Summer Tutoring for Students with ADHD: What Works & How to Find the Best ADHD Tutor in NYC & NJ
Many students enjoy relaxing and spending time outdoors during the summer. However, for students with ADHD, summer can also be filled with learning loss, minimal structure, and increased academic gaps.
Summer tutoring for ADHD students can help avoid this summer slide, especially if the instruction uses structured, evidence-based techniques that are individualized to the needs of each student. Not all tutoring works well for students with ADHD; traditional approaches are usually not ideal.
In this article, you’ll learn about finding the best ADHD tutor near you, including the kind of tutoring that works best for students with ADHD and how to choose an ADHD tutor that will provide the best results for your child.
Why summer tutoring is important for students with ADHD
During the school year, it can be challenging to find time for effective tutoring that fills in academic gaps and teaches new strategies, while also helping students stay on top of their schoolwork. During this time, students with ADHD often:
- Feel overwhelmed by their schoolwork
- Struggle to keep up with pace of class instruction
- Feel stressed and anxious
- Become easily disorganized
During the summer, there tends to be fewer scheduling and academic constraints than there are in the school year. This creates an opportune time to:
- Teach effective study skills strategies
- Build foundational skills
- Improve focus
- Fill in academic gaps
With the right tutoring approach, students with ADHD can make significant progress over the summer, helping them start the new school year on a positive note.
Learn how to choose the best ADHD summer tutor in NYC at How to Find the Best Tutor for Your Child in NYC – EBL Coaching.
What doesn’t work for ADHD summer tutoring
We’ll soon delve into what does work effectively for students with ADHD but let’s first look at what doesn’t work:
1. Long, non-targeted sessions
Students with ADHD struggle to stay focused for long periods of time. Random worksheets or lessons that don’t follow an engaging structure often lead to students tuning out and losing motivation.
2. One-size-fits-all ADHD tutoring
Traditional tutoring programs don’t always target specific learning gaps or teach students concrete executive functioning strategies, which is what students with ADHD need.
3. Passive learning
Students with ADHD learn best with active learning, where they are engaged in the instruction. Passive activities such as completing repetitive tasks or listening to a teacher talk for a full session don’t usually work well.
4. Lack of structure
Students with ADHD and executive functioning challenges need structure, so tutoring lessons that don’t have a clear plan and expectations don’t usually work well for students with ADHD.
Learn how executive functioning coaching for ADHD students can improve organization, time management, and study skills at Executive Functioning Coaching | Build Organization, Time Management & Study Skills | EBL Coaching.
What kind of summer tutoring for ADHD students works best?
If your child has ADHD, they’ll likely respond best to systematic, engaging instruction. When seeking an ADHD tutor near you, look for:
1. One-on-one ADHD tutoring
Students with ADHD benefit most from individualized tutoring. Before the sessions begin, they should receive an initial assessment to gauge their strengths and weaknesses and the areas that need development. Then, an individualized learning plan for the summer tutoring sessions should be created.
Effective tutoring for ADHD students should:
- Be individualized to the academic or executive functioning areas they need help with
- Adapt to their pace
- Use research-based techniques
- Provide feedback on any positive progress
This approach helps reduce frustration and build self-confidence.
2. Multi-sensory instruction for ADHD
Multi-sensory instruction engages visual, auditory, and tactile/kinesthetic modalities – ideal for students with ADHD.
Instead of just listening to a teacher or working out of a workbook, students:
- Use visuals
- Engage in hands-on activities
- Interact with material in different ways
- Use web diagrams
- Use color-coded highlighters
This multi-sensory tutoring approach helps students with ADHD improve their focus, retention, and grasp of new concepts.
3. Short, structured tasks
Students with ADHD struggle with long, intensive tasks. They perform much better when tasks are broken down into manageable chunks.
Effective summer tutoring sessions for students with ADHD should include:
- Tasks broken down to smaller bits
- Time for transitioning between activities
- Built-in breaks
This approach helps students with ADHD be more engaged in the learning process and prevents fatigue and boredom.
4. Executive functioning coaching for ADHD
ADHD typically involves more than just attentional challenges. Students with ADHD often struggle with executive functioning skills, including:
- Organization
- Planning
- Time management
- Task initiation
- Working memory
Effective summer tutoring teaches students concrete executive functioning skills such as:
- Strategies for time management
- How to create effective checklists
- How to set up workspaces
- Note taking strategies
- How to use paper or digital planners effectively
- How to break assignments into clear steps
- Tools for studying for different types of tests
- Strategies for improved organization
5. Active engagement in learning
The best tutoring for students with ADHD is engaging and interactive. During the tutoring sessions, students should be:
- Answering questions constantly to ensure understanding
- Explaining their thinking
- Highlighting key information
- Practicing skills with guidance and repetition
The more active the student is in the learning process, the better the results will likely be.
6. Immediate feedback and reinforcement
Students with ADHD benefit from immediate feedback to help them stay on track and continue to show progress.
The type of feedback that typically works is:
- Fixing mistakes right away
- Positive reinforcement
- Clear, specific guidance on changes that should be made
This direct feedback helps build momentum and keeps students motivated.
Which subjects should summer ADHD tutoring focus on?
Summer tutoring for students with ADHD should focus on their specific needs. However, for most students with ADHD, the greatest gains come from:
Reading
- Comprehension strategies
- Decoding and fluency techniques, including Orton Gillingham tutoring if needed
- Retention of information
Writing
- Sentence structure
- Organizing ideas
- Paragraph and essay development
- Brainstorming
- Self-checking
Math
- Foundational skills, including math facts
- Word Problem solving strategies
- Reducing careless errors
- Lining up numbers properly
Executive functioning
- Planning
- Organization
- Time management
- Task initiation
- Homework management
Writing is often particularly challenging for students with ADHD since it requires sustained focus, organization, and planning, which are typically areas of difficulty for students with ADHD.
