Have you ever thought about what makes an effective tutor? Have you ever thought about what makes an effective tutor for children who are neurodiverse or just struggling with new concepts? Do tutors really need any support or training to work with kids?

Those were the questions going through my mind when I received an invitation to lead a thirty-minute talk to the America Reads America Counts tutors, a tutoring program here on campus at Elon.

The student leaders let me know that my role would be to explain how to support students who have disabilities or who are struggling in the tutoring environment.

I had done a similar talk almost eight years ago, and went back to look at what I had said then. I could tell that mostly what I did was explain some of the challenges of disability. But tying into my previous blog, I could tell that I had grown in my understanding and thinking and even ways of explaining neurodiversity. My experience with CEL and those people around it, I think, helped me to take a new look at what I might say and share.

One thing that I did in this presentation is talk about my personal experiences. I wanted to make a personal connection with the group to foster a relationship. I also shared the Key Practices graphic included here (Figure 1, from Key Practices for Fostering Engaged Learning).

Further, I talked about tutors building relationships with their students and focusing on strengths to foster learning. I also sought to help the audience of tutors to understand some of the processing challenges that neurodiverse students can have in learning. I shared the following NIH webpage on neurodiversity which does a nice job at highlighting these challenges, as well as strengths.

Next, I ran a simple activity with the tutors where they were writing a paragraph but also had a distraction that makes it difficult to focus, disrupting processing. We debriefed on the activity, and I believe it got the tutors thinking about how learning can be challenging.

I ended with several strategies that could be used in a tutoring situation. I have given some valuable resources at the end of this blog, including resources for planning out your time, informal assessment, having a book to read, effective questioning, and using visuals. Others include explicit teaching and management suggestions.  

As I walked out of the room and headed to my car, I felt that I had given them a solid first step in thinking about the important role a tutor has. But maybe more importantly, I had changed, too.

I had been made to think more deeply about the applications of the Key Practices for Fostering Engaged Learning (Figure 1). More specifically, I thought about how those practices might apply in elementary classrooms, special education classrooms, and tutoring situations; that these principles were not just for college students and faculty. They were for all learners. If you would like to read more, I highly recommend the book Key Practices for Fostering Engaged Learning: A Guide for Faculty and Staff by Jessie Moore.

I also invite you to consider volunteering with America Reads or a program like it. It cannot hurt to volunteer and be a tutor and make a difference in someone’s life. I ended my talk with this line: “See Strengths and Work Together.”

References

Moore, Jessie L. 2023. “Figure 1.1. Key Practices for Fostering Engaged Learning.” Key Practices for Fostering Engaged Learning: A Guide for Faculty and Staff. Sterling, VA: Stylus.

Recommended Reading

Hock, M. F., J. B. Schumaker, and D. Deshler. 2001. “The Case for Strategic Tutoring.” ASCD. April 1, 2001. https://ascd.org/el/articles/the-case-for-strategic-tutoring.

Jung, E., Molfese, V. J., and A. E. Larson. 2011. “More than Good-Intentioned Help: Volunteer Tutoring and Elementary Readers.” Mentoring & Tutoring: Partnership in Learning 19 (3): 277–99.

Miller, S. P., and P. Hudson. 2006. “Helping Students with Disabilities Understand What Mathematics Means.” Teaching Exceptional Children 28–35. September/October 2006.

Mokhtari, K., A. C. Hutchison, and P. A. Edwards. 2010. “The Reading Teacher” 64 (4): 287–90.

Staddler, B., and M. Staulters. 2008. “Beyond Tutoring: After-School Literacy Instruction.” Intervention School and Clinic 43 (4): 203–9.

Moore, Jessie. 2019. Key Practices for Fostering Engaged Learning: A Guide for Faculty and Staff. Elon, NC: Center for Engaged Learning.

National Cancer Institute. 2022. “Neurodiversity.” National Institute of Health. https://dceg.cancer.gov/about/diversity-inclusion/inclusivity-minute/2022/neurodiversity.

About the Author

Stephen Byrd is an Associate Professor of special education at Elon University and a research seminar leader for the 2024–2026 Affirming and Inclusive Engaged Learning for Neurodivergent Students. His research work centers on families and their perceptions of disability, information, and special education services. Stephen regularly presents at local, state, and national conferences. He also engages in undergraduate research and serves as program coordinator for special education at Elon.  

How to Cite This Post

Byrd, Stephen. 2024. “Supporting Neurodiverse Learners in a Tutoring Environment.” Center for Engaged Learning (blog), Elon University. December 20. https://www.centerforengagedlearning.org/supporting-neurodiverse-learners-in-a-tutoring-environment/.