Students with autism often require personalised support to navigate academic challenges and develop essential skills. Tutoring services offer individualised attention, customised learning plans, and specialised strategies to address the unique learning profiles of students with autism. By providing a supportive and structured learning environment, tutoring services help students with autism build confidence, improve academic performance, and enhance social skills.
Tutoring for children with autism differs from mainstream tutoring in the way that special needs tutors follow structures and a programme that was curated through the initial assessments of the child. This is important as conducting comprehensive assessments is the initial step in understanding the needs of students with autism. These assessments allow the tutors to be instructed on the child’s strengths, weaknesses, and learning styles. Using set tools and data tracking, these tutors are able to take data on the child’s lessons and the progress of the child. This is especially helpful when learning more about the child’s academic abilities, executive functioning skills, and social communication.
Personalised programmes are then developed based on the assessment results. These plans outline specific and comprehensive academic plans for each child. How the tutor runs the session or delivers instructions is all dependent on the specific needs, preferences, and interests of each student with autism. The tutor will run the lessons and assist with learning using evidence-based teaching methods, including, but not limited to: visual supports, task analysis, and positive reinforcement. The tutor will also understand how to break down each important learning task into its manageable components in order to optimise explicit understanding and skill acquisition.
Social skills development is integrated into tutoring sessions to foster communication, social interaction, and peer relationships among students with autism. Role-playing, modeling, and structured activities are employed to teach and reinforce social skills in real-life contexts, promoting social confidence and inclusion.
Sensory considerations are taken into account to create a productive learning environment for students with autism, and also to maintain a manageable environment for the other students that may be present. Sensory activities are usually anything that the therapist changes about the environment to modify it for the child’s comfort, and these activities include minimising distractions, providing sensory accommodations (such as hugs, squeezes, floor time, quiet time etc.), and addressing sensory sensitivities (such as closing the window if there’s a loud noise outside, or giving them downtime to wear their headphones), contributing to creating a sensory-friendly atmosphere. Additionally, sensory breaks and activities are incorporated to help students regulate their sensory experiences and maintain focus during tutoring sessions. This could be in the form of some little exercises, or time to go outside.
Ongoing progress monitoring is essential to track skill acquisition and identify areas of growth for students with autism. Data on student progress and performance are collected regularly, allowing educators to adjust instructional strategies accordingly. Furthermore, regular communication with parents, caregivers, and school professionals ensures collaboration and consistent support for students with autism.