How to choose the right summer tutoring program in NYC
Finding the right summer tutoring program for your child with ADHD is key. When evaluating tutoring programs in NYC, look for:
- Experience working with ADHD
- Initial assessment prior to the start of tutoring
- Structured, individualized lesson plans
- Research-based techniques for ADHD
- Multi-sensory teaching methods
- Focus on executive functioning skills
Why specialized summer tutoring makes a difference
Traditional tutoring may offer some help to students with ADHD, but specialized summer tutoring programs that use evidence-based techniques tend to be much more effective.
At EBL Coaching, for our summer tutoring sessions, we:
- Start with an initial assessment
- Create an individualized learning plan for each student
- Use research-based techniques
- Use a multi-sensory approach
- Specialize in helping students with ADHD and executive functioning challenges
- Provide in-home tutoring in NYC and NJ
- Provide virtual tutoring worldwide
With this approach, students learn how to become more efficient, effective, and motivated students.
Signs your child could benefit from summer tutoring
Many students with ADHD benefit from consistent summer tutoring. You may want to consider summer tutoring if your child:
- Struggles to focus on their schoolwork
- Avoids reading or writing
- Has trouble staying organized
- Has poor time management skills
- Struggles with multi-step tasks
Becomes frustrated or easily overwhelmed with academic tasks
Summer tutoring can fill in academic gaps, teach concrete executive functioning strategies, and prevent future academic challenges.
Summer ADHD Tutoring in NYC and New Jersey
For families in New York City and New Jersey, finding the right tutoring for your child with ADHD can make a significant difference during the summer. With fewer academic demands and more flexible schedules, summer is an ideal time to focus on building skills that are often difficult to work on during the school year.
In NYC and New Jersey, many students benefit from one-on-one ADHD tutoring that is individualized to their unique learning needs. If your child attends school in Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, the Bronx, Staten Island, Westchester, Long Island, or Bergen County, personalized tutoring can help them develop their academic challenges and executive functioning skills.
Summer ADHD tutoring in NYC and NJ typically includes:
- Individualized tutoring plans based on an initial assessment
- Targeted instruction in reading, writing, and math
- Executive functioning coaching, including building organization, time management, and planning skills
- Multi-sensory, evidence-based teaching methods
- Flexible options, including in-home and virtual sessions
Summer tutoring provides an opportunity to build foundational skills, fill in academic gaps, and develop strategies that will carry into the upcoming school year.
For families in New Jersey, including areas such as Englewood and surrounding communities, access to specialized ADHD tutoring ensures that students receive the same high-quality, research-based instruction available in NYC, with the added convenience of local or in-home services.
Choosing a program that specializes in ADHD tutoring in NYC and New Jersey will help your child receive structured, individualized support designed specifically for their unique profile.
Closing thoughts
Summer tutoring can be highly effective for students with ADHD, as long as it’s structured, multi-sensory, and individualized to the needs of each student.
The right summer tutoring does more than just improve grades. It builds:
- Confidence
- Independence
- Motivation
- Important academic skills
Try to find a program that specializes in working with neurodiverse students, including those with ADHD. In doing so, you can help your child learn the strategies they need to thrive in school.
Are you looking for summer tutoring in NYC or NJ?
We can help! EBL Coaching specializes in one-on-one summer tutoring for students with academic and attentional challenges, including ADHD, using research-based, multi-sensory techniques. We have expertise in ADHD coaching in NYC, dyslexia tutoring in NYC, learning disability instruction in NYC, and Orton Gillingham tutoring in NYC. Contact us today to see how we can help your child with individualized summer tutoring!
Our NYC learning center is located at 17 East 89th Street, Suite 1D, New York, NY 10128 and our New Jersey learning center is located at 50 East Palisade Avenue, Suite 201, Englewood, NJ 07631.
Read about strategies for helping students with ADHD at CHADD – Improving the lives of people affected by ADHD.
FAQs about summer tutoring for ADHD students
Does summer tutoring help kids with ADHD?
Yes, absolutely! Summer is an opportune time to take advantage of for tutoring. There are typically fewer school constraints, more scheduling flexibility, and increased opportunities for foundational skills building. It is also a great time for more intensive executive functioning coaching.
How often should a child with ADHD receive tutoring in the summer?
The tutoring frequency that a student with ADHD should receive during the summer varies based on the needs of each student. Some students need only 1-2 sessions per week, while others need much more frequent sessions, depending on the severity of their needs.
Is virtual ADHD tutoring effective?
Yes, virtual tutoring can absolutely be effective for students with ADHD, if it’s structured and interactive. Virtual tutoring offers more scheduling flexibility and access to tutors who may not live in your local geographic area.
Learn whether virtual ADHD tutoring is as effective as in-person tutoring at Is Virtual Tutoring as Effective as In-Person Tutoring? | EBL Coaching
What is the most important feature of a tutoring program for ADHD?
There are many aspects of effective tutoring for students with ADHD. However, targeted instruction using evidence-based techniques that are individualized to the needs of each student is key.
Dr. Emily Levy, the founder and director of EBL Coaching, holds her Doctorate Degree in Education and her Master’s Degree in Special Education. She has helped thousands of students with ADHD for over twenty years. She is also the author of the Strategies for Study Success student workbook series, the Flags and Stars Orton Gillingham student workbook program, and the Flags and Stars Multi-Sensory Math program, used by students and schools nationwide.