A guide to tutoring students with Specific Learning Differences or Autism
In this guide, I’ll share general tips on tutoring students with Specific Learning Differences or Autism and also specific tips on a few conditions. These tips are important for every tutor but especially for those who tutor a student with a Specific Learning Difference (SpLD) or an Autism Spectrum Condition.
Many students we work with at CTI have a Specific Learning Difference (SpLD) or Autism spectrum condition. The term SpLD usually refers to a difference or difficulty that someone has with a particular aspect of learning, but they can also overlap. The most common SpLDs include dyslexia, developmental coordination disorder (also known as dyspraxia) and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).
Autism spectrum conditions also influence how people learn. Students may have a specific diagnosis or may self-identify as having the traits of an SpLD or Autism. Either way, it’s important tutors consider how this might affect how students learn and respect their student’s approach to learning.
In a nutshell, you should be open-minded, adaptive and follow your student’s lead. Remember that every individual learns differently and that having a diagnosis doesn’t impact your student’s intelligence or potential at all.
There are eight general tips, followed by specific advice on:
Developmental Coordination Disorder (Dyspraxia)
If you have any questions or comments relating to access, would like to receive tutoring or would like to volunteer with students with SpLD, contact the CTI Access Team: [email protected].
1. Be open-minded
Make no assumptions about your student if they have a diagnosis or mention a difficulty or condition. You mustn’t prejudge any capabilities or assume particular characteristics, or set expectations before you get to know your student.
SpLDs are independent of intelligence and students with a diagnosis or a difficulty are completely capable of succeeding in tutoring sessions, school or whatever they put their mind to. Everyone, whether they fall in the category of having a specific need or not, has a preference for how they learn and has different strengths and weaknesses.
The important thing is to respond to these preferences and strengths, focus on what is working well and be adaptive. So, tutor with an open mind and be willing to listen to your student and adapt your teaching style.
2. Be respectful and patient
Respect your student’s needs, answers and approaches to learning. They may be different to your approaches or different to anyone’s you know but that’s completely okay.
Respect that your student might find some aspects of the lesson harder and think about how and when you praise or correct your student. For example, if your student has dyslexia, focus on whether they have understood a concept rather than whether they have spelt the key term correctly.
It’s important to be patient with your student and give them the time they need. If your student has an SpLD, they may have struggled throughout their education in a classroom and felt that they aren’t good enough, so creating a space to learn where your student feels respected and can be themselves is really important.
3. Ask
When you have your first lesson with a student, ask what works best for them or if they have a preferred way of learning. You could even ask this in any initial emails before the lesson.
Try and start by using open questions like “What works well for you/what do you like in a lesson?” Your student might not say anything but opening up the conversation and being willing to listen and adapt is important.
We want our students to benefit from tutoring sessions, so reassure them that you’re open to suggestions and want them to get the most from it. If you’ve been tutoring a while and haven’t asked how your student is finding things, it’s never too late to ask.
4. Check in
Asking once about learning styles and preferences probably isn’t enough. As you build a rapport with your student, they may feel more comfortable telling you things and more confident to make suggestions.
So, now and again check in with them- ask what they like about sessions, if they have any suggestions, what works well and what doesn’t work well. If a student gives a simple answer like “That session was really helpful” try and ask what in particular was helpful so you know for future sessions.
Try and broach open and casually rather than making it feel forced- you want your student to feel comfortable to give feedback rather than feeling obliged to. And if your student gives you negative feedback, don’t take this personally. See it as a positive way of making you an even better tutor! It’s a learning curve for everyone and being willing to adapt is key.
5. Follow your student’s lead
Try and follow your student’s lead when it comes to formats, designs, ways of explaining and the pace of sessions. Going at your student’s pace is really important and you can ask how the pace is for them.
Having interactive activities where you ask your student to explain something to you or to produce work themselves is a really good way to understand their learning style. For example, if you ask your student to explain a concept to you using the Bramble whiteboard, look at how they use it - maybe they do things differently to you and it could be beneficial to copy their style.
If your student finds it useful to draw a concept using cartoons, why not incorporate more cartoon drawing into lessons. Allow your student to be creative and produce work in their way and follow their lead in what they do.
The big advantage of online tutoring is that there is space to be flexible and creative and learn in different ways to what’s possible in a classroom. This could be a really exciting and important opportunity for students with an SpLD who may struggle with generic classroom teaching but excel in tutoring sessions.
6. Use a variety of methods
It’s good to have a mix of activities that use text, images, audio and visuals to make sessions engaging and interactive.
Bramble has different features and ways of facilitating sessions, so explore these and see what your student responds best to and what goes well. As tip four says, follow your students lead on this and don’t be precious about an activity that maybe doesn’t go so well. We all make activities that don’t go as planned - move on and focus on what does go well.
