While some children with special needs qualify for extended school year services, many who would benefit from it do not qualify. How do you decide if your child should receive additional educational services for the summer? Simply put, if your child has a learning disability, summer tutoring would be a great benefit. Additionally, if your child is a "slow learner" and does not have a learning disability, summer tutoring would again be a great benefit.
While taking classes or going to a tutor is not a popular option among children during the summer weeks, in fact it does not take much time and the benefits are huge. This is a chance for parents to step up and do something for their children that will help their child succeed during the next school year.
Once you have decided that summer tutoring is a good idea, the research must begin. There are three main types of summer tutoring available: Commercial learning centers such as Sylvan Learning Center and Huntington Learning Center, on line tutoring, and private tutors. Each type of tutoring has its benefits and weaknesses and no single one choice is perfect for every child.
Commercial Learning Centers: In a commercial learning center your child will receive a diagnostic assessment that will place them somewhere in their specific program or curriculum. The teaching will focus on the results of these tests and move forward from there, so that when the child repeats the same test at a later date, the child will preform better. This is an excellent choice for students who have gaps in their learning and simply need to catch up to the rest of their peers at a specific grade level.
On line Tutoring: While many on line options are available for parents and their children, this option is only best for those who do not have the capability to go somewhere for tutoring. In person tutoring is always a better option.
Private Tutoring: When considering a private tutor, it is vital to interview them carefully. While a commercial learning center has a specific program or curriculum that is followed, private tutors may or may not have a set idea of what to do with a child. Some work only on homework or other work that the child brings in. This is a great way to get homework help for your child, but is not the best summer option. Other private tutors will do their own assessments and have work that they will create and instruct your child with. This would be a better option for the summer.
Limitations of Tutoring for Special Needs Students
It is important that in your research, you direct many questions towards the impact that the child's disability will have upon the tutoring program. A private tutor may not have enough experience working with a specific disability while a commercial learning center may not be willing to guarantee their program to work with a child with a disability. When it comes to finding a tutor for a child with a specific learning disability, an experienced special educator or private tutor with special education experience may be the best option.
Even an hour or two of tutoring per week over the summer can make a huge difference for a child who has a learning disability. This extra instruction will help keep the student in the learning mode, keep knowledge learned over the previous school year and even improve areas of instruction.
Find more information about whether your child needs a tutor with this quiz.
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