Ds13 can never seem to properly complete an assignment!

[rose]

With my two older dc I give them about a weeks worth of assignments and set them to it. If they need help they come to me. After the "week" is over they get a day of rest.

 

Ds13 can never seem to follow the instructions I lay out. Every time he misses something. So for example I'll give them their grammar assignment listing out which questions to do and from which chapters. He inevitably skips something. I don't think that it's on purpose because he also often does the wrong questions, like if I say do the odd questions he'll do the evens. He's generally trustworthy too. I do suspect mild dyslexia with him so that might factor in here but I'm not sure. His struggles aren't impacting him enough to get an assessment done, especially given how remote we are. I don't want to go to a daily schedule either because it seems like a step backwards.

 

How can I help this? Is this just a normal 13yo sort of thing? Am I asking too much?

[Storygirl]

I would give him daily assignments. For comparison, DD14 is in brick and mortar school for high school, and, aside for some long-term projects, her homework is assigned day by day. There is no reason that every 13 year old has to be ready for a weekly list. If he can't manage it well, either change the system or give him more direct oversight.

 

What was your method before this? Was he successful at following it?

 

If you suspect dyslexia, I would seek a diagnosis. High school and college level material is much more difficult to read, and he may need accommodations in the coming years that he has not required as of yet. College disability offices will want paper documentation.

 

Dyslexia is often also co-morbid with ADHD. Which does not have to include the hyperactive aspect. It can just be inattention and executive function.

 

I can see that you have a lot of children at home, which makes it harder to provide direct supervision, but he still may need it anyway.

[OneStepAtATime]

Agreeing with Storygirl. Lots of kids need more direct supervision and daily support still, even into the teen years. And if they have dyslexia it may be comorbid with other issues like executive function deficits or even developmental vision issues.