Tutoring an autistic child usually takes the form of one-to-one teaching, paced and structured around how the child learns, that runs alongside the support the school already provides and any specialist or health input. Each child differs, and the SEND Code of Practice says needs cut across areas and change over time, so the plan for sessions starts from the individual child.
How does the NHS describe autism?
The NHS describes autism, also called autism spectrum disorder (ASD), as 'a difference in how your brain develops compared to people who are not autistic'. Its wording uses 'autistic', and the same term is used here. The NHS page does not cover education support or assessment steps, so those questions fall to the SEND Code of Practice, which is statutory guidance for England from the DfE and DHSC, and to the school.
What does the SEND Code of Practice say about autism?
The SEND Code of Practice says children with ASD, including Asperger's Syndrome and Autism, are likely to have particular difficulties with social interaction and may also experience difficulties with language, communication and imagination. It groups needs into four broad areas, listed below, and says children with ASD may have needs across all four, including particular sensory requirements. The social, emotional and mental health area names anxiety and depression among possible underlying difficulties.
- Communication and interaction
- Cognition and learning
- Social, emotional and mental health
- Sensory and/or physical
Featured tutors
Ellis
Master TutorI'm Head of Computer Science at a secondary school in Cornwall, where I lead staff CPD, after seven years in technology consulting. I teach GCSE and A-Level Computer Science, and I'm known for explaining the algorithms pupils find hardest in plain terms, little and often.
Enquire about this tutor
Michael
Master TutorI taught Economics for nine years, latterly as Head of Economics at Winchester College, and I examine for AQA and Edexcel. I teach Economics and Business Studies to A-Level and prepare Oxbridge and UCAS applicants, working from Rosenshine's principles of direct instruction.
Enquire about this tutor
Michael
Master TutorI have a First in Economics from York and an MSc from UCL, and have tutored for seven years, including SEN students. I teach maths, economics, physics, chemistry and biology to GCSE, A-Level, IB and AP. I build strong foundations so advanced questions feel intuitive.
Enquire about this tutorHow can a tutor adapt one-to-one sessions for an autistic child?
A tutor can adapt sessions through a predictable structure, explicit instructions, clear expectations, a steady routine and planning for transitions. Families of autistic children often ask for the first three, and the Code says SEN support should plan for transitions between phases and settings. Sensory requirements, routines that work at home and the child's own preferences all shape how these adaptations look in practice.
- Predictable structure: each session follows a familiar order the child can anticipate
- Explicit instructions: tasks are stated directly
- Clear expectations: the child knows what is being asked
- A steady routine: sessions take place at regular times
- Planned transitions: changes of activity are prepared in advance
Why can one tutor over time suit an autistic child?
A single tutor over time gives the child more time with one adult on the skills school support has identified, in regular, well-paced teaching. Continuity lets the steady routine and the predictable structure settle across weekly sessions, and lets the tutor build up what has worked for the child, including anything the parent has passed on from home. A parent who wants this can ask, when enquiring, for one tutor to stay with the child across the sessions.
How does tuition link with the school SENCO and an EHC plan?
A parent usually acts as the link between the school's SENCO and the tutor, passing on the strategies written into an SEN support plan or an EHC plan. A tutor's part is regular, well-paced teaching that carries those strategies into weekly practice. SEN support in school follows a cycle of assess, plan, do and review, so the plan can change, and schools talk to parents regularly, which makes review conversations a natural point to collect updates for the tutor.
- Ask the SENCO which strategies the plan names for the child
- Ask whether the school is content for those strategies to be shared with the tutor
- Pass the outcome of each review to the tutor
Can a tutor diagnose or assess an autistic child?
A tutor cannot diagnose a need, assess for access arrangements or set statutory provision. Those decisions rest with the school and with the specialists or health professionals involved, and the Code says schools may involve specialists at any point. A parent with questions about assessment can raise them with the school. Sessions are teaching, and the tutor's attention stays on the skills named in the child's plan.
Are sessions online or in person?
Sessions are online for families across the UK, and in person only in central London. A parent can enquire and receive tutor recommendations for the child's age, subjects and needs, so the enquiry is the point to name each of those three. Where a child has particular sensory requirements, the setting is worth discussing before choosing between the two formats, since the Code lists sensory needs among its four areas.
What should a parent share with a tutor?
A parent can share the child's strengths and needs, what works at home and the strategies in any SEN support plan or EHC plan. Parents should be fully aware of the planned support, so the school's current plan is a sound starting document for the first conversation. Strengths belong in that conversation alongside areas of difficulty, since a tutor builds sessions on both.
- Strengths and areas of difficulty
- What works at home
- Any particular sensory requirements
- Strategies and the latest review outcomes from the plan
- Specialist or health input the child receives
- The child's own views
Related guides
- Autism tutors
- SEN tutors
- Catch-up tutoring
- SEN support plans in England
- How to get an EHCP
- Home education with an EHCP or SEN
- Choosing a tutor for a child with SEND
- Study skills and executive function
Tutoring with Taylor Tuition
One-to-one support for this stage works best when the tutor can see the pupil's own work, so sessions with us start from recent papers and homework and build a routine from there. More than half of our tutors hold Qualified Teacher Status and around three in five hold a master's degree or doctorate, and the pool includes former heads of department, exam-board examiners and teachers from independent and boarding schools.
Sessions run online for families across the UK and internationally, and in person in central London. Fees start from £50 per 50-minute session and depend on tutor level and subject. There is no registration fee. Every tutor who works with children holds an enhanced DBS check and families receive progress reports after sessions.
Frequently asked questions
- Can tutoring cover other needs, such as dyslexia or ADHD?
- Tuition concentrates on the skills a child's needs make harder in a busy classroom, taught in shorter steps with more practice and review. The Code describes specific learning difficulties as encompassing conditions such as dyslexia, dyscalculia and dyspraxia, and lists ADHD among disorders children may have, so a parent can name any such needs when enquiring and receive recommendations for the child's age, subjects and needs.
- Does my child have a say in the support they receive?
- The Code says schools should include the pupil's views and talk to parents regularly. A parent can bring the child's views into the first conversation with a tutor too, so sessions reflect what the child finds helpful as well as what adults have planned. Reviews of the school's plan are a natural point to ask what the child thinks is working.
- Does tuition replace the school's responsibility for my child?
- No. The Code says the class or subject teacher remains responsible for the pupil, even where interventions involve group or one-to-one teaching away from the class. A tutor's weekly sessions sit outside that responsibility, so the teacher, the SENCO and the tutor each keep their own part, and the parent can pass information between them.
- What is the purpose of identifying a child's needs?
- The Code says the purpose of identification is to work out what action the school needs to take. Support should be based on a full understanding of the child's strengths and needs, use well-evidenced interventions targeted at areas of difficulty and, where necessary, include specialist equipment or software. A parent can ask the school what action follows from what it has identified.
- How can parents support what happens in sessions at home?
- The Code says plans should, where appropriate, seek parental involvement to reinforce progress at home. A parent can ask the tutor which skill the session covered and which routines from the session suit home, and can tell the tutor what has worked at home in return. Short exchanges after sessions keep the school, home and tutor working from the same plan.
Enquire about tutoring
Start your enquiryHow Taylor Tuition can help
Expert, one-to-one support from specialist tutors.
Editorial Notice
We use automated research tools to help collate and maintain information across our website. While each post is reviewed before publication, some details may be incomplete or inaccurate.
Taylor Tuition
Educational Consultancy
Contributing expert insights on education, exam preparation, and effective learning strategies to help students reach their full potential.