Tips to Overcome Writing Struggles for Students with Dyslexia & Autism

Writing can feel like an uphill battle for students with Dyslexia and Autism. The ideas are there, but getting them onto the page? That’s a whole different challenge. In this post, we’ll explore tips to overcome writing struggles for students with Dyslexia & Autism, using Luke’s journey as a powerful example. With the right strategies, students can turn frustration into progress and gain the confidence they need to succeed academically.

Luke’s Initial Challenges

Luke was a bright and curious student with Autism and Dyslexia, attending a private school designed for exceptional thinkers. While his ideas were advanced, he struggled to translate them into writing that matched his intellectual level. Written projects, reading comprehension, and organizing his thoughts felt daunting. I knew that improving writing confidence would lead to academic success.

Though Luke understood the importance of tutoring, he was initially resistant. However, his mother—his greatest academic champion—knew that finding the right support could help him thrive.

Setting Ambitious Goals

Luke wasn’t just focused on earning good grades. He wanted to deeply understand challenging material, incorporate his ideas into meaningful essays, and engage in academic work that would push both his abilities and his instructors’ thinking. He also had a major milestone ahead: crafting compelling college application essays that reflected his unique experiences and voice.

But beyond academic success, our mission was bigger: to reframe how Luke viewed his Autism and Dyslexia. Together, we worked to recognize these as his greatest superpowers—strengths that set him apart and made him stand out as a student with unmatched creativity, resilience, and perspective.

The Tutoring Approach

To meet Luke’s goals, we focused on:

Collaborative Reading and Writing: Using audiobooks, reading out loud together, and reading along to make challenging material accessible.
Pre-Writing Techniques: Freewriting, mind mapping, listing, and looping helped Luke organize his thoughts and develop his ideas.
Building Writing Fluency: We worked on turning his brilliant ideas into structured essays through drafting, revising, and refining his work.
Crafting College Essays: Together, we transformed Luke’s challenges into powerful stories for his applications, highlighting his creativity, resilience, and growth.
Reframing Strengths: We celebrated how Autism gave Luke unique ways of thinking and how Dyslexia honed his ability to approach problems differently—qualities that made his voice truly exceptional.

Most importantly, we built a safe, trusting relationship. I approached tutoring with patience, encouragement, and collaboration, helping Luke see his challenges as opportunities for growth.

Progress and Milestones

As our sessions continued, Luke made remarkable progress. His writing fluency, critical thinking, and reading comprehension improved significantly. He developed confidence in organizing his thoughts, generating topics, and crafting essays supported by evidence.

Luke’s college essays were a particular highlight. By sharing his unique perspective and journey, he created applications that authentically reflected his strengths and aspirations.

Key Achievements

By the end of our work together, Luke had mastered:

Critical thinking and idea generation
Essay organization and evidence-supported writing
Fluency in expressing his ideas clearly
Confidence in his abilities as both a writer and a thinker

Luke’s hard work paid off—he was thrilled to accept an offer from Ithaca College in New York. Known for its emphasis on hands-on learning and critical thinking, Ithaca was the perfect fit for Luke to continue building his academic and creative skills.

A Parent’s Perspective

Luke’s mother shared this heartfelt feedback:

"Thanks to Kelly's guidance and support, my son didn't just survive High School English, but enjoyed it. My son has dyslexia and dysgraphia, and written projects have always been a struggle. Kelly helped him organize his thoughts and guided him through the writing process with patience and kindness. He looked forward to their tutoring sessions and appreciated being seen as a person, as well as a student."

Luke’s Success

Luke’s success proves that with patience, collaboration, and the right tips to overcome writing struggles for students with Dyslexia & Autism, academic growth is possible. Writing challenges don’t have to hold students back—they can be stepping stones to greater creativity and resilience. If your student struggles with writing, the right tools and support can make all the difference.

Does Writing Feel Like an Uphill Battle? Let’s Change That Together!

If your student has Dyslexia or Dysgraphia and struggles to express their brilliant ideas in writing, I can help.

Click the button below to have a conversation about how your child can uncover their unique strengths and challenges. Together, we’ll explore strategies that turn writing struggles into superpowers.

Let's Write Together!