At Personal Tutors, we support children and young people with a wide range of learning abilities and SEND (special educational needs and disabilities), including dyslexia, ADHD, autism and processing difficulties. Our tutors use inclusive teaching strategies and reasonable adjustments to make learning as accessible, structured and confidence-building as possible.

Tutors begin by getting to know each student as an individual. They will consider any information shared by parents, schools or professionals (such as a SEND report, EHCP or teacher feedback), alongside the student’s own views. This helps the tutor understand how the student learns best, what they find more difficult and which approaches are likely to be most supportive.

Tutors then adapt their teaching methods to suit the student’s needs. This might include using visual aids, clear step-by-step explanations, practical and hands-on activities, or breaking tasks into smaller, more manageable chunks. For some learners, this could mean using colour coding and visual organisers; for others, it may involve more repetition, verbal rehearsal or real-life examples to make ideas easier to grasp.

Reasonable adjustments can also be put in place to help remove some of the barriers to learning. These may include allowing extra time to process information, providing written instructions alongside verbal explanations, using enlarged or simplified materials, or building in short, planned breaks to support focus and concentration. Where appropriate, tutors can also make use of supportive technology such as text-to-speech, screen readers or digital note-taking tools.

A key part of effective support is creating a calm, respectful and encouraging learning environment. Tutors aim to build trust, listen carefully to how the student is feeling and respond sensitively to signs of overload or anxiety. They will often agree simple routines, signals or strategies with the student so they can indicate when they need a pause, a different explanation or a change of activity.

Support for diverse learning abilities and disabilities works best when tutors and parents communicate regularly, and any relevant feedback from school is shared where possible. Tutors can share updates on what is working well, any ongoing challenges and small adjustments that seem to help. Parents can, in turn, pass on school feedback and let tutors know about any changes at home that might affect learning or concentration.

While tutors cannot replace specialist clinical or therapeutic services (such as speech and language therapy, occupational therapy or counselling), many have strong experience in supporting students with SEND in an educational context. Their aim is always to help each child engage with the subject, make measurable progress at their own pace and build confidence in their ability to learn.

If you’d like to discuss your child’s learning needs and explore one-to-one support, you can enter your postcode in the search box to request a free list of local and online tutors. When you request your free list, please mention any specific learning needs so that any tutors we introduce are aware of this and can adjust their approach from the start.