How do you get a speedy student to SLOW DOWN when doing academic work?

[Anonymous]

My 4th grader DD is always rushing through her academic work, whether it's math, reading, writing, or art. Her handwriting, most of the time, is illegible (sometimes the teacher had her resubmit her work). Her school work is messy and her latest MAP score is much lower than last year (most likely because she completed 40 questions in less than 15 mins!). She's not a competitive person by nature (doesn't care if she wins a game or not) so I'm not sure why she is rushing through her work. At home, I gave many reminders to write down her thinking process and check her work (which she interprets as "putting a checkmark next to each question").

Any suggestions on how to help her slow down and do her work more neatly?

PS: DD has ASD, hyperlaxia, receptive and expressive language issues.

[Anonymous]

We had this issue x2. I think it helps to figure out what the core reason for rushing is. A few things we tried at one time or another with our kids:

1. Asked the teacher to write SLOW DOWN in red at the top of each page. It helped when the teacher remembered.

2. Explained the first one finished is probably not going to get a good grade or score.

3. Had teachers remind our kids that they had extra time and had them say “are you sure you’re finished?” Or “do you want to look it over one more time?” when work was being turned in.

4. Had the accommodation that they be tested in small groups outside class with others getting extra time. They realized they could take the extra time to check work or they’d just be bored sitting and waiting.

One of our kids has ADHD. She takes all the time allowed now that she’s in high school. Part of that is she is finally motivated to want to do well. Partly she eventually made the connection that she scored better when she slowed down. But I think a big part is that her medication helps with the impulsiveness.

Our other kid has LD. He thought he would look “dumb” if he didn’t finish quickly. He also admitted that he just wanted it to be over with because it was so unpleasant. In middle school he figured out that he could turn his grades around by working more slowly. Our issue now is he is a perfectionist and spends too much time. We can’t win.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We had this issue x2. I think it helps to figure out what the core reason for rushing is. A few things we tried at one time or another with our kids:

1. Asked the teacher to write SLOW DOWN in red at the top of each page. It helped when the teacher remembered.

2. Explained the first one finished is probably not going to get a good grade or score.

3. Had teachers remind our kids that they had extra time and had them say “are you sure you’re finished?” Or “do you want to look it over one more time?” when work was being turned in.

4. Had the accommodation that they be tested in small groups outside class with others getting extra time. They realized they could take the extra time to check work or they’d just be bored sitting and waiting.

One of our kids has ADHD. She takes all the time allowed now that she’s in high school. Part of that is she is finally motivated to want to do well. Partly she eventually made the connection that she scored better when she slowed down. But I think a big part is that her medication helps with the impulsiveness.

Our other kid has LD. He thought he would look “dumb” if he didn’t finish quickly. He also admitted that he just wanted it to be over with because it was so unpleasant. In middle school he figured out that he could turn his grades around by working more slowly. Our issue now is he is a perfectionist and spends too much time. We can’t win.

Consider buying the teacher a rubber stamp and stamp pad for the “Slow Down” reminder.

[Anonymous]

Simply saying "slow down" doesn't help. Instead, the teacher or parent should read the finished product and make tick marks in the margins where there are errors and hand it back and say, "I found X mistakes, see if you can find them and fix them.". Comments can be adjusted with increasing specificity or reteaching of the rules. "You made 4 comma errors. Remember, these are the 4 main comma rules. Use these rules to fix your mistakes."

Checksts can help - do you have a theseis statement ? is it supported by examples? does each example have it's own paragraph ? is there an explanation if the example with reason how it supports the thesis? is there a conclusion? is each sentence a completensentence? spelling? punctuation? grammar? etc.etc.

Some kids will even whip thru a checklist without checking. Then the teacher or parent will have to ask them to show each check - "show me your thesis statement" show me your reasoning for example 3, etc.

The point is that kids learn eventually that you're going to keep sending them back until it's finished correctly.

Some kids need a formal "monitor test response" accommodation, so that they get a reminder even on exams.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We had this issue x2. I think it helps to figure out what the core reason for rushing is. A few things we tried at one time or another with our kids:

1. Asked the teacher to write SLOW DOWN in red at the top of each page. It helped when the teacher remembered.

2. Explained the first one finished is probably not going to get a good grade or score.

3. Had teachers remind our kids that they had extra time and had them say “are you sure you’re finished?” Or “do you want to look it over one more time?” when work was being turned in.

4. Had the accommodation that they be tested in small groups outside class with others getting extra time. They realized they could take the extra time to check work or they’d just be bored sitting and waiting.

One of our kids has ADHD. She takes all the time allowed now that she’s in high school. Part of that is she is finally motivated to want to do well. Partly she eventually made the connection that she scored better when she slowed down. But I think a big part is that her medication helps with the impulsiveness.

Our other kid has LD. He thought he would look “dumb” if he didn’t finish quickly. He also admitted that he just wanted it to be over with because it was so unpleasant. In middle school he figured out that he could turn his grades around by working more slowly. Our issue now is he is a perfectionist and spends too much time. We can’t win.

