Aspergers and HFA Students: Completing School Assignments On Time
Question
My Aspergers (high functioning) child’s teachers complain about the fact that it takes him longer to finish an assignment. How can I help him work faster so he does not fall behind in his assignments?
Answer
Teachers often complain about the slow work pace of students with Aspergers and High-Functioning Autism (HFA). The lack of language skills plays a part, as well as the student’s physical limitations due to the lack of fine motor skills. The student’s handwriting skills are probably awkward and clumsy, thus slowing him down.
Poor organizational skills interfere with the student’s ability to produce timely assignments. In addition, many children on the autism spectrum are perfectionists bordering on obsessive behaviors. This causes control issues.
Poor organizational skills interfere with the student’s ability to produce timely assignments. In addition, many children on the autism spectrum are perfectionists bordering on obsessive behaviors. This causes control issues.
The slow pace problem is often addressed in the student’s education plan. The student is offered reduced workload, additional time for most assignments, reading assistance during testing, and occupational therapy exercises to improve fine motor skills such as handwriting. The first thing you can do is to make sure your child has these special accommodations in place to help him become a successful student.
Here are some additional ideas for you:
• Take steps to control obsessive behaviors. Unfortunately, these behaviors are common in children with Aspergers and HFA. They can take control and cause many problems. Learn and perform behavior modification techniques for obsessive and/or compulsive issues.
• Remember the importance of routine. Your child performs best when he has a set and regular routine. Work to make his home time a seamless, structured continuation of his school day. It may seem like too much to you, but children on the spectrum attain great comfort, thus becoming more productive, when the routine is rigid.
• Practice fine motor skills exercises and handwriting regularly. Practice will help increase his handwriting speed. With added speed, he can finish assignments faster. Taking notes during class will become easier for him.
• Organizational skills are necessary for independence. Learning time management techniques, thought process control, as well as basic organizational skills like keeping a daily calendar, creating written lists, and using other visual aids will help our child become more productive.
Complaining teachers can increase your child’s anxiety levels. Since children with Aspergers and HFA are likely to suffer from anxiety, this negative input is sure to have an effect on your child. Behavior modification, therapy, or medication may be needed to control anxiety due to academic pressure.
Taking steps to deal with your child’s weaknesses will improve the situation. In addition, it would not hurt to schedule a meeting to remind your child’s complaining teachers about his educational limitations.
Taking steps to deal with your child’s weaknesses will improve the situation. In addition, it would not hurt to schedule a meeting to remind your child’s complaining teachers about his educational limitations.
More resources for parents of children and teens with Asperger's and High-Functioning Autism:
==> Preventing Meltdowns and Tantrums in Asperger's and HFA Children
==> Discipline for Defiant Asperger's and HFA Teens
==> Teaching Social Skills and Emotion Management
==> Launching Adult Children with Asperger's: How to Promote Self-Reliance
==> Everything You'll Ever Need to Know About Parenting Asperger's Children
==> Parenting Children and Teens with High-Functioning Autism
==> AudioBook: Unraveling The Mystery Behind Asperger’s and High-Functioning Autism
Comments
I'm now 30 and I still struggle with speed issues. I don't know why it never occurred to me before, but I thought I would time myself whilst prepping vegetables for dinner. It took me 33mins to chop 2 sticks of celery and 3 small peppers into cubes. I didn't think to time doing the single carrot because it was only after my boyfriend cam to check how I was doing that I realised that it had taken me over an hour just to peel one carrot and chop it into small cubes.
Growing up I was always slow copying stuff off the board. It was awful when they got the electronic whiteboards as then the teachers pre-typed the lessons and would switch slides before I was finished on the first and I'd feel stressed and rushed all the time. At school we *had* to write everything down exactly as it was on the board so I felt like nothing was going in because I was having to focus so much on just getting the words down. When I got to university, there was no forced note taking so I just used to sit and listen and read the info instead and occasionally doodle in the margins or write the occasional bit of included on the slides/handouts (since we got copies of everything) and I did so much better!
But yeah, still have issues today. I write and type slowly, I get dressed slowly, I prepare and cook food slowly, bathe slowly... Pretty much everything slowly. I am a very quick reader though! And I can walk quite quickly to get places too (though that one is probably due to having to walk quick to make up for being late because of the other stuff). I have great issues with time - it doesn't feel like it exists for me. I basically run on whether or not it's light outside or not and whether or not I feel hungry. That's about as accurate as I can get. My brother (7 yrs younger) on the other hand never bothers to wear a watch because he has an uncanny ability to tell what time it is to within 2 mins accuracy. He does everything super quickly too. No idea how he does it!