"He Can't Get Started" (Task Initiation)
A child who cannot begin is not always refusing. The work may still be too hard for now. Your child may be worried. Your child may be tired. Starting may be the hard part itself. No sign we hold has been shown to tell these apart. For worry, ask a mental-health professional. Name the first physical action, not the task.
TL;DR
- A child who cannot begin is not always refusing. The work may still be too hard for now. Your child may be worried. Your child may be tired. Starting may be the hard part itself. No sign we hold has been shown to tell these apart. For worry, ask a mental-health professional.
- Name the first physical action, not the task. Say "write today's date at the top," not "start your homework."
- Cut the first piece so it can be finished. Four problems, not the sheet. One paragraph, not the page. Put the rest out of sight.
- Again and again, we see children who practice starting small pieces get better at starting them. We also see that the pieces can grow. That is a claim about the skill being practiced.
- In our view, the first step is usually to work out what is hard. Our position is that a lost skill goes to a doctor first. Have hearing and vision checked.
Why can't my child get started?
A child who cannot begin is not always refusing.
Several things can make starting hard. The work may still be too hard for now. Your child may be worried. Your child may be tired. Starting may be the hard part itself. No sign we hold has been shown to tell these apart. For worry, ask a mental-health professional.
Starting is its own job
Getting started. Knowing what the work is and not being able to begin. A report may call it task initiation. It is different from not being able to keep going once started.
Our position is that starting is a skill built by practice. Put support in place while it is built.
What else can make starting hard
When reading, writing or math is still hard work, less is left for planning and starting. A child who cannot yet read the sheet easily can look unable to start.
A tired child is harder to start and harder to keep going.
Worry about the work. A child avoiding the page can look like a child who cannot start it. From across a room, the two look the same. They need opposite responses. We hold no study of how to tell them apart. For worry, ask a mental-health professional.
What to check
In our view, the first step is usually to work out what is hard. Our position is that a lost skill goes to a doctor first.
Have hearing and vision checked.
What helps
Name the first physical action, not the task. Say "write today's date at the top," not "start your homework."
Cut the first piece so it can be finished. Four problems, not the sheet. One paragraph, not the page. Put the rest out of sight. Stop while it is still going well.
Again and again, we see children who practice starting small pieces get better at starting them. We also see that the pieces can grow. That is a claim about the skill being practiced.
Our page on processing difficulties has more.
When to ask for help
Each of these is a reason to ask for help on its own.
- Little change, even with steady practice and good teaching.
- Schoolwork well below what school expects.
- A teacher who raises a concern about learning.
- Extreme upset about schoolwork.
- Complete avoidance of school or learning.
- Hopelessness about learning.
- Sadness or worry that lasts.
- Significant delays in speech, language or motor development.
- A skill that was there and has gone. Our position is that a lost skill goes to a doctor first, not a tutor.
If no skill has gone, start with the teacher. Say what you are seeing at home, and what you have tried. Beyond the teacher, the right person depends on what it turns out to be about. If the work is too hard, someone who works on that school skill. If worry or mood is the thing, someone who works with children's mental health. In our view, delays in speech, language or movement are worth raising with your child's doctor. In our view, if you are worried enough to ask, a professional evaluation is worth asking about.
Any talk of hurting themselves is a same-day call to your doctor or a crisis line.
In the classroom
A child who cannot begin at home may be a child who cannot begin at school either. Name the first physical action, not the task.
One sentence for an email home: "He understands the work. He has a hard time getting started and keeping the pieces in order. So I am giving him written steps and a smaller first piece. I wanted you to know what I am seeing."
Key Takeaways
A child who cannot begin is not always refusing. The work may still be too hard for now. Your child may be worried. Your child may be tired. Starting may be the hard part itself. No sign we hold has been shown to tell these apart. For worry, ask a mental-health professional.
Name the first physical action, not the task. Say "write today's date at the top," not "start your homework."
Cut the first piece so it can be finished. Stop while it is still going well.
In our view, the first step is usually to work out what is hard. Our position is that a lost skill goes to a doctor first. Have hearing and vision checked.
Pick one piece of tomorrow's homework. On a sticky note, write its first physical action, such as "Write the date at the top." Put the note on the desk before your child sits down. Say nothing else. Notice whether the work starts sooner.
”What to do tonightWhat to use next
An overview of processing skills. Our work on each runs alongside reading, spelling or math instruction, not in place of it.
Listening practice, built to run alongside reading and spelling instruction, not in place of it. No study of this program exists, so nothing is claimed for it on reading, spelling, attention or social skills.
Common questions from parents
Why does my child stare at a blank page?
A child who cannot begin is not always refusing. The work may still be too hard for now. Your child may be worried. Your child may be tired. Starting may be the hard part itself. No sign we hold has been shown to tell these apart. For worry, ask a mental-health professional. Name the first physical action, not the task.
What is task initiation?
Task initiation is a word a report may use for getting started. Some children know what to do and cannot start. That is different from not being able to keep going once started. Our position is that starting is a skill built by practice. Put support in place while it is built.
How do I help my child get started?
Name the first physical action, not the task. Say "write today's date at the top," not "start your homework." Cut the first piece so it can be finished. Four problems, not the sheet. Put the rest out of sight. Again and again, we see children who practice starting small pieces get better at starting them. We also see that the pieces can grow. That is a claim about the skill being practiced.