Thursday, December 4, 2014

A Guide to Tutoring Children with Autism - Part II

In this two-part series, we share helpful tips about how best to tutor a child with autism. The first article focused on general guidelines for tutoring autistic children, whereas this second article will give you specific techniques to hone your skills as a special needs tutor.


Use graphics to organize ideas and stimulate discussion and connections between topics. Flow charts and web maps will help the child see a clearer presentation of their thoughts and develop new ideas. This is particularly useful when assignments with multiple parts are involved, as visual aids break down the parts into doable actions while at the same time supplying an overall picture of the project.

Speaking of breaking down parts into doable actions, a private tutor should always aim to make the student aware of what they need to do in order to complete a task. This can be achieved by (you guessed it) drawing a flow chart or mind map. A large project is always less daunting when it is broken up into smaller tasks. You can set reachable deadlines so the student knows exactly what is expected of them and when.

Write and practice scripts to reduce anxiety. This is especially helpful if a student is feeling nervous about an upcoming presentation where they will have to speak in front of their peers. You can collaborate with the student and help them develop a “script” of what they want to say. Encourage them to practice this script while you take on the role of either teacher or peer. The goal of this exercise is to reduce anxiety by reducing the potential for surprises during the anticipated presentation.

Improve organizational skills by developing a schedule that both you and the student are capable of sticking to. The schedule should include goals (what are we going to achieve next time/ within one month?) as well as a list of concrete actions that will help the student achieve those goals.

Big Apple Tutoring is a renowned academic tutoring agency in New York City that specializes in working with children with learning disabilities. Their reputation for putting clients before profit means they will be around for many years to come.

Big Apple Tutoring services include:

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