At A Team Tuition, we believe in celebrating the extraordinary work of our educators—not just for improving grades, but for the deep, lasting impact they make in students’ lives. This month, we’re thrilled to spotlight our APT of the Month, whose dedication to nurturing, mentoring, and inspiring students is nothing short of exceptional.

“Being named APT of the Month is an incredible honour,” they shared. “It reminds me how grateful I am to work for a company that values and supports its educators. This isn’t just recognition of my effort—it’s a celebration of the passion I pour into helping students grow.”

And grow they do. With a deep commitment to developing not just academic skills but confidence, motivation, and emotional resilience, Erin brings tutoring to life in a way that’s both impactful and personal.

💡 Beyond a Tutor—A True Mentor

For this standout tutor, mentoring is woven into every session. “I wasn’t always a strong student myself,” Erin explained. “But two incredible teachers changed my life. One nurtured my creativity; the other taught me how I learn best. Because of them, I strive to be that mentor for others.”

Many of their students face more than academic challenges—they deal with anxiety, low self-esteem, and the feeling that they don’t fit within the education system. With empathy and insight drawn from their own experiences as a neurodivergent learner, this APT meets students where they are and reminds them: “You’re not dumb—you’re brilliant. You just need the right tools.”

🎯 Creative Strategies That Stick

What truly sets this educator apart is their out-of-the-box approach to keeping students engaged and improving behaviour.

Take the “three lives” system, for instance—developed with a student who frequently interrupted sessions to ask how much time was left. Each time they asked, they’d lose a life. Three lives gone? A pre-agreed consequence like a break from iPad time would follow. “It helped them learn to self-regulate,” they explained, “and gave them ownership over their behaviour.”

There’s also the ever-popular “lucky dip” bag filled with incentives like “be the teacher for 5 minutes” or “extra drawing time”—small rewards that create big shifts in motivation.

These tailored strategies have helped countless students not only re-engage with their learning but take pride in their progress.

💬 One Student, One Transformation

One story stands out. “I’ve worked with a Year 6 student since mid-Year 5. She came to me with severe anxiety and low confidence after years of bullying, and a reading level far below standard. Before anything academic, we focused on building trust.”

Bit by bit, her confidence grew. She tackled new reading goals, found books she loved, and started checking books out from the library on her own. “Now, she’s not only reading fluently—she’s leading her own learning journey,” they said. “It’s transformations like these that remind me why I do what I do.”

👏 Living the INSPIRE Values

Of all A Team Tuition’s INSPIRE values, Nurture resonates most strongly. “When students feel safe and supported, they’re more open to learning. I don’t just work with students—I work with their families. Together, we create a shared path to progress.”

Session feedback is sent to parents consistently, and collaboration with their Personal Student Mentor (PSM) ensures no student’s journey is left to chance.

🧠 From Student to Scholar

This educator doesn’t just preach a love of learning—they live it. Having achieved significant personal academic success, their own journey helps them connect deeply with their students. “I make it a point to celebrate small wins with my students. Recognition builds confidence, and confidence fuels achievement.”

💬 Words of Wisdom

So, what advice would they give to other Academic Personal Trainers?

“Be yourself. Connection comes before content. Your students don’t need a perfect tutor—they need someone who gets them. The more you love what you do, the more your students will love learning with you.”

And what’s the passion that drives it all?

“Helping students fall in love with learning. Whether it’s a high score on Mathletics or a sticker from school, those moments—where pride shines through their smile—that’s what it’s all about.”

🎉 Congratulations to our APT of the Month! Your dedication, creativity, and heart make an extraordinary impact—and we’re so lucky to have you on the team.

The post Mentor Changing Lives appeared first on A Team Tuition.

Are Modern Educational Theories Keeping Up with Modern Teaching Needs?

Today’s teaching theories seek to make connections with the real world through the development of a range of lifelong learning skills. Entrepreneurship, team work, collaborative thinking and complex critical problem solving all score high on the ‘to do’ list of modern schools. With the assistance of renowned strategies and curriculum thinkers like John Hattie, we see the increased presence of rich and real feedback as well as the development of student-led, rather than teacher-led, learning that encompasses technology as a tool rather than a replacement for an exercise book.  

