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27. They do not pay attention to time and do not manage time very well.
This is a complicated sign. It has as much to do with the example you set for your foster child as anything. Your setting a good example will help as will letting him know you think time is important. Whatever you do, it may be tough. His attitude about time and ability to manage time may be fairly set before he comes to live with you.
Here is what you can do. Are you usually on time? Do things happen at regular times such as dinner time? Do you usually get everything done you planned for the day? When you tell him it will be a few minutes, does it really happen in a few minutes? Be sure you are setting a good example.
Here are a couple more points. Doing school work has a lot to do with time management. He needs to get to school on time and get to class on time after he gets to school. He needs to do school work in the time he is given to do it and then turn it in on time. He needs to figure out how long work will take and pace himself so he gets it done.
His problems usually are because of several things. Not seeing how long things will take is the most common. Getting better at this requires thinking about it, making estimates and seeing how they work out, and remembering how long it took the last time. Another common problem is not keeping at it. Putting off starting, getting distracted, day-dreaming, quitting before finishing, and other bad habits get in the way.
This sign may be part of a more general learning problem; but it usually is not. It usually has mostly to do with bad work habits and not staying with it.
Children who have trouble with time often spend more time fussing and getting ready to do something than it takes to do it. It helps if they learn to just start without worrying about getting ready, being sure they have all their materials, and so forth. Next, teach them to take breaks sparingly. Taking too many breaks is more often a problem than not taking enough. Also teach them to go on to something else if they get stuck. He should make a note to come back to it but go on for now. He just needs to be sure not to forget to come back to it. For example, if he gets stuck on his Science, do the History assignment and come back to Science. Even if he still gets stuck, at least he has his History finished.
Another common reason is not knowing where to start. Teach him to start somewhere. If it turns out to be the wrong place, he can start again or at least know where to start the next time.