Tutoring a Student With Autism: Challenges & Success

Some people give up before they even start. Some people don’t believe in themselves. Tutoring a student with autism can be a challenge, but it can bring great success. It is very important not to focus on quick results. In this case, it is important to plan a long-term schedule and go slowly.

Challenges in Tutoring a Student With Autism

I had a very bright student with autism, but she had to go to class accompanied by her boyfriend. She had problems with communication and understanding basic vocabulary and grammar. She was not self-confident and had an ingrained fear.

Providing a safe environment

Tutoring for me was not only grammar and vocabulary repetition but mainly understanding. At first, I talked a lot with the student in her native language and tried to get to know her. Later we started building on topics that she was interested in. I think that the most important thing was to create a SAFE environment for the student, where there is room for a lot of mistakes. One learns from mistakes. If the student didn’t enjoy something or it was too complicated, we simply switched to another material or something to lighten the load.

Providing trust was the key

Thanks to her lecturer, the student gained confidence, which unfortunately was never given to her in primary or secondary school. It is also important to listen to the student’s situation to know how to behave and how to help them if it is necessary. I am not talking about psychological help, but if a student talks about a difficult life situation, it is good to listen to them. Empathy is also very important for the student to feel good.

Progress We Managed to Achieve

I focused a lot on repetition and sentence connections, which the student could apply in everyday activities or during a conversation with a friend. Raising self-confidence was also important. The student was initially insecure and shy. But thanks to a warm approach, I gained her trust, and after that, I started to see incredible progress.

After about half a year, the results started to be satisfactory, and the student gained confidence in speaking and proudly went to try to pass the final exam. She was good at speaking early on, but her doubts limited her greatly. I have witnessed that those who are motivated and want to learn something can always move forward.

I keep my fingers crossed for all lecturers and students, and above all, don’t give up. It always takes some time, but it’s totally worth it.