What About Students ‘Outside of the Box’?

Herein lies the issue. It’s almost impossible for a standard classroom teacher to adequately provide for absolutely every learner’s needs at every point in time. Neurodiverse learners like those with ADHD, Dyslexia, Autism, Dyspraxia, Dysgraphia, ODD and the like can find themselves lost in content, even with a funded teacher support assistance within the room.  

Educational psychologists point towards the ability for smaller groups of students to work in a targeted environment with a teaching specialist. Think of it in terms of English – perhaps instead of studying a language, students could spend that time working in a small group with a qualified teacher or tutor to cement their understanding. 

Similarly, constantly developing subjects like informational technologies and coding require teachers to be incredibly upskilled and engaging in teaching theories professional development that will allow students in these classes to grow their wings and fly. Educational theories need to ensure that the best interests of the students are always at the core of any key philosophy. Be it Marzano, The Art of Science and Teaching, Visible Learning or any other pedagogy being touted by the school – the bottom line is the learning development of your child.  

How Can a Tutor Help?

Tutors provide the one-on-one support that a classroom teacher just does not have time to. They can embrace the strategies and philosophical merit that the school is pushing and create a more flexible learning environment that speaks to the type of learner your child is – kinaesthetic, aural, visual or other. Your in-home or online tutor can use that slice of time wisely to ensure that your child is engaged and invigorated by the content and not left wondering what’s wrong with them for not fitting the mould.  

Talk to A Team Tuition today
to help your child find the missing piece of their educational puzzle.  

The post Are Modern Educational Theories Keeping Up with Modern Teaching Needs? appeared first on A Team Tuition.

Tutoring Students Who Have ADHD – The A Team Tuition Model

Neurodivergence in the classroom means that parents and their children can be faced with several difficult hurdles to overcome. Within a mainstream classroom setting, students with learning difficulties like ADHD are often left frustrated and feeling disenfranchised – particularly if there is not a lot of differentiation of learning occurring.  

A Team Tuition tutors for children with ADHD go through extensive training to ensure they deliver best practice education models for students on the neurodivergent spectrum. Each child can reach their full potential within an intricate system designed to speak to and reach students in a language and through methodologies that they will understand and connect with. ADHD tutoring can take place in the comfort of your own home or via an online platform depending on your requirements.  

ADHD tutoring near me

A Team Tuition’s founder was diagnosed with ADHD while he was at school. He found making connections with his classroom learning difficult. It was this very point of difference that spurred him on to create a system that encompasses all learning needs, enabling children to make connections with the curriculum.  

ADHD within a primary or high school setting can manifest in different ways depending on the diagnosis. Impulsive and hyperactive manifestation can lead to distracted and distracting behaviours that present barriers to learning. Inattentive can result in inward-thinking and getting ‘lost’ in thoughts that prevents the student from keeping up with the mainstream content delivery. Both types, including combined, present significant barriers to achievement. 

A Team Tuition has trained tutors for students with ADHD available Australia wide.  Find a tutor near you who can provide services either in the comfort and safety of your own home or via an online learning platform.  

How to tutor a child with ADHD

The experienced tutors at A Team Tuition undertake serious and comprehensive training to ensure best practice delivery. This provides them with specific strategies tailored for individual learning difficulties that they may encounter with students. Content and delivery are fresh, exciting, relevant and engaging – key factors in ensuring that a child with ADHD who is undertaking tuition will be able to enjoy the content and find some success in their learning whereas previously they may have felt left out and demotivated.  

In addition to training, tutors partake in frequent professional development sessions which allow them to present parents with a weekly focus so that all parties may work together to track learning development.  

Specific techniques and strategies employed by A Team Tuition tutors include: 

• Sensory stimulation provided via short learning activities 
• Activities that allow the student to stand up and move around 
• Drawing and creative activities including making tangible and relevant learning devices 
• Discussions wherein the child can unpack their understanding in a comfortable and pressure-free setting 
• Tapping into the way that the individual student works and learns to make sessions relatable and enjoyable 
• Development of routine and organisational executive functioning skills 
• Creation of a sense of autonomy and control over learning and work.  

