Varsity Tutors recognizes the unique educational challenges encountered by students with learning disabilities. We know how stressful it can be for their parents to find assistance, but we can connect you with qualified learning disabilities tutors who can help. Further complicating the matter is the sheer scope of learning differences that are experienced from the unique perspective of each individual student. Some of the learning disabilities a personal instructor can provide accommodations for include dyslexia, dyscalculia, dysgraphia, and various processing disorders associated with - but not limited to - autism. To discover how learning disabilities tutors can help your child work towards their academic goals, continue reading.
What subject areas can learning disabilities tutors support?
Students with learning differences don't usually have unique needs that are limited to one or two classes. While their differences may be more apparent in one class or another, they will most likely need additional support across all subject areas. A learning disabilities tutor can work with your student in any of the core subject areas throughout elementary, middle, and high school, including reading, writing, math, science, and social studies.
Parents, teachers, and even the students themselves may be aware that the student needs more help. In an effort to provide that additional support within the school system, students may be pulled from class. While this can be valuable one-on-one time, it inevitably means your student is missing direct instruction from their primary classroom teacher. If this material was not the focus of the one-on-one time, it could leave the student feeling even further behind when it is time for them to complete the subsequent homework. Unfortunately, instead of providing additional instruction, the result can be reduced instructional time.
Many students with learning differences need a few of the same things, even if they are delivered in different ways. This can include additional repetition of instructional information and help to complete work sequentially instead of with supervision as they work through it on their own. Constant feedback and positive reinforcement are especially important for students with learning differences who may have an added level of academic insecurity which makes independent study more difficult. These are all benefits that private instruction can easily provide to support your student when they are away from class.
Once students transition into specialty coursework in high school or college, they may need the support of someone with expertise in a particular field. For example, foreign languages, AP courses, or advanced science and math classes might require the assistance of an instructor with a different skillset who offers support outside of the learning disabilities tutoring sessions. If you aren't sure if your student needs a specialty tutor or someone who can work with them with a more generalized curriculum, we'd be happy to discuss the various options.
What are some of the skills a learning disabilities tutor could target?
A learning disabilities tutor can help your student work on developing the skills that will best serve them in their academic pursuits. Many students with a learning disability need assistance with a range of academic skills and subjects. A student with dyslexia may need guidance to work toward improving their writing for papers, assignments, and exams in language arts, social studies, math, electives, and science. A personal instructor may help them create chapter outlines or break down large assignments into more accessible portions.
The skills your student could benefit from implementing are unknowable to an outsider. That's why it's so important to have a learning disabilities tutor work directly with your student to discover their unique learning style and the skills that would be most beneficial to their current needs. This could include creating mind maps for new concepts or as a note-taking tool while reading new material, implementing a calendar routine, using number lines or math facts tables, or creating an organizational system for their notebooks.
It's important to note that as your student's skill level increases, they will need new tactics to help them work towards future learning goals.
Is working with a learning disabilities tutor near me like being in a classroom?
Learning disabilities tutoring is significantly different from being in a classroom setting. No matter what type of learning differences your student has, they are expected to adapt their needs to conform to the structure of the classroom. Even with accommodations for additional time, sensory manipulatives, alternative seating, or small group instruction, they are still subject to the same routines, timeline, and instructional modalities as the rest of the class.
When working with a learning disabilities tutor, the learning environment is completely customized to the needs of your student. The topics covered in the session are flexible and based on where your student needs the most support rather than what is on the syllabus for the class. While this will often mean reviewing current homework or preparing for an exam, it can also mean reviewing foundational knowledge from previous years that is key for understanding current lessons. In a classroom, this type of flexibility is impossible, but with learning disabilities tutoring, it is the norm.
What are some of the benefits of working directly with a learning disabilities tutor near me?
Most people focus on how a learning disabilities tutor can help the student with their schoolwork. While this can be the primary focus of an instructor, it isn't the only way students benefit. Parents can also benefit from the time their student spends with an instructor during learning disabilities tutoring sessions. You see, many parents don't know how to best help a child who learns in a way that is completely different.
As an instructor gets to know your student and the strategies that work best with them, they will begin to develop tactics and strategies that can be implemented outside of private sessions. This could include things like a visual study schedule or a list of topics to be reviewed outside of sessions.
Finally, when your student is receiving help with their schoolwork from a skilled instructor, it takes some of the pressure off parents when they're no longer the sole academic support. This can allow parents to spend more time with their child under less stressful circumstances.
Are learning disabilities tutoring sessions convenient?
Scheduling private learning disabilities tutoring sessions can be almost impossible in some communities. This is unfortunate since those with learning differences are often the students who need the most support. That is one reason we created our online Live Learning Platform. This secure digital learning environment allows students to connect with an experienced learning disabilities tutor no matter where they are so they can receive the support and guidance they deserve as they work towards their educational goals.
To access the Live Learning Platform, all you need is a reliable internet connection and a digital device. There is no need to add hours of commute time or take a chance in a new environment which may not be conducive to your student's learning process. When it's time for a session to begin, your student will log in and study face-to-face with their personal instructor.
The learning environment has several important features that help make the session both convenient and effective. The document sharing functionality allows the instructor to share valuable information and learning tools during the session, while the digital whiteboard makes it easy to work through individual problems, create tables and graphs, and more. Your student also has the option to share their document with the instructor. This is invaluable in allowing the instructor to monitor student work as it is completed and offer real-time feedback. This type of instant communication makes it possible to identify any issues with assignments and correct them before they become ingrained habits.
Online sessions also mean you have complete control of the physical environment of the student. We understand that different students need different physical environments to focus and that it can be difficult to replicate that in new situations. If your student has sensory processing issues, requires opportunities for extra movement, or needs to be in a completely distraction-free zone, it's important that their instructor is able to meet with them in that space. Online sessions make that an easy and convenient option.
While online instruction offers the same benefits as in-person sessions, we know some students feel more comfortable working with someone seated next to them. If you'd prefer in-person sessions for your student, this is also an option.
How can I find a learning disabilities tutor near me?
Varsity Tutors makes it easy to connect with a skilled learning disabilities tutor, whether you want your child to work with someone in person or in an online environment. We understand how critical it is to create the right learning support team for individuals with learning differences, and we love being part of that process. Whether you need a learning disabilities tutor with expertise working with children on the autism spectrum, with language processing disorders, or with other learning differences, we will help you find someone who is dedicated to helping your student as they work towards their learning goals. Contact Varsity Tutors today to learn more or to schedule your first session.