How does remediation differ from tutoring?
For a student with an underlying processing disorder, tutoring is just a band-aid. It gives extra help in the subject matter of a particular course and is very useful for students who have missed a number of classes or who require extra help in understanding some concepts within a subject. It hides problems, but does not affect the fundamental underlying brain processes. It does not get at the mental skills or processing required for learning a subject. Educational remediation does. It is a highly focused form of training the brain aimed at overcoming specific problems found only in those with learning difficulties. As one of our young students remarked, “It’s like a brain gym, it will build up the muscles of my brain!” Remediation is a consistent, systematic, approach aimed at strengthening the underlying processing deficits that have created academic problems.