Other common learning difficulties

Kids have unique challenges to learning that they must overcome, whether they are learning barriers or learning difficulties.  Often it is not as simple as overcoming an “I can’t do it” attitude and there are specific methods that will need to be adopted to overcome learning difficulties.   A Team tutors have training in tutoring kids with many common learning challenges including:

Oppositional Defiant Disorder (ODD) tutoring

Autism Spectrum Disorder tutoring

Dysgraphia tutoring

Dyslexia tutoring

Dyspraxia tutoring

Exam Anxiety tutoring

Contact us to discuss your child’s specific and unique learning needs with one of our highly trained learning specialists.

The post Tutoring Students With ADHD: The A Team Tuition Methodology appeared first on A Team Tuition.

Tutoring Students Who Have Dyslexia – The A Team Tuition Model

Dyslexia manifests for students in several ways that makes a real impact on both their learning and how they respond to and engage with teaching practice. Tutors for learning difficulties such as dyslexia are primed with professional knowledge and real, workable strategies to assist students to find success and enjoyment with work that they may be having trouble with inside a mainstream classroom setting.  

Tutors at A Team Tuition undergo extensive training and professional development as well as being encouraged to foster relationships with parents and carers to unpack what students require and where they are at with their learning. Our pedagogical approach also connects with the learning that is taking place within the mainstream classroom at school in the hope of fostering a relationship that is designed to promote success and empowerment.  

Dyslexia tutoring near me 

The founder of A Team Tuition was, himself, diagnosed with ADHD while in school and was able to apply learned strategies to allow him to go on to be incredibly successful both in his own schooling and in his pursuits post-school. It was this very application of skills and his inherent success that spurred him on to create a pedagogical approach that allowed all students the opportunity to build on their learning no matter what stage they were at in terms of their educational and cognitive development.  

A Team Tuition provides tutoring for students with dyslexia Australia wide.  Find a tutor near to you for services that are provided either in the comfort and safety of your own home or via an online learning platform.  

How to tutor a child with dyslexia

A Team Tuition tutors ensure that their content and delivery is rich and relevant for all students. Exciting and engaging activities and fresh approaches to learning are encouraged as our tutors seek to allow students to feel confident and successful in their learning – a mindset they might not have had experience within their mainstream schooling.  

Specific techniques and strategies employed by A Team Tuition tutors include: 

• One-at-a-time directions that assist with processing and memory deficits 
• Visual representation of oral instructions 
• Working with students to process change and time 
• Staggered approaches to activities that allow students to remain engaged with their learning 
• Preview and review models that assist with executive functioning and empower students in their processing and learning of new knowledge and skills 
• Targeted spelling and reading approaches using visual representation to assist with recall 
• Understanding visual and spatial learning skills via multimedia resources 
• Assistance with rote learning through visualisation  
• Adaptable lessons and strategies based on student needs.  

Other common learning difficulties

Kids have unique challenges to learning that they must overcome, whether they are learning barriers or learning difficulties.  Often it is not as simple as overcoming an “I can’t do it” attitude and there are specific methods that will need to be adopted to overcome learning difficulties.   A Team tutors have training in tutoring kids with many common learning challenges including:

Oppositional Defiant Disorder (ODD) tutoring

Autism Spectrum Disorder tutoring

Attention Deficit and Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) tutoring

Dysgraphia tutoring

Dyspraxia tutoring

Exam Anxiety tutoring

Contact us to discuss dyslexia tutoring designed to address your child’s specific and unique learning needs.

The post Tutoring Students Who Have Dyslexia – The A Team Tuition Model appeared first on A Team Tuition.

Tutoring Students Who Have Autism – The A Team Tuition Approach

A diagnosis of Autism for students in primary and high school means a modified, differentiated curriculum is put in place at school for them in addition to the access to learning support staff. What’s missing from the puzzle, however, is the capacity to provide support within the home environment that is uniquely tailored to their learning challenges and that can provide them the opportunity to find success and feel empowered in their learning.  

