Meet Xuan Ruan

A closer look at Xuan’s approach to mentoring neurodivergent learners.

Xuan’s journey is rooted in direct, hands-on experience within educational settings, supporting students who process language and information differently. Having worked closely with autistic learners and children with a range of additional learning needs, including ADHD-related learning challenges, she quickly recognised that traditional, high-pressure tutoring models often force brilliant, non-linear minds into a rigid, one-size-fits-all box.

To deepen her understanding of how children learn and develop, she pursued an MA Education (Psychology) at University College London (UCL). This background informs her psychology-informed approach to adapting teaching strategies to better support each student’s individual learning profile.

“Regulation comes before learning. I adapt teaching according to your child’s learning ability.”

Xuan knows that for a student navigating ADHD-related learning challenges, autism, or executive functioning difficulties, simply “studying harder” does not work when they are already experiencing cognitive overload.

When students struggle to organise and communicate their ideas under pressure, freezing during a task is often a natural response rather than a lack of ability. Xuan supports students by breaking complex language tasks into clear, manageable steps, adapting her teaching approach to each learner and using psychology-informed strategies to build confidence and independence. to help diverse learners access the English curriculum effectively.

“Many students already have good ideas, they just don’t yet have the confidence or structure to express them. I believe regulation comes before learning. When a student moves from ‘I don’t know how to start’ to ‘I know exactly what to do next,’ that’s where confidence—and real learning—begins.”