One of the questions I get asked a lot, is how a specialist tutor can help a child. Does specialist support really make a difference? Well, I think it makes a huge difference in so many ways, not just academic as this case
study shows how. I've changed the child's name.
Ella was eight when I first met her. Her mum had taken her out of school
because Ella had become so anxious. She didn't want to read and
found ways to avoid writing. Once a very outgoing child, she had
become withdrawn.
We
did a screening, identified Ella's difficulties, then started meeting
once a week. At first, we didn't do any reading or writing; we just
'played games' – ones Ella turned out to be very good at! I
gradually introduced reading and writing into the lessons.
We worked
steadily, at Ella's pace. Because it was just the two of us we didn't have any distractions or constraints. There was no one to tell Ella to hurry up like in the classroom and no other children for her to compare herself to. Her confidence grew and grew.
After
a while, Ella felt able to return to school – on the understanding
that she could still come to see me one morning a week. Her school
used the results of the screening to assist Ella in the classroom
and ensure they were meeting her needs.
A
year on, her teachers say they have noticed a big improvement. Ella is very confident and happy, she reads fluently and enjoys writing. There
is still more work to do but Ella is on her way to mastering the
English language despite all the inconsistencies. Oh, and we still play games and Ella nearly always wins...
Don't forget, you can also find me on Facebook where I regularly post links and articles. You
never stop being dyslexic but it can become manageable.
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