At A Team Tuition, our tutors are armed with professional learning opportunities and ongoing training and development that ensures that they approach the learning and teaching of students who have Autism with confidence and the backing of a stylised pedagogical approach. As Autism manifests on a spectrum, we know that no two learners are the same and, as such, we can tailor our approach specifically to individual students after we learn their strengths, weaknesses and work closely with their parents in order to ensure best practice. Our system is designed for each student to reach their full potential in an enjoyable, logical order of sessions that can be undertaken either within the home or in a virtual classroom space.  

Autism tutoring near me

Neurodivergence awareness and appropriate relevant pedagogy is part of the A Team Tuition story. The founder of our business was diagnosed with ADHD while he was at school and identified for himself the strategies that worked with his diagnosis – and those that did not. It’s this level of awareness that formed the basis of our goal to allow for all students to connect closely with the curriculum and enjoy their learning at the same time. There is no barrier to achievement here!  

Sensory meltdown and overload are part and parcel of an Autism diagnosis and, as such, our tutors undertake extensive training and formalised professional development to understand and be able to manage these aspects of tutoring a student with Autism. Fixation, repetitive behaviours and struggles to develop and nurture relationships are understood and our tutors have the capacity to approach these elements gently and with real pedagogical knowledge behind them.  

You can find a tutor near you for students on the autism spectrum. A Team Tuition has tutors available Australia wide and our services provided either in the comfort and safety of your own home or via an online learning platform.  

How to tutor a child with Autism

We make sure that our content and delivery are fresh, real, relevant, interesting, and exciting; the perfect recipe for learning success. We work closely with families and check in regularly to track progress and engagement. It is of vital importance to us that you, the family, have a real say when it comes to your child’s education and that you feel empowered with their learning.  

We employ a variety of tangible strategies for the education of students with Autism that we are open and transparent about so that you may follow through with our methodology and employ the same strategies within your home. By the same token, we would like to understand your lived experience of Autism so that we may ensure our content delivery is personalised, appropriate and primed for success. 

Specific techniques and strategies employed by A Team Tuition tutors include: 

• Identifying challenges put forward by parents and teachers and tailoring a program to suit 
• An understanding of the needs of the child as Autism presents differently for all individuals (there is no ‘one size fits all’ policy in place at A Team Tuition) 
• Activities and sessions designed to allow the child to have success and experience enjoyment  
• An awareness of sensory overload triggers and the capacity to design sessions to allow the student to feel comfortable and safe  
• Drawing and creative activities including making tangible and relevant learning devices 
• Tapping into the way that the individual student works and learns to make sessions relatable and enjoyable 
• Development of routine and organisational executive functioning skills 
• Ensuring that the school is involved in tutoring discussions to ensure their unique perspective and information collection is made accessible to our tutors to inform their teaching and learning practice.  

Other common learning difficulties

Kids have unique challenges to learning that they must overcome, whether they are learning barriers or learning difficulties.  Often it is not as simple as overcoming an “I can’t do it” attitude and there are specific methods that will need to be adopted to overcome learning difficulties.   A Team tutors have training in tutoring kids with many common learning challenges including:

Oppositional Defiant Disorder (ODD) tutoring

Attention Deficit and Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) tutoring

Dysgraphia tutoring

Dyslexia tutoring

Dyspraxia tutoring

Exam Anxiety tutoring

Contact us to discuss autism tutoring tailored to your child’s specific and unique learning needs.

The post Tutoring Students Who Have Autism – The A Team Tuition Approach appeared first on A Team Tuition.

Tutoring Students Who Have Oppositional Defiant Disorder (ODD) – The A Team Tuition Approach

Oppositional Defiant Disorder (ODD) can present many challenges for students, parents and teachers. The manifestation of this disorder means that your child may be quick to anger, argue against authority, refuse to obey rules, have quite low self-esteem and they may also have a very low threshold for frustration and social situations. This can have a significant impact on their academic achievement and social progression as they often don’t seem to ‘fit’ the mainstream model of teaching and learning. ODD can make many subjects and learning environments across primary and high school years difficult. Even when working closely with schools, parents often feel ill equipped to be able to meet and manage the varied needs of their child.  

