|
Home Page
Overview
Testimonials
Radio & Videos
Brochures & Flyers
Articles
Testing & Eval
Training
Parents
Teachers
Doctors
Center Locations
History
Contents
Contact Us
Autism
ADD/ADHD, Dyslexia
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Overview
Testing
Long Distance Clients
|
ADD / ADHD,
Dyslexia. It's a family issue. Improve grades and self-esteem. Evaluation and
non-drug therapy that really works!
|
| |
Homework Blues – No More
(Part 1)
by
Delbe Meelhuysen, M.D. Program Director, Sharper Mind Centers, Inc.
www.SharperMindCenters.com
 Hours.
Tears. Tiredness.
Feeling Overwhelmed. Anger.
Frustration. Despair. These
are common words used to describe how children with learning disabilities and
their parents feel about homework. One
mother stated, “I felt like I had no life.
Every hour was taken up with work or homework. And weekends were spent trying to do all the things I
didn’t have time to do during the week because I was helping my daughter do
her homework for 5 hours every school night for a C average.” Or as another parent observed, “I felt like I was doing 7th
grade again.” Some kids give up;
others “try harder.” One 11th
grade boy studied intensely for 7 hours a day for C’s, D’s and F’s.
Was he stupid? No, he was very bright.
He just happened to be dyslexic.
Homework
is a stressor on all families. And
it seems that more and more families spend the bulk of their evening hours doing
homework and have little time for anything else.
For parents of children with learning differences, getting homework done
is an even more challenging task. Children
and adults with learning difficulties often avoid tasks, like writing, reading
and math because they do not understand what they are to do.
And sometimes it is hard to sort the “can’t do” from the “won’t
do” attitude. Until a child or
adult is fully evaluated, it is better to assume they “can’t do” their
homework. Too many kids are
erroneously labeled as oppositional, inattentive or impulsive before they are
objectively evaluated.
What
can you as a parent do, if your child is struggling with homework?
-
Assume
they have a real mental block to doing their homework until you have clear
evidence that it is a matter of a bad attitude.
Seek understanding.
-
Talk
to their teacher about their observations.
Work cooperatively with the teacher, so home and school solutions are
consistent.
-
Observe
your child in their environment. Watch
how they learn.
-
Have
them evaluated by someone who understands how the mind works and what
barriers may be interfering with learning.
-
Provide
plenty of healthy food, encourage active exercise and allow them
~10 hours of sleep time a night.
-
During
the school week, limit media time to 30 minutes or less a day.
-
Get
help as soon as you suspect there might be a problem.
Remember the old adage, “A stitch in time, saves nine.”
Most of the time, problems don’t go away. Don’t ignore the problem, it will probably only get worse.
-
Spend
some time every day in relaxing fun as a family.
Even 30 minutes a day makes a positive difference in your child’s
sense of self-worth.
-
Ask
the other parents and teachers about resources within and outside of the
school or district.
-
Don’t
be afraid to advocate for yourself or your child.
Some times you have to be willing to invest your own time, energy and
resources to find answers. Don’t
assume that schools, medical insurance companies or the government will
provide every thing you need to help your child.
They can’t and they won’t.
There
is real help and real hope for kids and adults struggling with learning
difficulties. The girl who spent 5
hours a night doing homework, the junior high school boy who spent 7 hours a day
studying, and the parents who felt they didn’t have a life, all found help.
The kids still had to do their homework, but it was a whole lot easier
once they were correctly evaluated and their learning challenges overcome. Free time. Smiles.
Energy. A
“can-do” attitude. Calmness.
Satisfaction. Joy.
Real help. Real hope. The choice is yours.
|
