27th September 2013 9:00
By Blue Tutors
It is increasingly common for tutoring agencies to receive requests from parents of children with learning difficulties. Although school mechanisms for identifying and helping children with learning difficulties has improved over the few years, many children fall through the gaps. It is not unusual for students to reach university before they are given a dyslexia assessment, and find that they could have received much needed help earlier on in their school careers. Where teachers are aware that students have learning difficulties, there are often not the resources to provide adequate help for these students in mainstream schools.
When parents request tutors to help children with learning difficulties, it is important that the tutor they select has experience of teaching students who fall into this category. Students who struggle because of dyslexia, for example, are sometimes labelled as unintelligent, which can profoundly affect their experience of school. Tutors who understand different learning disabilities can provide resources and techniques to help their students, and help rebuild their confidence. One of the most important thing a tutor can do is assure their students that a slow reader shouldn’t be seen as a bad reader. Instead, they can focus on techniques to help students work more effectively at their own pace, such as using coloured paper filters or different fonts.
They can also advise parents on how to help their children make the most of their education. Some parents may be unaware that extra help, such as computer equipment and extra time on exams may be available from their child’s school, and tutors can help them explore those options. In other cases, parents may not be aware that their child has a learning disability, and in these cases a tutor can be instrumental in identifying problems and helping parent secure the appropriate support. If a tutor has little experience in this area, one of the best things they can do is suggest an assessment by the school, and recommend another tutor who does have the requisite experience. In most cases, a tutor should be able to provide a level of support and confidence building where many schools are currently unable to do so.