Professional learning and training modules equip the tutors at A Team Tuition with a wealth of approaches and skills perfectly designed to reach and engage these learners. A detailed understanding of ODD means that lessons, activities and interactions will be productive and filled with fun! Rather than a stressful and arduous undertaking, our tuition sessions are tailored to appeal to your child and allow them to find success in their learning – something that they often find difficult to grasp. 

Oppositional Defiant Disorder tutoring near me

Students with ODD often seek to gain and maintain control, and their opposition towards authority can present significant challenges when it comes to developing a productive curriculum plan to follow. The founder of A Team Tuition was diagnosed with learning difficulties when he was at school – an experience that has filtered through to the pedagogical approach adopted by A Team tutors. All students should have the opportunity to experience success and enjoyment in their learning via a personalised approach.  

You can find tutors near you Australia wide for students with ODD and employ our services either in the comfort and safety of your own home or via an online learning platform.  

How to tutor a child with Oppositional Defiant Disorder (ODD)

The experienced and adaptable tutors at A Team Tuition are ready to assist your child with their learning in a positive, nurturing and results-driven physical or digital classroom setting. They will find ways to make learning more appealing and achievable for your child and work closely with you and the school to find a pathway to success.  

Specific techniques and strategies, including accommodations, employed by A Team Tuition tutors include: 

• Building a strong relationship that is consistent and calm 
• Allowing for a ‘fresh start’ and a ‘new day’ each session – letting the ‘little things’ go  
• Staying calm in stressful situations and not rising to ‘arguments’ – there are no power struggles here!  
• Allowing time to rest 
• Giving choices to avoid resistance  
• The development of a routine that the child can follow and enjoy as well as special responsibilities that will help them find minor success in each lesson  
• Identifying triggers ahead of time and having workable solutions  
• Keeping an open line of communication between all parties  
• Appealing to special interests in sessions to make learning relatable  
• Teaching social skills and coping strategies  
• Offering positive reinforcement  

Other common learning difficulties

Kids have unique challenges to learning that they must overcome, whether they are learning barriers or learning difficulties.  Often it is not as simple as overcoming an “I can’t do it” attitude and there are specific methods that will need to be adopted to overcome learning difficulties.   A Team tutors have training in tutoring kids with many common learning challenges including:

Autism Spectrum Disorder tutoring

Attention Deficit and Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) tutoring

Dysgraphia tutoring

Dyslexia tutoring

Dyspraxia tutoring

Exam Anxiety tutoring

Contact us to discuss your child’s specific and unique learning needs with one of our highly trained learning specialists

The post Tutoring Students Who Have Oppositional Defiant Disorder (ODD) appeared first on A Team Tuition.

Tutoring Students Who Have Dyspraxia – The A Team Tuition Methodology

Dyspraxia means that learners are faced with physical disadvantage when it comes to learning tasks due to neurological development. They may have difficulty when it comes to sitting and working in a learning environment and they may also feel a ‘knock on’ effect when it comes to feeling behind other learners within their cohort. This impacts their achievement across a range of subjects studied at both primary and high school levels and can make life very difficult for parents and carers who may become despondent at the journey their child must travel on the road towards academic and social achievement.  

Tutors at A Team Tuition undertake a range of training modules and professional development sessions as well as working closely with parents and schools to develop a positive working relationship with the students that they teach. Specialised and relevant activities and lessons are created so that all students may feel a sense of achievement and work towards self-set goals that they can modify and adapt over time.  

Dyspraxia tutoring near me

Often, students who have dyspraxia experience low self-esteem and confidence in aspects to do with their learning and social lives. They may see themselves as ‘apart’ from their peers and this may develop into a fixed mindset when it comes to their learning. The founder of A Team Tuition experienced his own learning difficulties at school and this spurred him on to look towards creating an environment where all students can feel supported and strive to achieve, regardless of learning challenges.  

You can find a tutor near you for students with dyspraxia and employ our services either in the comfort and safety of your own home or via an online learning platform.  

