DS struggles with getting college assignments done

[AYellowCreation]

DS is 18 and in the second year of a college course which he enjoys. Problem is he struggles to get the written (ie on laptop) work done. He has dyspraxia and producing written work has never been easy for him - he can do it, but struggles to get started and keep going. He always leaves assignments to the night before and I invaibly end up helping him to do them. I know, I know.

He will most likely pass his course, but is talking about doing a higher education course next in a similar subject. I'd like him to do this too but he just doesn't seem to have an answer for how the written work is going to get done. He tells me he's lazy (school used to say that to him), but thinking that about himself doesn't seem to be very helpful.

His college are very supportive but he's refused all offers of help to support him with the written work.

Any thoughts/ideas? Anyone identify with this?

DSD has dyslexia and refused help at high school to start with. Then one day she came home and declared she'd asked for all the help she could get.

She just decided that getting the marks her work deserved was better than not getting them because of her dyslexia and her stubbornness.

Assuming he's not just lazy, talk to him about how he approaches his assignments. Would it be easier if he scribbled up an approach first of all then planned out how to complete small parts of it at a time if he finds sitting down boring, or conentrating hard.

Just try and find out what this 'laziness' he has accepted he has actually is. There is something that is slowing him down, if you can get him to recognise it then you may be able to get him to accept some help.

Perhaps he needs the confidence to do that, by recognising what he's good at that might be enough?

Yes, Left, I think that's it. There does seem to be something slowing him down that is not just dyspraxia.

His college are very supportive but he's refused all offers of help to support him with the written work.

Any idea why? Does he not want to be marked out as different?

What if you insisted on giving him help to get started earlier than the night-before they are due?

This worries me about DD1 next year. I can't keep giving her the level of support that I am doing now for GCSEs.

If he won't accept help, and can't do it himself, then he's a bit stuck isn't he. You can lead a horse to water ...

I have no experience of dyspraxia so apologize if I suggest anything that isn't appropriate.
Between the two of you could you work out a timetable for getting the work done in bite size pieces. If you end up helping him at the last minute you might as well help in smaller bits. If you are not panicking and rushing at the last moment the time spent together may help him to perhaps open up about things and make him realize that he needs to ask for support
Will he he listen if you say that it will be a struggle next year if this problem is not sorted out now.

Hope that all makes sense