Supporting Students with Dyslexia, ADHD and Autism: Why One-to-One English Tutoring Can Make a Real Difference
As a former classroom teacher with 30 years of experience, I understand the immense pressure teachers face every single day.
Balancing the needs of 30 or more students in one room, each with their own strengths, challenges and learning styles is an extraordinary task. And when those classes include young people with additional needs such as Dyslexia, ADHD or Autism, it can become almost impossible to give every child the individualised attention they truly deserve.
In this blog, I want to acknowledge those challenges from a position of genuine understanding, and explain how one-to-one tutoring can play a supportive, practical role alongside classroom teaching, not instead of it, but as a way to reinforce progress, build confidence and develop strategies that help neurodivergent students thrive in mainstream school environments.
The Challenges of Supporting SEND Students in the Classroom
The truth is, our mainstream classrooms aren’t always designed for neurodiverse learners. Most teachers are caring, dedicated professionals doing their absolute best, but the constraints they work under are very real:
Time pressure: With limited hours and packed timetables, it’s tough to give one student the sustained individual attention they might need without it impacting the rest of the group.
Class sizes: Managing 30 students, some working towards Grade 9, others towards Grade 4, and several with EHCPs or SEND support plans is an enormous daily juggling act.
Budget limitations: Schools can rarely fund the level of additional adult support or resources teachers would love to provide.
Curriculum pressure: GCSE content and assessment objectives don’t leave much room for flexibility in lesson pace or structure.
As a result, students with Dyslexia, ADHD or Autism can sometimes feel lost in the crowd, not because teachers don’t care, but because the system makes it incredibly difficult to meet every need equally, every lesson.
How One-to-One English Tutoring Helps
That’s where individual tutoring can complement classroom learning so effectively. In a one-to-one setting, there’s time and space to focus on what works for that individual student - both academically and emotionally.
For students with Dyslexia:
Working at a slower pace without fear of holding others up
Breaking down reading and writing tasks into manageable chunks
Practising exam questions with tailored scaffolds and supports
Building confidence in spelling, vocabulary and comprehension strategies
For students with ADHD:
Short, focused activities to maintain attention
Clear, consistent routines and expectations
Regular movement or thinking breaks without classroom distractions
Strategies for improving exam timing and essay planning
For students with Autism:
A calm, predictable environment with reduced sensory overload
Explicit teaching of inference and emotional literacy in texts
Structured support for creative writing tasks (which can feel overwhelming)
Time to process questions and instructions at their own pace
What’s vital is that one-to-one tutoring isn’t just about catching up academically, it’s about building resilience, confidence and practical strategies that students can then transfer back into the classroom.
Working With Teachers, Not Against Them
As a former classroom teacher myself, I believe passionately in working alongside teaching staff. I know how frustrating it can be when outside support isn’t aligned with classroom expectations or school targets. That’s why I always aim to:
Keep tutoring sessions closely linked to current curriculum content
Focus on the exact skills teachers need students to develop
Reinforce school routines and exam structures
Help students practise classroom strategies in a quieter, safer environment
This makes it much easier for students to carry what they’ve learned in tutoring back into lessons, reducing anxiety and increasing participation.
Helping Students Thrive in the Classroom Environment
One of the greatest benefits of one-to-one tuition for neurodivergent students isn’t just better grades, it’s the improvement in self-belief and classroom engagement. Many SEND students carry years of feeling different, left behind, or anxious about learning situations they find difficult.
Through tutoring, we can:
Rebuild confidence
Celebrate small wins
Develop tailored revision and organisation strategies
Help students communicate better with teachers about what they need
Teach coping techniques for stress and sensory overwhelm
It’s not about ‘fixing’ students, its about giving them the tools to manage the realities of a mainstream classroom while feeling respected, understood and capable.
Final Thoughts
Teachers do an extraordinary job in circumstances that are often far from easy. As a tutor, my role is to support those teachers and their students, not to replace them, but to reinforce and extend what’s already happening in the classroom.
For students with Dyslexia, ADHD or Autism, one-to-one tutoring can offer vital breathing space, targeted academic support, and a real confidence boost. And for schools and families, it’s one more way to help every student feel valued, understood and equipped to thrive.
I have a limited number of one-to-one tutoring slots available both online and in-person across Cheshire, Stockport, South Manchester and surrounding areas.
Contact me today for a private tutoring quote, whether it’s for English support, revision confidence or SEND-specific strategies. Visit the Contact page to get in touch.