular activities and model a positive attitude about homework for your child. Texas Scottish Rite Hospital, Homework Support for Kids with Dyslexia webinar.
2. For younger students, try to make studying multisensory – create games, flashcards, and practice tests that allow students opportunities to see, hear, and manipulate the information they are trying to learn. – Kristen Mulos, MA, LDT, CALT
3. Break up longer homework assignments into shorter sections.  For example, you can fold a page of math facts and have your child see and do one line at a time. For older students who have bigger projects to complete, help them break the project up into manageable steps and schedule when they need to be done to have the project turned in on time. – Jen Parra, Ed.D, CALT, C-SLDS
4. Create a comfortable and quiet space for your child to do their homework daily.  Make sure they have all the supplies they need on hand. Amanda Bush, M. Ed., CALT
5. Take care of your child’s physical needs first, such as snacks, water, and bathroom breaks. to make sure they can concentrate on their homework. Texas Scottish Rite Hospital, Homework Support for Kids with Dyslexia webinar.
6. Look for patterns when your child is having homework difficulties, such as the same time of day, or the same subject, or after a particular activity. Also, consider if the resistance is part of an emotional response saying “I can’t” or “I don’t think I can.” Problem-solving homework tension in this way can help put the right supports in place. -Heather Doolittle, C-SLDS
7. Learn to study in a multisensory way, reciting out loud the information to be learned and writing the information. Saying and writing at the same time is even more multisensory. Just looking at a study guide and reading it silently is not effective for long-term memory. Mnemonic devices can help with memory retention. You can Google “memory hooks for studying” and find many different kinds of mnemonic aids for all subjects. – Kim Arthur, M.Ed, LDT, CALT-QI
8. Try the Pomodoro Technique!  Depending on the child’s age, you can start with 5/10/15/20 minute intervals. It’s a great method to keep children focused and on task. Set the timer, work, give them a five-minute break, then re-set the timer to the designated time. Keep working on homework using the timer. After four intervals, the child has earned a 25-30 minute break. – Jaime Kenny, M.Ed., LDT, CALT
   

For more tips, you can access the webinar Homework Support for Kids with Dyslexia on the Texas Scottish Rite Hospital YouTube channel. Or search on the Understood.org website for more tips and tricks.

If you’d like to talk more with an expert about your child with dyslexia, schedule a free consultation with one of Multisensory Reading Center’s experts here!