An autistic child presents unique challenges for schools, teachers, and homework; therefore, they face difficulties in achieving what they want.

A survey reveals that approximately 1 in 68 children has an autism spectrum disorder (ASD). ASD is a developmental disorder that causes behavior and social communication problems. It is simply a disability in which a person cannot behave properly.

Autism is a common disorder among young children. These types of children generally have a hard time coping with after-school homework requirements. Parents try to instill homework skills in their children so that they become self-reliant, responsible, and dedicated. Despite putting in a lot of effort, parents often end up dealing with their children’s apathy and disinterest.

As a parent of an autistic child, you need to understand the characteristics of autism.

Easily distracted

Difficulty completing tasks.

Difficulty operating in unfamiliar environments.

Delayed communication skills

According to a research on 934 parents, 77% of them had children in the spectrum that studied in ordinary schools.

Unfortunately, the teachers signed up to teach them are not confident in supporting students with autism. Furthermore, parents were not aware of the fundamentals of their autistic children’s education.

From parents to teachers, everyone needs to understand the study requirements of autistic children, which can further reduce the level of frustration in dealing with their tantrums effectively.

You cannot force your child to show interest or be able to do homework on his own at a young age, especially when he has had autism.

Although you need to be patient, you can also follow the tips mentioned below to help your autistic child work the right way when it comes to studying in schools or doing homework after school.

Individualized assignments

Assigning homework is common practice in schools, but make sure there is a specific purpose for assigning it. Homework contains assignments that give students the opportunity to practice more and raise queries for teachers to solve in schools.

Long assignments with complex instructions become boring for autistic children and as a result they refrain from doing their homework. The purpose is not to make students sit for hours to study, but rather the idea is to go over every concept they have studied in schools. Ask teachers to assign leveled assignments for your autistic child, depending on his abilities and ability to study.

Additionally, parents can create two folders with two titles: To Do and Done. Teachers will mark on the “homework folder” after checking the presence of homework in it. Parents will put all assignments in the “done folder” when their children complete them.

This will make it easier for an autistic child to remain stress-free, as they will no longer worry about the tasks to be completed.

Positive reinforcement is key

Positive reinforcement can work wonders for autistic children. It is a practice of rewarding autistic children for a particular behavior that you expect them to display. When teachers reward in classrooms, children are likely to respond well and engage in that particular behavior while motivating their peers to behave like them. This will not only facilitate the study process in schools but also at home when doing their homework. A reward for good behavior could be a class party or any fun activity.

Since autistic children are picky eaters; therefore, a reward suitable for one may not go well with others. To maintain continuity of positive reinforcement, parents and teachers should focus on children’s likes and dislikes in order to select an appropriate reward for them.

Some of the great ideas for positive reinforcement are:

Verbal praise “Good job!” or “I appreciate your writing skills!” it can fill them with enthusiasm.

Stickers

Rewards

Homework adaptations

You must have seen children put in hours of homework to get it done. The fear of punishment or the temptation of reward probably keeps them awake at night. I’m talking about elementary school kids. That’s bad!

If your child suffers from developmental delays and learning disabilities, he shouldn’t be working on homework any longer than his neurotypical peers. Do not force your child to complete a 15-minute homework as it may take two hours to complete. This would be like punishing an autistic child for his disability.

The solution is to balance your hours of study and hours of play. Give your child plenty of time to play as this will keep him physically and mentally fit while reducing the level of distraction.

Last words:

To make stressful homework time successful, parents of autistic children should consult and interact with teachers regularly to track performance and eliminate pain points. If you are really worried about studying, you can even look for a level of enrollment to ensure the continuity of the syllabus of each subject. Foster a stress-free environment in which the child can better explain his needs. Keep your focus on reinforcing skills rather than teaching if you want to deal with autistic children successfully.