Some examples of different activities and methods are:
Matching activities
Drawing,
Using images or videos,
Fill the gap activities
Short quizzes,
Mind mapping (this can be useful for students with SpLDs).
Having interactive sessions makes it more fun as a tutor too and is a good way of checking your students’ understanding. There are some resources and tips in the CTI resource bank and the CTI Support Facebook group is a good place to share ideas and resources too.
7. Remember your student might be anxious
This might be a new experience for you and your student so you might both be anxious. If it’s your first time tutoring, don’t feel you have to get it right straight away. Likewise, if you’re not anxious at all, remember that your student might be.
Anxiety can show up in many ways, including anger, distraction, avoidance, shyness or rudeness. Be respectful and patient, and don’t take things personally as it’s probably a response to the situation, not you.
To ease anxiety it’s helpful to talk through plans for the session and future sessions, give notice about activities, give positive feedback and praise effort as well as achievement. This can be done in the session but also reiterated in email communication.
8. Have a sense of humour and be yourself
Tutoring is a great opportunity to have a more personal learning experience and gives you the flexibility to be creative too. There’s no pressure to pretend to be someone else or act as a qualified teacher who’s an expert in everything. We can only be ourselves and do our best! Your student might respond better if you’re natural, show a sense of humour and are honest in your communication.
Remember that you can always get in contact with the access team at CTI if you have any questions or comments relating to SpLDs or access in general. You can also send them an email you would like to receive tutoring or would like to volunteer with students with SpLD. Reach our team at [email protected].
Dyslexia
Students with dyslexia may have difficulties in several areas. There may be weaknesses in reading, writing, processing information and memory.
Dyslexia affects people in different ways, so it’s always best to ask openly about what works for your student-or what doesn’t work. Asking your student to produce work or explain things to you can help spot their preferences.
Some things to consider are:
Certain colour combinations and fonts make reading text easier for different people. If the text options on Bramble don’t allow for these, you could write on a PowerPoint and upload screenshots of the slides to the Bramble whiteboard
A variety of spoken and visual activities as well as written ones might work better.
Give your student the time they need to process information
Mind maps can be an effective tool as they are visual, aren’t that text-heavy and can incorporate images and different colours
If your student is struggling with spelling, suggest they can tell you answers and you can write them. Depending on the subject and what the student wants from tutoring sessions, it might not be necessary for them to spell and write correctly. It’s better to focus on content and your student’s confidence in the topic
It might be helpful to pre-teach vocabulary or specialist words, for example by sending a glossary or some content pointers before the session
You can find more tips here and from the British Dyslexia Association.
Developmental Coordination Disorder (dyspraxia)
Dyspraxia affects motor coordination and can impact time management, planning and personal organisation. It’s unlikely to impact online tutoring that much but there may be certain traits that affect students in sessions.
Some things to consider are:
Think about page layout, visuospatial layout and presentation - people with DCD may struggle with sequence organisation
Help with writing - some students might not need more time or help to write out text. Other students might struggle with the freehand writing on the whiteboard feature and prefer to type
Time planning and personal organisation - be clear in emails and in communication when planning a session
Give your student the time they need and allow for some breaks in a session if needed
Click here for more tips, or to find out more visit Movement Matters UK
Attention deficity hyperactivity disorder(ADHD)
ADHD can affect attention and concentration, students might be more restless and have difficulty listening and may have a short attention span. This may impact how your student follows instructions or responds to different activities.
Some things to consider are:
Having shorter tutor sessions more regularly rather than one long session, or making sure there are regular breaks in a tutor session
Shorter activities or longer activities broken down into chunks
Be open to your student doodling on the Bramble board or using the board for something other than what you had planned
Be open to your student being impulsive, for example jumping in to answer questions or interrupting and welcome their contribution
Autism Spectrum Condition
Students on the autism spectrum may struggle to understand language and social interactions. They may take things very literally, like to have a routine and a pattern and sometimes get fixated on small details.
Some things to consider are:
Send some information about the sessions beforehand so your student knows what to expect
Make a routine that fits with the topic and don’t break it unless you have given your student warning
Provide extra thinking time and time to process information
Be direct in communication - be specific about tasks and avoid sarcasm
Be open to your student fixating on a small detail and try and steer back to the main session whilst accepting their point
Don’t take it personally if your student gives direct feedback that may come across like criticism or rudeness
You can find more information at Teacher Toolkit, Autism.org, and the Autism Education Trust.
Get in touch with the access team at CTI if you have any questions or comments, would like to receive tutoring, or would like to volunteer with a student with an SpLD. Contact us at [email protected].