How to tutor a child with dyspraxia

The experienced and professionally developed tutors at A Team Tuition are poised and ready to assist your child with their learning in a positive, nurturing and results-driven physical or digital classroom setting.  

Specific techniques and strategies, including accommodations, employed by A Team Tuition tutors include: 

• Working on one element or task at a time to avoid overwhelm 
• Repetition of instructions to operate as a guide towards completion of a task and moving onto the next activity 
• A ‘to do’ list strategy that enables students to tick off when they reach competency to help them feel more motivated and encouraged 
• The development of a growth mindset when it comes to learning and achievement  
• Working to avoid distractions within the learning environment 
• Use of specific materials that may assist your child with learning difficulties 
• The use of targeted praise, goal setting and achievement milestones  
• “Chunking” information and lessons into manageable sections. 

Other common learning difficulties

Kids have unique challenges to learning that they must overcome, whether they are learning barriers or learning difficulties.  Often it is not as simple as overcoming an “I can’t do it” attitude and there are specific methods that will need to be adopted to overcome learning difficulties.   A Team tutors have training in tutoring kids with many common learning challenges including:

Oppositional Defiant Disorder (ODD) tutoring

Autism Spectrum Disorder tutoring

Attention Deficit and Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) tutoring

Dysgraphia tutoring

Dyslexia tutoring

Exam Anxiety tutoring

Contact us to discuss your child’s specific and unique learning needs with one of our highly trained learning specialists

The post Tutoring Students With Dyspraxia: The A Team Tuition Methodology appeared first on A Team Tuition.

Tutoring Students Who Have Dysgraphia – The A Team Tuition Approach

A student with dysgraphia typically experiences challenges with writing. It can impact the skill of handwriting as well as typing and spelling, too. Subjects of particular difficulty are any of the language arts subjects (like English and Humanities), but this can extend to the inability to express themselves coherently in other subjects that have report-based learning and key written components (like Science and Maths).  

A deep, nuanced understanding of the learning requirements of a student with dysgraphia inform the teaching and learning practice at A Team Tuition. Our tutors participate in extensive training and professional development as they work to form professional working teams with families and schools in order to ensure progress and the capacity of each student to find success and enjoyment in their learning.  

Dysgraphia tutoring near me

Every child has the ability to reach their learning potential. The founder of A Team Tuition was diagnosed with dyslexia when he was in his schooling years and it was this very diagnosis, and the strategies he learned along the way, that spurred him on to create a dynamic and flexible pedagogical approach to teaching and learning.  

You can find tutors near you for students with dysgraphia and employ our services either in the comfort and safety of your own home or via an online learning platform.  

How to tutor a child with dysgraphia

A Team Tuition tutors provide thoughtfully tailored and relevant lessons that are backed by research and designed to allow all students to find success and develop their cognitive skills.  

Specific techniques and strategies, including accommodations, employed by A Team Tuition for dysgraphia tutoring include: 

• The utilisation of larger pencils with grips 
• Using paper with raised lines 
• Giving extra time on writing tasks and assignments (developed in conjunction with school-based differentiation) 
• Finding alternative methods to produce learning and work (particularly oral or recorded responses) 
• The use of assistive technologies 
• Access to materials given in the classroom to be extended upon during tuition sessions 
• Typing notes during sessions  

Other common learning difficulties

Kids have unique challenges to learning that they must overcome, whether they are learning barriers or learning difficulties.  Often it is not as simple as overcoming an “I can’t do it” attitude and there are specific methods that will need to be adopted to overcome learning difficulties.   A Team tutors have training in tutoring kids with many common learning challenges including:

Oppositional Defiant Disorder (ODD) tutoring

Autism Spectrum Disorder tutoring

Attention Deficit and Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) tutoring

Dyslexia tutoring

Dyspraxia tutoring

Exam Anxiety tutoring

Contact us to discuss your child’s specific and unique learning needs with one of our highly trained learning specialists.

The post Tutoring Students Who Have Dysgraphia – The A Team Tuition Approach appeared first on A Team Tuition.

