That Crumpled Paper Was Due Last Week

December 1, 2009
Homayoun, an educational consultant, has seen plenty of boys who score high on standardized tests but earn poor grades. Often the reason is that boys are not as good as girls at multitasking, a crucial skill that requires organization. She reports complaints from parents of boys chronically losing homework, forgetting tests, and not turning in assignments. She cites research on differences in how girls and boys learn, and examines them in the context of the distractions of technology, from video games to the Internet. Homayoun also looks at contributing factors, from sleep deprivation to overly involved parents. She helps parents to identify the particular style of their sons disorganizationprocrastinator, scatterbrain, slacker, underachieverand how to tailor a program that will help him. Among the suggestions: goal setting, self-competition, breaking down tasks into steps, scheduling to avoid stress and manage extracurricular activities, and using an assortment of tools, including binders and planners. Helpful advice for parents struggling with disorganized boysor girls.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2009, American Library Association.)