44. It's Time to Rethink Homework

Learn with Dr. Emily

I’m just going to say it: Homework is a thorn in the side for most parents raising neurodivergent kids. In case you haven’t experience it, let me explain:

You wake up in the morning ready to implement your well-crafted morning routine that includes the most efficient way to get your child clothed, fed, packed up, and in the car with the fewest moments of frustration, tears, and conflict with siblings. Because school is hard for your child, making it through the morning routine and into the school building is your child’s first triumph of the day.

During that school day, your child is faced with challenging tasks. There will be spoken language to process, pencils to grip, bodies to keep still, transitions to initiate, social interactions to understand, and non-preferred academic work to complete. Your child will be exhausted when they get to you at pick-up. This is understandable. They have just “left it all on the field” of the classroom. They need time to recover, to engage in preferred play, and to rest and reconnect with you. But before they can rest, some days your child will have a therapy appointment to work on emotional regulation, language skills, motor skills, or sensory needs.

But, what happens when they get home? There is homework. Your child does not yet work independently so you are now their teacher, except you don’t have a degree in special education. Not only do you not know how to teach your exhausted child, you are also trying to cook dinner, pick up a sibling from dance, and return a work call because you left work early to be home with your child after school. You are exhausted, too.

So, why are we giving homework to our most worn-out students? There are many costs, but are there any benefits?

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