If you're frustrated by trying to figure out how to best support your child with dyslexia, Varsity Tutors can help you connect with skilled tutors for students with dyslexia. A tutor can help your student work towards their learning goals. Many parents and students feel both relieved and anxious when they first learn about dyslexia. It's important for the student to feel comfortable asking for the help they need to make their academic lessons more accessible to them. Working with a private instructor can help increase that confidence while also providing support in building valuable learning skills.
While dyslexia is most commonly thought of as a reading disability, it can impact all areas of communication, including spelling, writing, and speaking. While it isn't something that your child will ever outgrow, there are many strategies they can implement to make the process of learning easier. To learn more about some of these strategies and how private tutoring for students with dyslexia could help your child, continue reading.
What skills can a tutor for students with dyslexia near me help my child build?
There are many different skills which can be affected by dyslexia, many of which may initially seem unrelated. Social skills, listening and reading comprehension, memory, time management, writing, and navigation can all be impacted by dyslexia. Depending on the needs of your child, their tutor for students with dyslexia may target skills individually, or they may work on several together.
Some of the specific reading and language skills tutors for students with dyslexia may work on with your child include phonology, sound-symbol association, morphology, syntax, semantics, and syllable instruction. Their instructor may also help augment an IEP or 504 Plan they are already working through, which may include methods such as the Orton-Gillingham Approach or the Structured Literacy Approach. Both formats use a multisensory approach that can help children with dyslexia bring words into a physical space that makes them more accessible. This could include writing letters and words with tactile materials such as sand or glue or using drums, hopscotch, or jumping rope to emphasize spelling or phonics instruction.
What are some subjects that can be covered during tutoring for students with dyslexia?
Reading and writing are the foundation upon which the system of modern education is built, which means working with a tutor for students with dyslexia can be beneficial for students of all ages and in any subject area. Students in elementary and middle school can work with their tutor for students with dyslexia as they navigate classwork, homework, assignments, and prepare for exams. In addition to working with your child on the skills needed to navigate reading and writing as an individual with dyslexia, their instructor can also help them organize the information from core subject areas in ways that make it more accessible for them.
It's important for parents to realize that while the skills children will work on developing during tutoring for students with dyslexia will build upon one another and ultimately support learning goals in all areas, some students may still need help in their current classes if they are to work most effectively towards their educational goals.
Reading support is one of the many ways a private instructor can help your student in specific subject areas. Pre-reading strategies like reviewing previous material and reviewing new vocabulary words which will be used in the upcoming lessons are important for students with dyslexia. As new material is worked through, a private instructor can model active learning strategies and help your student implement them independently. After a new lesson, your child could work with their personal instructor to answer review questions or organize notes graphically to help with test review later.
Is working with a tutor for students with dyslexia near me similar to what happens in a classroom?
Private tutoring for students with dyslexia is nothing like being in a traditional classroom, which is great news for students! You see, in a typical classroom, teachers are required to focus on the content that they are expected to deliver to students within a certain amount of time. During the first years of elementary school, some of that content includes reading instruction. However, even when a teacher is instructing students on the various skills that become the building blocks for effective reading strategies, they must do so in a group setting based on the assumption that all of the children learn in roughly the same way. Students with dyslexia simply don't learn to use letters, words, or even numbers in the same way, so what they are being taught may be creating more confusion rather than greater understanding.
When working with a tutor for students with dyslexia, your child has the complete focus of their instructor. The entire lesson is customized to help your child learn in a way that makes the information more accessible to them, regardless of what methodology or technique that might include. Some days this may include reading passages aloud, clarifying or simplifying directions, highlighting the most essential information, or providing additional practice activities. Other sessions may be focused on organizational strategies, alternative ways to take notes such as graphic organizers, helping to create new routines, or teaching time management techniques.
What are some of the benefits of working independently with a tutor for students with dyslexia?
Beyond the previously stated benefits, working with a tutor for students with dyslexia has many benefits which might be less tangible. Students with learning differences often feel alienated in school, especially at first. Working with a private instructor can help them realize that just because they learn differently from many other students, they still have the capacity to learn. Building a child's academic confidence can go a long way in improving their attitude and experience when it comes to the learning process.
Tutors for students with dyslexia can also offer support to you as a parent. Most people learn to read without really understanding how this transformational process occurred. This can make it more difficult for many parents to understand what is going on with their child. It may also leave them wondering what they can do to best support their child and help them learn. You can also learn from a tutor for students with dyslexia to support your child's academic efforts away from school and private sessions. Once their instructor gets to know them and has a better understanding of their learning needs, they may be able to offer you tactics, strategies, and routines that can provide additional learning support.
Having access to outside support gives families the benefit of more time spent together doing things that are enjoyable. This may seem like a little thing, but the added stress of trying to complete schoolwork can make family time less enjoyable and strain relationships. By adding an outside source of academic support, more time can be spent building relationships, which is an invaluable benefit.
How convenient is tutoring for students with dyslexia?
Fluent reading skills are essential in today's world and are the foundation of academia. We want all students to have access to the educational support they need to work on these important skills. Unfortunately, skilled tutors for students with dyslexia can be difficult for many parents to find. The lack of availability is one of the reasons we created our Live Learning Platform. This secure online learning environment makes it easy to connect parents and students with experienced instructors quickly and easily.
When it is time for a session to begin, your student will only need an internet connection and digital device. There is no need to worry about adding additional commute times to your regular schedule! Once they log in, they will find themselves face-to-face with their tutor for students with dyslexia. Within the learning environment, there are several features which make working together easy and intuitive. The digital whiteboard allows instructors and students to work collaboratively in the same digital space. It also provides the instructor with a way to easily share resources such as graphic organizers or visual prompts. The document sharing functionality allows either the instructor or your student to share files. This is a great way to read together or review homework. As your child works through any assignments, their instructor can watch and provide real-time feedback.
Working with a teacher remotely means that you have access to a greater number of highly-qualified instructors than might be available in your immediate geographic area. This also makes it easier to find convenient times to schedule private sessions. Whether you want your child to work with an instructor during the week or on weekends, there are many options for morning, afternoon, and evening sessions. If you'd prefer your child work with someone in person, that is also an option.
Where can I find a tutor for students with dyslexia near me?
Varsity Tutors makes it easy to get started with private tutoring for students with dyslexia, whether you're interested in online or in-person sessions. Dyslexia can initially seem like a scary learning difference, but with proper support, students can embrace the way they learn and even enjoy the process. To schedule a private session with an experienced tutor for students with dyslexia or to learn more about how tutoring for students with dyslexia can help your child, contact Varsity Tutors today.