A Professional Tutor's Tips to Gauge if Your Child Needs Help with Schoolwork

Think your child may need a tutor?

All tutoring services are not the same, according to Diane Latimer, who oversees the tutoring program at Beaumont Children's Hospital's Center for Human Development in Berkley, Mich.

While traditional tutoring services focus on a particular subject or curriculum that a student may be struggling with, therapeutic tutoring employs a remedial approach to learning. A therapeutic tutor may focus on basic learning skills such as organization, studying, test preparation and test taking.

Tips to determine if your child may benefit from tutoring:

• Isn't finishing his class work in school or his homework at home
• New concepts are difficult for him to master
• Has difficulty understanding verbal and/or written instructions
• Performs poorly on tests
• His teacher expresses concern about his progress, attention or behavior
• Cries, throws a temper tantrum, refuses to do homework with parent's help
• "Forgets" to bring homework home or to turn in homework at school; misses homework deadlines; refuses to show parents papers, tests or class work
• Demonstrates a lack of confidence."I'm too stupid.""I don't get it.""No one likes me."
• Complains of stomach aches, headaches, tiredness and/or has trouble sleeping
• He struggles with the learning process and does not seem to be progressing at the same rate as his/her classmates.
• When a parent is helping with his homework, it is evident the student does not understand concepts, instructions or the teacher's expectation

• He exhibits behavioral problems such as poor attention, disruptive behavior, crying, aggressive or attention-seeking behavior

After deciding your child would benefit from tutoring, how do you find one?

• Check with your child's school
• Clinicians and diagnostic centers that provide academic and psychological testing for learning problems are another good referral source.
• Members of the health care community - pediatricians, psychologists and counselors - are usually knowledgeable about good tutors in the area.
• Talk with other parents, co-workers, friends or others in your community.

The tutoring program at Beaumont's Center for Human Development helps children and adults master learning techniques designed to meet their individual learning needs. More information is available by calling 248-691-4744.

Beaumont Children's Hospital's Center for Human Development has been helping individuals with developmental, behavioral and learning disabilities since 1968. Each patient is evaluated and treated by a team of experts that may include specialists in developmental-behavioral pediatrics, psychology, psychiatry, social work and education. The staff addresses a wide variety of diagnoses such as attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder, dyslexia, non-verbal learning disability, autism, Asperger disorder, anxiety/adjustment disorders and mental retardation.