How to help your autistic child flourish.
Find the support, advice, and resources to help your child with autism succeed—in class, at home, and beyond.
At Varsity Tutors, your child’s success is our top priority. They deserve an education from people who “get them” and understand how autism affects them. And you deserve a partner to help you navigate the unknowns of autism. That’s where we come in.
Get autism help from experienced tutors.
Making sure your autistic child gets the right level of help means matching them with a tutor who knows what they’re doing—someone who knows the given subject matter AND how to teach a child with autism.
That’s why every tutor and instructor must go through an exhaustive vetting process that includes:
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Completing in-depth interviews
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Showing subject-specific knowledge in a simulated session
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Demonstrating different teaching methods based on how different students learn
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Proving their ability to educate virtually
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Passing all academic and personal background checks
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Completing a secondary review of certifications
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Showing experience with IEPs or 504 plans
Let's find the exact right tutor for your child with autism.
Your child is unique and they learn in their own unique way, autistic or not. So to find the right tutor for them, we start with a conversation about their needs and goals. With the insights you share, we factor in over 90 additional criteria to pinpoint the tutor or class that can make the biggest impact.
Terri
Executive Function and Learning Differences Educator
Known for: Being patient with students and helping them ignite that "spark"
Marc
Special Education and Learning Differences Educator
Known for: Encouraging students to “never give up!”
Priscella
Special Education and Learning Differences Educator
Known for: Viewing teaching as a calling, not a career
The Live Learning Platform
Academic support delivered in the right way.
Our innovative Live Learning Platform combines video, interactive tools, and collaborative workspaces to unlock new potential for students with autism. With the proper setup (we recommend headphones and a quiet space), your child can stay more focused and may even feel like they’re sitting next to their tutor.
Meet with the right tutor, wherever they are.
The best tutor for your child is rarely in your neighborhood. With online tutoring on the Live Learning Platform, we can connect them to the best tutor for their needs regardless of geography.
Experience focused engagement.
By combining purpose-built tools with collaborative workspaces and 2-way video with their tutor, the platform helps your student stay focused on the task at hand.
Rewatch and relearn with recorded sessions.
Every tutoring session that happens on our platform is recorded. If your child can’t remember how a problem was solved or forgot a key piece of info, just rewind and rewatch.
Small Group Classes
Group learning for added confidence.
When a student begins to fall behind, they are often singled out for special help. Depending on the school size, they might be the only ones. They may feel isolated and get picked on. But they aren’t alone. With our Special Education Small Group Classes, we can put your child in a class with kids at the same level from across the country. As they learn alongside students with similar struggles from experienced instructors, you may be surprised by an increase in their confidence and academic performance.
On the Spectrum Collection
Explore Classes
Special Education Math Collection
Explore Classes
Special Education Reading Comprehension Collection
Explore Classes
Special Education Reading Fluency Collection
Explore Classes
Getting an ASD diagnosis.
If you suspect your child may be on the autism spectrum, contact your primary care physician to learn where you can get an evaluation in your local area. (Note: Varsity Tutors does not offer evaluations or ASD diagnoses.)
The cost of the evaluation may or may not be covered by your health insurance provider. Once diagnosed, school districts are required to provide the additional services to help your child.
Advocating for your child with autism.
As a parent, having a child who struggles with autism is hard enough. When you layer on the complexities of the Special Education system, it can be overwhelming. But the more you understand what services your child needs, what they are entitled to from the school, and how to ask, the better off you’ll be.
Students diagnosed with learning differences like autism may be placed on either an Individualized Education Plan (IEP) or a 504 Plan.
Know their rights.
For additional insights and tips, watch this special presentation with author and special education law attorney, Pete Wright.
Visit our advocacy partner, WrightsLaw, to learn more about advocating for students with learning differences.
Find the right academic approach.
Once you understand the root cause or diagnosis of your student’s learning challenges, the next step is getting the right academic support. It’s important to note that if a school isn’t finding success with a typical approach, spending more time doing the same thing probably won’t change the outcome. In most cases, a child with autism needs a lot of reinforcement and repetition in small groups or 1-on-1 settings. Varsity Tutors offers tutors and instructors with special education backgrounds who understand how to motivate and communicate with students with autism.
Because confidence can go a long way.
When a child faces academic challenges due to autism, they often suffer from a loss of confidence and lower self esteem. Because their struggles are often surfaced in front of classmates, bullying can quickly become a serious problem. In the event your child experiences bullying, assistance from a counselor may be helpful to facilitate helping a child with autism to communicate their feelings and frustrations.
All these factors can take their toll, to say the least. But this is where academic support in the form of 1-on-1 Tutoring or a Small Group Class can really make a difference. Your child can work privately with an expert or they can learn alongside students just like them. As they see they aren’t alone and they have a safe place to work, their self confidence improves right along with their reading ability.
Getting autism help through technology.
Speech Therapy, Occupational Therapy, and ABA Therapy are important services to help students with autism develop.
Speech Therapy
This intense therapy helps autistic children learn how to form words and more effectively communicate. When you combine speech therapy with reading and tutoring, you drive improvement from several angles.
Occupational Therapy
Occupational therapy helps autistic children develop both fine motor skills, necessary for gripping a pencil, and gross motor skills, needed for walking, riding a bike, and interacting on a playground.
ABA Therapy
ABA Therapy teaches behaviors in the classroom such as taking turns, following multi-step directions, and other common interactions. These behavior modifications are imperative for success in the classroom and with peers.
Be sure to check out these sites for more innovative solutions:
https://www.google.com/accessibility/
https://www.apple.com/accessibility/
https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/accessibility
To learn more about supporting and advocating for students with autism, visit our partner, The Asperger/Autism Network (AANE), and watch the webinar we co-hosted with them below.