Remedial Help for Neurodivergent Children
Remedial Help for Neurodivergent children is a simple concept; it is designed to teach a child the basic skills that they may not have developed independently due being on the neurodivergent spectrum. Some children may need basic help, whereas other children may be more high needs, but remedial help can benefit children with a range of needs and assistance. The different types of remedial teaching include:
Small group tutoring
Small group teaching is an imitate gathering hosted by an educational professional (whether a remedial teacher, tutor, therapist, or instructor), who is dedicated to teaching these children in a manner that mainstream education cannot. Two to five students can be part of this group for it to be considered as tutoring a small group.
One-on-one tutoring
One-on-one tutoring, as in its name, is where one educational professional will work with one child at a time. This is a method that allows the professional to build rapport with the child, to know what learning works for them, what motivates them, while also limiting distractors (and preventing the child from distracting others). This method may work for some children, but others need the social and interactive stimulus of a busier setting.
Multi-sensory learning
A form of learning that benefits children, especially neurodivergent children, is learning that engages all the child’s senses to better their understanding of the material being learned. The purpose of this learning is to engage more than one sense at a time (through using the auditory and kinaesthetic-tactile pathways) to enhance the child’s memory and mental approach to learning.
Technology-based resources
Technology, in all different forms, can provide an access to the world for neurodivergent people that they would not have had without it. Any tool that can be used digitally to assist with any form of remedial education, an example being programmes that have pictures of the child’s favourite objects or requests, which allows the child to click on the picture of what they need in that moment.
Positive reinforcement
The most important part of all education is positive reinforcement- this is one of the pillars of remedial help. Patience and encouragement of the child and their personal goals should be one of the main takeaways from understanding remedial help.
Remedial help can be as simple as explaining something in a clear manner as opposed to using resources that were not designed with neurodivergent children in mind. It is about creating a space where a child feels safe enough child to make mistakes and learn from them.
Aspects of remedial teaching include:
- Individualised plans of education;
- Focusing on comprehension skills through fun and games;
- Child-specific long and short-term goals and learning steps
The basis of remedial help is understanding the differences in way so understanding, thinking, and perceiving the world, and assisting the neurodivergent person with their specialised strengths and weaknesses, to allow them to perform in a more well-rounded way, and to reach their highest potential!
Article by: A. Pascoe (2023)
