The Benefits of Virtual Tutoring for Students with ADHD
By: Amanda Burke, Academic Coach
If you’re a parent of an ADHD kid, you might still shudder at the phrase “online learning” as you recall 2020. You kid with the camera off, eyes glued to YouTube, texting friends under the table while their teacher valiantly tried to hold the class’s attention from a tiny box on the school-issued Chromebook. It’s totally fair if your first reaction to virtual tutoring is skepticism. After all, if their teacher couldn’t hold their attention online, why would this be any different?
The thing is: unlike the hastily-cobbled-together, one-size-fits-all Zoom classes of the early pandemic, online tutoring for ADHD students has the potential to be a completely customized, engaging, ADHD-friendly experience. Virtual tutoring takes what didn’t work about online school and completely flips it around, offering personalized support, interactive tools that work with your kid’s need for hands-on learning, and the flexibility to meet students where they’re at (literally and figuratively).
Read on to learn about the benefits of online learning and why it’s becoming a game-changer for ADHD students, families, and educators.
1. No more family battles
Imagine: your ADHD teen is supposed to meet their tutor at the library in 20 minutes, but they just got home from school, and they’re exhausted. You’re working late and can’t be there to help scaffold. For students with ADHD, getting themselves to a tutoring session requires a whole lot of executive functioning skills – planning, time management, and remembering where they left their shoes, to name a few. Virtual tutoring removes some of those barriers by eliminating the need to physically get anywhere. You’ll spend less time frantically shuffling them out the door and into the car, and they won’t have to worry about leaving their backpack at home – because they can just grab it from the other room. Less energy expended on logistics means more energy for what really matters: learning.
2. The flexibility for learning to happen where (and when) your kid learns best
ADHD students thrive when they are given autonomy, flexibility, and access to an environment tailored to their unique needs. With online tutoring, they can cozy up in their favorite chair with their weighted blanket and easy access to snacks when their energy starts to dip – or, they can sprawl out on the floor surrounded by fidget toys. Maybe they prefer to log in from their favorite cafe after school, or meet with their tutor during their Flex period in the middle of the school day.
And don’t forget about timing: perhaps your kid is most locked-in at 8:00 am, or a night owl whose hyperfocus kicks in after everyone else has gone to bed. Easy – with the power of the internet, they can connect with local tutors or ones from a different time zone who are eager to dive into learning whenever your kid is ready. Regardless of what your ADHD student’s needs are, virtual tutoring lets them learn where (and when) they’re most comfortable and focused.
3. A tutor who “gets” your unique student
Want your kid to work with an ADHD specialist who understands executive functioning challenges inside and out? A fellow soccer lover who uses game stats to explain tough math problems? Perhaps a D&D dungeon master who turns history lessons into epic quests? Virtual tutoring opens the door to way more options so you can find the best fit for your child. You’re no longer limited to whoever’s available within driving distance – you can find a tutor who truly clicks with your child’s personality, interests, and learning style.
That perfect fit really matters and can mean the difference between your ADHD student thriving or feeling “meh” about learning. Your kid deserves someone who can support their unique challenges and tap into their passions to make learning exciting.
4. Customization that “clicks”
Every student with ADHD learns differently, and virtual tutoring is designed to meet them where they are. Online tutoring makes it possible to adjust and customize everything – pace, content, format, even breaks – to align with your student’s needs, strengths, unique rhythms, and interests. Gone are the days of endless worksheets and monotonous drills. Instead, online tutors tap into the latest tools and tech to keep learning dynamic and engaging. Think interactive modules and videos, hands-on features like screen annotation and collaborative whiteboards, and more tools for augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) to enhance accessibility. For ADHD students, this kind of personalized support isn’t just nice; it’s essential to help them build confidence and feel successful.
5. It helps your kid focus and feel comfortable
For students with ADHD, the right environment makes all the difference when it comes to focus, and virtual tutoring makes it easier to create a supportive learning environment. In a one-on-one online session, distractions are minimized. There’s no noisy classroom, no interruptions from peers, no sensory overload from fluorescent lights. Instead, your kid gets to work in a setting where they feel comfortable, have more agency, and can focus on their work without the added pressure of social dynamics or overstimulating surroundings – like their bedroom, the kitchen table, or even under a blanket fort with their Airpods in. As your child’s tutor gets to know them and learn their motivators and needs, they can easily encourage your child to get up and stretch, pace the room while answering questions, grab a fidget toy, or make adjustments to their environment to help them focus.
And unlike in-person sessions, during an online session, your student has full control over their privacy. Virtual backgrounds and the ability to turn their camera off when needed (and communicate via voice or typing instead) can be a game-changer for students who struggle with anxiety or having other people in “their space”.
6. Your student gets real-time, immediate feedback
Students with ADHD often need regular reassurance and guidance to stay on track, and virtual tutoring makes this a seamless part of the learning process. With screen sharing, tutors can see your student’s work in real time, offering instant feedback and praise when they nail a concept or need encouragement to push through a challenge. If your child starts to drift off-task, their tutor can gently redirect their focus, keeping them engaged and on track.
Virtual tutoring also creates a level of transparency that benefits everyone involved. Tutors can log into gradebooks or online learning portals to get a clear picture of your student’s progress and challenges. This real-time insight allows tutors to adapt lessons, reinforce tricky areas, or celebrate wins as they happen.
When your child sees their efforts acknowledged and gets actionable guidance in the moment, they’re more likely to stay motivated and view challenges as opportunities to improve rather than roadblocks to avoid. Digital tools are also helpful to track progress, so your student’s tutor can tailor every session to meet them where they are and keep them moving forward.
7. Online tutoring is more accessible
For ADHD students with disabilities and chronic illnesses, many in-person spaces just aren’t set up to be accessible. Classrooms that aren't ADA-compliant, a complete lack of COVID mitigations in most public spaces, and general societal disregard for others’ sensory and mental health needs make navigating life a challenge for some students. For families, caregivers, and students alike, it's an exhausting process to constantly advocate for basic accommodations. Kids with sensory sensitivities might struggle with fluorescent lights, fragrances, loud noises, or overcrowded environments, while those with physical or mental health challenges benefit from the flexibility of attending sessions from home. That way, even if they’re having a flare-up or struggling with mobility, they don’t have to miss out on academic support.
Families shouldn’t have to choose between getting the support their child needs and risking their health. Virtual tutoring is the solution that eliminates physical barriers and health risks, offering an environment where students can focus on learning, not on adapting to an inaccessible space.
Virtual tutoring isn’t just way more convenient; it’s transformative for students with ADHD. The flexibility, customized learning experience, engagement tools, and low-stress environment give ADHD students the right kind of structure and support they need to thrive. Online tutoring opens up opportunities for academic success that might not be possible in traditional settings, and as more educational options move online, virtual tutoring continues to prove itself as an effective and adaptable tool for students with ADHD.
Works Cited
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