Looking for resources to help me tutor a student with Asperger Syndrome.

March 29, 2006 10:39 AM

Please help me locate useful resources, preferably free and web based or available through the library loan program, that would lead to more effective tutoring for a student with Asperger Syndrome.

I am a student tutor at a local community college. This is the second semester I've been a paid tutor at the college level, but I have also tutored since 1989 at the high school level. In that time, I've accumulated a great deal experience and satisfaction in working with students, including many learning disabled or otherwise challenged studnts. In general, students who are willing to commit the time necessary succeed in improving their grades.

This semester, I have been asked to work with a student that has been diagnosed with AS. She's a bright, capable, and highly functioning young woman. She holds down a full time job in early childhood education. Despite this, she recently failed an elementary early childhood education exam. I understand that there are things that are going to simply be beyond my control, but I'd like to make the best use of our time together. At this point, nothing we've done seems to have succeeded.

My cousin, to whom I am very close, is a severely low functioning man with AS. On a person to person level, I am comfortable with this student's behavior because of my experience with my cousin. In a profesional environment, however, I am wholely unprepared to help this student. The school offers no services to assist her. To put it simply, there are no involved resources for me to draw on. I'd like help, but I'm limited to an hour a week of tutoring. How can I best use my time? What resources would you suggest?

I'm posting this anonymously because of confidentiality issues. When I was hired, I was told I'd be working with a special needs student, but because of privacy issues, my employer was unable to tell me what to expect. I knew from my employer's description exactly what I was dealing with, but was furthermore instructed to not ask the student about it. Fortunately, I've been explicitly told about the AS diagnosis by the student and her parents.

posted by anonymous to education (3 comments total)

You need to go down to the library and talk to the reference desk. A library's reference desk is staffed with a librarian who is there for just these questions.

He/She will be happy to point you in the right direction or work with you to determine exactly what resources will be required.
posted by unixrat at 12:28 PM on March 29, 2006

You can also see if there are any pediatric neuro-psychologists in the area. They are called on to evaluate AS kids and might have some resources for you in this particular circumstance.

If all else fails, contact me via email, I happen to know a PNS.
posted by FlamingBore at 2:19 PM on March 29, 2006

A lot of links are here.
posted by omnidrew at 2:42 PM on March 29, 2006