How to Support a Child With ADHD in School

The main problem with ADHD is that is often seen as misbehaviour or laziness when in reality it is simply the way your brain works. You may feel as if you are constantly in trouble in the classroom, even when you put in your best effort to behave. This is why your teachers need to understand that you suffer from ADHD so that you can work as a team to comprehend your hyperactive tendencies. It is important to work as a team with your teacher as they are a large portion of your education experience. Letting your teacher know that you have ADHD is an excellent way to open up this conversation and begin your teamwork!

If you feel nervous to tell your teacher, or embarrassed that you have ADHD, there is absolutely no reason to be ashamed. Some of the most famous and successful people in the world, have ADHD – they have just learned how to use their ‘superpower’ rather than let it overcome them. Examples of celebrities who have ADHD are Paris Hilton; who has a net worth of $300 million and Justin Bieber; who is arguably one of the most popular singers on the planet.

How to do Well in School With ADHD – Top 5 Struggles & Strategies to Deal with Them

1. Sitting still is difficult.

In high school, classes can last up to 1.5 hours. This means that you are sitting still for long periods – which is extremely difficult if you have ADHD. Many ADHD students minimise their learning abilities by finding excuses to leave the classroom, for example taking the long way to the bathroom. This can minimise your time in the classroom, and thus have effects on your learning!

The best way to combat this is to find sensory activities that you can use to ‘multitask’. By ‘multitask’ I mean that you should find activities that allow you to eradicate your need to fidget, whilst also allowing you to concentrate. Examples of this are fidget cubes and spinners. If you can’t find these in stores, multiple places sell them online for only a few dollars.

My personal favourite is the fidget cube! As you can see in the picture it is a small cube that has ‘gadgets’ on each side. It is thus a transportable toy that you can bring to class with you and use.

2. There is a lot going on in the classroom, which means plenty of distractions!

Classrooms are filled with distractions, which means that if you have ADHD, it is almost impossible to pay attention. Distractions include posters, your friends, and even anything that is happening outside of the classroom.

The best strategy for avoiding distractions is to do your best to create a ‘distraction-free zone’. Working with your teacher, create a space within the classroom that has as minimal distractions as possible. Ideally, this would be a seat at the front of the classroom, that is far away from windows and friends. This is similar to your ‘Neurospace’ which you learn about in the CAS program. This allows you to gain the most from your time in class.

Unfortunately for people with ADHD, it is difficult to sit with friends inside the classroom as they become a big distraction – but don’t worry, there is plenty of time to spend with them at recess and lunch!

3. You may feel as if your brain is moving faster than your body.

In general, most students with ADHD are highly intelligent, they just struggle to present their intelligence on paper. The problem is, that many students have thoughts that move way faster than their body – which means that the completion of assignments and exams is tough. You may feel that when writing long response questions your ideas are all over the place and that your handwriting is super messy.

The main strategy for dealing with this is teamwork! Having an APT, older sibling, or parent assisting you to facilitate your thoughts, working as a scribe for you, can almost instantly change your results. The best method for this is to have your ‘assistant’ write down the answers for you, as you speak them out loud. In NSW, if you can provide proof of your ADHD diagnosis, you are allowed to sit exams in these special conditions – where you have a scribe with you whilst you sit the exam.

It is essential to understand that this is not cheating!! All of the ideas are still completely your own, someone is just helping you present them in a way that makes sense.

4. Filtering your thoughts is tricky

As we have already established, students with ADHD have a brain that is pretty much moving at 100000 miles an hour. You probably feel like you have lots of thoughts at once, or are constantly jumping from one thought to another. This means that a lot of ideas and thoughts are blurted out without thinking. This can cause students to get into trouble, as it can typically interrupt the teacher or disrupt the classroom.

Unfortunately, there are no strategies that will help you in the short term with this one, however, there is one strategy that can help you in the long run. The strategy is called ‘positive reinforcement’, which is a program that rewards good behaviour. People with ADHD tend to react well to positive reinforcement. This can be achieved by working with your teacher to organise a program which only rewards good behaviour, and ignores negative behaviours. An example of this is sticker charts, in which you work towards receiving one large overall prize.

