[From The Learning Tree: Overcoming Learning Disabilities from the Ground Up by Stanley I. Greenspan, M.D., and Nancy Thorndike Greenspan, with contributions by Richard Lodish, EdD. Reprinted courtesy of Merloyd Lawrence Books / Da Capo Lifelong Books.]
For a child with problems organizing schoolwork, the first step is to fit it into the context of a child's evening. Homework is a very common example. The big picture is what the child has to do that evening, one item of which is homework. A useful tool at home is a blank sheet -- either a blackboard or paper, with chalk or marker, whatever he is comfortable with -- so that he can create a map. On the sheet he lists what he will do during the evening, such as chores, family time, dinner, and homework. (Fortunately, with the Internet, many school systems now post homework or test assignments.)
Next to each item on the list, he marks down how much he wants to do the activity, using a scale of zero to ten. Next to that, he indicates the likelihood that he'll do it on his own -- will do it, doesn't want to do it, needs physical help to do it, needs support to do it, or needs help with facts or research. The response of "doesn't want to do it" often reflects an insecurity about the task, which may relate to worry about his ability to carry it out -- or it could simply be a boring task, such as washing dishes. If a parent and child talk through the task, those feelings and reasons will come out, and together they can work on raising his confidence or discussing why something must be done.
Last, the child estimates how much time each task will take. The parent sometimes needs to interject a note of reality here. ("No, even though you wish the essay would take only fifteen minutes to write, you remember how last week's assignment took a lot more.")
Then parent and child can prioritize the activities and negotiate the order in which they are to be completed. When he does A (a chore) and B (a math assignment), he then gets to do E, which might be talking to his friend for a certain amount of time; when he does F (his reading assignment) and G (walking the dog), he gets to do H, which might be playing a video game for awhile.
Just writing down the list is good practice. He has looked at the big picture and seen where his homework fits in. He has outlined his tasks, his interest level, and his likelihood of doing them. This analysis takes knowing himself and helps him to be a reflective thinker.
The more the child can accomplish on his own, the better, but this may be a gradual process. At the start, parents do what is needed so that he reaches his goals. They can initially set it up so that he reports to them or they come in and check on him. Depending on his "likelihood" response, they may even need to sit with him while he does certain homework. By making the chart, his choices are now deliberate -- it's no longer, "I forgot" -- though he may still get off track at first. Friendly support to finish the last three math problems so he can call a friend may be the needed boost. Or external incentives, such as extra time on a favorite activity, may be needed to get some of the least desired things done. This way, the positive feelings about the more desirable activities get transferred to and combined with the less desirable items. Parents can view their job as helping their son stay organized so that he gets to do the fun things on the list.
Practicing organization can be useful for any kind of task, not just homework. It will help with anything that requires sequencing, focus, and self-regulation, particularly where there is mixed motivation on the child's part. The child can list the steps required for writing thank-you notes for presents, practicing the piano, or taking care of a pet. Getting ready for school in the morning so he's not late is often a big issue for disorganized children. The big picture is how to organize the morning so that he gets to school on time without extra stress. This could include what time to get up, what to have for breakfast, what clothes to wear, and when to fill up the backpack. The child can identify some of these as "desirable," others as "a drag," and arrange them accordingly. Along with reduced chaos and stress in the morning, the child will see how planning works.
With enough practice in writing down each step and organizing what has to be done, a child will begin to feel in more control of the bigger picture, and the process will become second nature. The habit of making a plan, such as for doing homework, will eventually become more and more automatic. This approach will gradually generalize to other tasks and obligations.
