Establish the Environment;It is important that all family members agree to the importance of homework. Establish rules for reducing distractions, no friends over, TV and stereo turned off or volume is low, no video games, and limit the telephone calls. Limited distractions provides and mood and environment for learning.
Agree on who will assist with the homeworkYour mood can reflect on your approach and patience with your child. Not everyone has the required ability to be patient, fair, flexible or objective everyday. It is best to decide prior to the homework session, who is going to assist. If it is a single parent home, perhaps enlisting the aid of an older sibling or tutor to assist on designated days.
Establish a routine and set goals Designate a homework area and time, this establishes routine for the LD child and reduces poor organization and procrastination habits. Identify what parts of the assignment the child can do independently and what will require assistance. You as a parent know your child's tolerance levels better than anyone, set sessions goals according to what you know your child can handle.
Start sessions with successYou have already determined what part of the assignment the child can do independently, so start there. This gives the child the confidence to tackle the more challenging task of the assignment. Next step is to tackle the parts where something is known, if your child can do single digit addition but struggles with then go back and review how single digit addition relates to double digit addition. It is important to reinforce relationships between tasks to help the student generalize what they just learned.
Accept all responses as effortThe LD child isn't any different from any other child. A long day at school, what they had to eat, not enough sleep, not feeling well can influence performance levels. Accommodations like reading the assignment to the child or working the problem out together is a more productive approach with the LD child. Being creative in altering the usual assignments is far more conductive approach to homework completion than disciplining the child.
Be careful how you say itAll too often we say thinks to our children in hopes of making them feel better about themselves, but sometimes what we say can shift the task at hand to the child's self worth.
"You're just like me, I can't spell very well either" or "How do expect to go to the next grade if you don't know how to multiply?"
These are parental fears and are very normal, but voicing them during homework sessions does not encourage successful completion of assignments. Try saying things like "I know it was difficult but you stuck to this assignment very well, I'm proud of you." This type of comment doesn't imply that the child knows that material or can complete assignment independently but they do point out the child's strengths and that is encouraging.
The above tips are not solely intended for the LD child, but for all children and parents who are looking for assistance with homework assignments.