Structure and Practice
Shhh! Don’t tell Mikey.
This homework was not assigned by his teacher. In middle school, they had full fun days of learning and interacting, but there wasn’t any homework. I didn’t feel like Mikey’s teacher needed to assign him work, but I did feel we could use some structure at home. I had also started to get resistance from Mikey about reading. I needed to encourage daily reading so Mikey could maintain his skills.
So, I made some colorful posters and gave Mikey a stamp on his reading poster for each book he read (very short early reader books). I also gave him sticker for doing a little page of math problems (traditional worksheets cut into strips with just a few problems). Finally, Mikey did a journal entry each school night.
No extra work for his teacher, and a built-in daily opportunity for doing reading, writing and arithmetic! Mikey got some structure to his after school time and some much needed practice on critical skills. That felt like a mom win!
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About the Author
Erica Mauro is a mom to two teenage boys, Will who is neurotypical and Michael with Autism and cognitive delays. She holds a BA in Psychology from Colgate University and a Masters of Psychology in Education from Columbia Teacher’s College. Before staying home with her children, she worked as an elementary school teacher. For five years, she served on the Board of Directors of the Molly Ann Tango Memorial Foundation, a charity dedicated to enriching the lives of children with special needs. In partnership with her husband Dave, she aspires to parent by using daily life as an opportunity for therapeutic intervention, seizing on real experiences as opportunities to build skills and strategies for Michael in a joyful, loving home environment. On the tougher early days, she just tried to get everyone safely to bedtime and start fresh in the morning. *wink* 
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