NO HOMEWORK - Anyone have this in IEP?

TiredSoul

Warrior Mom since 2007
Just curious if anyone has this in their child's IEP and if so how you convinced the school. Would love to see sample letters and/or data to support a no homework initiative. Just the thought of having to deal with that battle again makes me want to run away! :(
Thanks!
 

BusynMember

Well-Known Member
Sonic's IEP said that all his extra work would be finished in school. It wasn't hard to convince them. Six hours of school was hard enough for him to stay on track and his psychiatrist just wrote a letter saying it would be better for him mentally AND academically if he could have his time off of school free of homework. It worked!!! He still did well in school and continued to learn.
Try your son's professional.
 

TeDo

CD Hall of Fame
When we were in public school, I simply told them (and was backed up by THEIR autism specialist) that I was not willing to fight difficult child 1 over homework and that because of his diagnosis's it wasn't going to get done unless I made him. We worked it out where a para took him out of each class for the last 20 minutes and worked on the assignment. He was given FULL credit for whatever was accomplished during that time. It was never late or undone, they just had to accept whatever the PARA could get him to do. Good luck.
 

svengandhi

Well-Known Member
I tried for years to get HW off of difficult child's IEP and let him stand or fall on his test grades and classwork. It never worked so I had a kid who was a National Merit commended student, an AP Scholar with distinction who had all 4 and 5 on his AP tests, who got 30 credits for college but who had a GPA of 3.2 (out of a possible 5.5 on our grading system). Ironically, most of the honors/accelerated classes weighted HW less than regular classes so I put him in honors where possible.
 

Wiped Out

Well-Known Member
Staff member
My difficult child had it in his IEP. The violence over hw was not one we were willing to fight (suggested by doctors). Now it isn't in there specifically (he is in high school) but they do not give him hw for the most part.
 

TiredSoul

Warrior Mom since 2007
My difficult child had it in his IEP. The violence over hw was not one we were willing to fight (suggested by doctors). Now it isn't in there specifically (he is in high school) but they do not give him hw for the most part.

WO- that is exactly where we are - the violence over homework is not something I choose to battle over anymore. I have another son who needs me and wants to do his work. I need to somehow convey this to the teacher. I don't want him to miss recess, or they also have a special half hour recess one day per week if they have all their work in, and also a treat on Fridays. I don't want to medicate him more after school to get thru homework. He needs his time to decompress.
 

shellyd67

Active Member
Any luck Jules ? That would make my life so much easier as well. difficult child's teachers said that if HW gets to be too much and he is stressed out just write a note in his assignment book that he couldn't cope but sadly, I can't do that everynight ... UGH !!!
 

InsaneCdn

Well-Known Member
just write a note in his assignment book that he couldn't cope but sadly, I can't do that everynight
Yes you can.
We did.
Resource teacher told us to do it.

It's the only way school gets the message... he CAN'T do it.
 

BusynMember

Well-Known Member
In my son's case, they just let him finish in study hall. He never had any homework. It was easy for us to get, but we always went to IEP meetings with a very knowing advocate who wasn't afraid to take school districts to court and me and husband were not afraid to fight the schools. It wasn't even an issue. Homework with never ever sent home and we had peaceful evenings.

You will be walked all over if you just hope that the school districts do the right things. You need to be a real warrior mom and stand up to them. You can find your advocate by calling the State Dept. of Public Education and asking for Special Needs. Being smart does not rule out special needs.
 

TiredSoul

Warrior Mom since 2007
UPDATE--

I told his sped teacher that we choose not to give him more medications after school because it interferes with eating and sleeping - and therefore I will NOT battle him on homework. I told her that they will have to figure it out at school. He has brought home a slip the past 4 weeks in a row saying he is missing work. Each time, I email the sped teacher and his other 2 teachers and put it back on them. He is not earning the 30 minute extra recess weekly or hot cocoa Fridays because he is missing work though. They just don't get it. I have tried to explain that withholding that stuff is not going to teach him the skills he is lacking. It is only going to hurt him more.

I really think they treat everything as a behavior/motivation issue - and we all know it is way more than that!! I just keep advocating for him and fighting the battle. It shouldn't have to be a battle though. I have enough battles! :-/
 

InsaneCdn

Well-Known Member
The diagnosis is working against him. ODD = behavior/motivation issue... it's assumed that they CAN do better and just don't WANT to.

Which, as you said, isn't true. I'd be fighting for a better evaluation. There HAS to be something more.
It might not be an umbrella diagnosis like Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD)... it could be add-on pieces like Auditory Processing Disorders (APD), especially auditory figure ground, which makes school intolerable.
 
Top