5. The ability to stay focused.

If you suffer from ADHD you will relate when I say that it feels as if your thoughts are all over the place. This can often cause you to forget special events such as exams or the due dates of assessments.

The best strategy for this is to create written timetables. Having a hard copy of your monthly timetable at a place where you can easily access it is an important part of excelling when you have ADHD. I have a large white-board calendar that sits right above my bed – so it is the first thing I see when I wake up. The below template is retrieved from Twinkl.com.

Inside the classroom, work with your teacher to make sure that you don’t lose focus by making sure that you are completely aware of all instructions. This can include having them written down for you or having them repeated to you individually.

Overall, it is important to remember that ADHD is not a negative thing. Although I have only dwelled on the struggles in this post, it is important to understand that ADHD is more of a superpower than a disorder. As long as you make sure that your teacher is aware of your superpower, and utilise the above strategies, you have the ability to excel in the classroom.

The post How to Help a Child Facing ADHD Challenges in School appeared first on A Team Tuition.

If your child has been diagnosed with ADHD or is non-neurotypical, this brave new world of homeschooling probably has you about to tear your heart out. Hayden, A Team’s founder with ADHD, knows that this struggle is all too real. Your child probably has problems with focusing, with finishing tasks, with misplacing their belongings, and even with forgetting instructions. It can all result in one very frustrated and disillusioned kid – and parents at their wit’s end. If this situation is hitting way too close to home for you right now, we’ve got some handy tips to help you all through this rough time. Read on to find out more!

The struggle is real!

As we all know, ADHD is not a developmental phase, but a disorder where your child has problems focusing, paying attention, organising, prioritising tasks, and remembering instructions from teachers or where they’ve left belongings. It can be really hard on their self-esteem and academic performance. These kinds of issues are exacerbated at the moment, with the global pandemic having changed the way our kids are currently attending school and taking classes. Your child has gone from a routine they’ve developed over a period of months and years, to the disruption of learning from home. We as adults feel the everyday stress of that – your non-neurotypical child definitely does, too! 

Thankfully, your child’s teachers are experienced at developing learning strategies for non-neurotypical children in their classes, and so their workloads are tailored to these individual needs. But, how do you help your child manage in this different environment? And how do you help them achieve their best results at home?

What you can do to help!

Depending on the difficulties your child has experienced while attending school from home, it is important to understand their behaviour and the reasons behind it, before you can prevent it. Talk to your child’s teacher about things you may have noticed and whether this is a behaviour they usually display. Your child’s teacher will have insights into this and what you can do to help. 

One of the best pieces of advice is to adapt the learning environment your child will be using to best suit their needs. Whether that means removing any distractions, having a minimalist-style working space, and allowing for multiples when it comes to stationery or notebooks (in case your child misplaces them) depends entirely on your child and what works best. You could set them up in a spare bedroom, at the kitchen table, or any room where there aren’t any huge distractions. 

Secondly, developing a routine so that you can help your child to be more organised can help. Certain subjects can be studied on certain days, just like they do at school. Motivate your child by helping them to create a task list with dot points they can cross off, to help keep them motivated. Encourage your child to work on the more difficult concepts in the morning, as young brains are typically more receptive at that time of day. Colour-code tasks by the level of priority, to help your child know which things need to be completed first. And, the all-important one – make sure plenty of breaks are scheduled, so that they can refuel and stay on track.

Thirdly, every child’s learning language is different, and this is especially true of non-neurotypical children. Some kids learn through listening or writing, others learn by doing. Most children with ADHD will need a combination of these three things in order for information to be retained. Have your child read the instructions aloud, and then re-write them in their own words. Try to ask your child’s teacher for a creative presentation of the course material, wherever possible. And encourage your child to break their assignments down into more manageable chunks. 

All A Team Tuition tutors are trained in overcoming barriers to learning. For more insight into children with ADHD and how to help them academically.

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The post Non-Neurotypical Homeschooling? Hayden Knows … The Struggle is Real! appeared first on A Team Tuition.