Larkspur
Cam
I've come here for help for my younger brother. I am an older teen, and my parents are at a loss right now. I'm trying to get any sort of help and advice, because he is destroying his future.
My brother is 13, going into 8th grade, and has high-functioning autism. He is insanely smart- but refuses to do any schoolwork. After 4-5 hours of complaining and refusing to do it (No joke), he will finally give in and finish a small worksheet that could have easily taken him 5 min.
He gets help from the school because of his motor skill issues and behavioral issues. He is the sweetest kid I've ever met, but when it comes to schoolwork, it's "like his personality just shuts off" (as my mom says). He has gotten suspended for a week for getting angry at the teacher, and constantly gets in trouble for refusing to do his work. I've even found his homework stuffed in the bushes.
We've genuinely tried everything. We've offered him rewards for doing his work. We've taken away his electronics for refusing to do it. When he throws a fit, my mom sends him to do his work in a quiet room (where the only thing to do is his work. There are no distractions in there.). He will sit there and not do anything, no matter how many times we explain that he isn't going to get out of his schoolwork by doing this. He seems to genuinely not understand the concept that he is required to do his work, and complaining only causes him to waste time and sit there longer.
He can't take online school, we can't put him in a Special Education class, and we can't take him to a private Special Education school. It's not that we don't have the funds- it's that we are trying to make sure that he lives a "normal" childhood with all of the other kids. We don't want him to be any more "different" than he already is. He takes rec therapy, is on anxiety medications, and goes to tutoring after school.
My mom has had to quit her job so that she can be with him right after school so he can finish his work. My dad has a high-income job, so it's not that much of an issue, but her job earned all of the extra money. We can't go out and do things because he isn't allowed to do anything unless he finishes his work (but he does get a 20 min break after he finishes a page of work). I can't spend actual time with my mom because all of her time is taken up by him.
I'm just extremely frustrated. He is failing all of his classes, and he will probably live with my parents for a long time. I feel awful for my mom, because most of her time is spent attempting to make my brother finish his schoolwork.
My brother is 13, going into 8th grade, and has high-functioning autism. He is insanely smart- but refuses to do any schoolwork. After 4-5 hours of complaining and refusing to do it (No joke), he will finally give in and finish a small worksheet that could have easily taken him 5 min.
He gets help from the school because of his motor skill issues and behavioral issues. He is the sweetest kid I've ever met, but when it comes to schoolwork, it's "like his personality just shuts off" (as my mom says). He has gotten suspended for a week for getting angry at the teacher, and constantly gets in trouble for refusing to do his work. I've even found his homework stuffed in the bushes.
We've genuinely tried everything. We've offered him rewards for doing his work. We've taken away his electronics for refusing to do it. When he throws a fit, my mom sends him to do his work in a quiet room (where the only thing to do is his work. There are no distractions in there.). He will sit there and not do anything, no matter how many times we explain that he isn't going to get out of his schoolwork by doing this. He seems to genuinely not understand the concept that he is required to do his work, and complaining only causes him to waste time and sit there longer.
He can't take online school, we can't put him in a Special Education class, and we can't take him to a private Special Education school. It's not that we don't have the funds- it's that we are trying to make sure that he lives a "normal" childhood with all of the other kids. We don't want him to be any more "different" than he already is. He takes rec therapy, is on anxiety medications, and goes to tutoring after school.
My mom has had to quit her job so that she can be with him right after school so he can finish his work. My dad has a high-income job, so it's not that much of an issue, but her job earned all of the extra money. We can't go out and do things because he isn't allowed to do anything unless he finishes his work (but he does get a 20 min break after he finishes a page of work). I can't spend actual time with my mom because all of her time is taken up by him.
I'm just extremely frustrated. He is failing all of his classes, and he will probably live with my parents for a long time. I feel awful for my mom, because most of her time is spent attempting to make my brother finish his schoolwork.
Last edited: