Tutoring the Influx of Students with Asperger's Syndrome in the Writing Center

Presenters

Michayla N. Lehman, Cedarville University

Type of Submission

Podium Presentation

Campus Venue

Dixon Ministry Center, Room 101

Location

Cedarville, OH

Start Date

4-10-2013 2:00 PM

End Date

4-10-2013 2:20 PM

Comments

Abstract:

This paper discusses practical tutoring strategies for aiding students with Asperger's Syndrome (AS) in the writing center. I begin by surveying the current literature regarding AS, specifically focusing on the research that discusses how to tutor students with AS. I focus on research conducted by researchers such as Julie Neff, Terry Collins, and Rebecca Babcock, among others. I then discuss and evaluate the different strategies suggested for handling each tutoring session as well as offer helpful tips for assisting such students with the writing process. In addition to presenting this research, noting the most beneficial and efficient strategies a tutor can implement, I also suggest areas where research on tutoring students with AS falls short. In particular, I discuss how Pierangelo and Giuliani reveal that some students with AS risk dependency on their tutors and the lack of research on how tutors can encourage, and even develop, students' independence from tutoring. Thus, I use Collins, Babcock, and Neff as examples to discuss why independence for students with AS is so important, yet how that can be balanced effectively with appropriate tutoring assistance.

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 License.