Consider buying the teacher a rubber stamp and stamp pad for the “Slow Down” reminder.

honestly, that kind of patronizing shaming response has no place in teaching.

[Anonymous]

My ADHD son HAS to be the first one finished or melts down. Seldom makes mistakes but legibility is a big problem.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Simply saying "slow down" doesn't help. Instead, the teacher or parent should read the finished product and make tick marks in the margins where there are errors and hand it back and say, "I found X mistakes, see if you can find them and fix them.". Comments can be adjusted with increasing specificity or reteaching of the rules. "You made 4 comma errors. Remember, these are the 4 main comma rules. Use these rules to fix your mistakes."

Checksts can help - do you have a theseis statement ? is it supported by examples? does each example have it's own paragraph ? is there an explanation if the example with reason how it supports the thesis? is there a conclusion? is each sentence a completensentence? spelling? punctuation? grammar? etc.etc.

Some kids will even whip thru a checklist without checking. Then the teacher or parent will have to ask them to show each check - "show me your thesis statement" show me your reasoning for example 3, etc.

The point is that kids learn eventually that you're going to keep sending them back until it's finished correctly.

Some kids need a formal "monitor test response" accommodation, so that they get a reminder even on exams.

My DS has this. Inattentive ADD with very fast processing speed = lots of stupid errors. When he gives the teacher a completed test (usually he's one of the first ones finished) he's supposed to be told go through it to double check his work.

[Anonymous]

DS's teacher this year has started sending him back to his desk when he turns something in, then having him count to 10 and double check his work.
Honestly, I don't think it's helping. His "double check" is basically just to look at everything again.
It's a struggle.
(It's also why I laugh at the recommended accommodation of providing extra time on tests. He doesn't need extra time. He needs to actually use the time he has!)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:DS's teacher this year has started sending him back to his desk when he turns something in, then having him count to 10 and double check his work.
Honestly, I don't think it's helping. His "double check" is basically just to look at everything again.
It's a struggle.
(It's also why I laugh at the recommended accommodation of providing extra time on tests. He doesn't need extra time. He needs to actually use the time he has!)

We had this issue with our son too, and part of what helped was teaching him strategies for how to double check his work (which vary depending on the type of work it is) so that he could use those to actually double check instead of skimming over what he did to look for obvious errors. For math it was often ways to work backwards from his answer to the starting question (which forced him to actually think about the problem differently). For narrative answers, the check included reading his answer backwards word by word to check spelling and legibility (most people don't readily recall something they just wrote backwards, so it forces him to actually read words instead of just skimming from memory and fitting in the rest from context). Etc.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:DS's teacher this year has started sending him back to his desk when he turns something in, then having him count to 10 and double check his work.
Honestly, I don't think it's helping. His "double check" is basically just to look at everything again.
It's a struggle.
(It's also why I laugh at the recommended accommodation of providing extra time on tests. He doesn't need extra time. He needs to actually use the time he has!)

We had this issue with our son too, and part of what helped was teaching him strategies for how to double check his work (which vary depending on the type of work it is) so that he could use those to actually double check instead of skimming over what he did to look for obvious errors. For math it was often ways to work backwards from his answer to the starting question (which forced him to actually think about the problem differently). For narrative answers, the check included reading his answer backwards word by word to check spelling and legibility (most people don't readily recall something they just wrote backwards, so it forces him to actually read words instead of just skimming from memory and fitting in the rest from context). Etc.

I'm PP - thanks! We've been working on the math double checking (ie, doing the multiplication for a division problem) like you suggested, but I hadn't thought of reading things backwards. I really like that! Legibility and spelling are big problems, and I think that might really help - even in math with all the "explain your answer" questions.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:DS's teacher this year has started sending him back to his desk when he turns something in, then having him count to 10 and double check his work.
Honestly, I don't think it's helping. His "double check" is basically just to look at everything again.
It's a struggle.
(It's also why I laugh at the recommended accommodation of providing extra time on tests. He doesn't need extra time. He needs to actually use the time he has!)

We had this issue with our son too, and part of what helped was teaching him strategies for how to double check his work (which vary depending on the type of work it is) so that he could use those to actually double check instead of skimming over what he did to look for obvious errors. For math it was often ways to work backwards from his answer to the starting question (which forced him to actually think about the problem differently). For narrative answers, the check included reading his answer backwards word by word to check spelling and legibility (most people don't readily recall something they just wrote backwards, so it forces him to actually read words instead of just skimming from memory and fitting in the rest from context). Etc.

I'm PP - thanks! We've been working on the math double checking (ie, doing the multiplication for a division problem) like you suggested, but I hadn't thought of reading things backwards. I really like that! Legibility and spelling are big problems, and I think that might really help - even in math with all the "explain your answer" questions.

Definitely reading things backwards is great for catching spelling/punctuation errors. I used to have to do that when I had a job that included a lot of proof-reading.