When a parent sits down across from our admissions team and quietly asks whether we can support a child with dyslexia, ADHD, or a diagnosed learning difference, the room usually gets very still. That question carries years of worry. This article explains, in plain language, what a learning support school program actually means inside a US-curriculum international school, how it works day to day at Qingdao No. 1 International School of Shandong Province (QISS), and how to evaluate any of the international schools in Qingdao you are considering for learning support. It is written for families of neurodiverse students at an international school, and for parents new to international schools in China who are unfamiliar with how these programs are structured.
What Learning Support Actually Looks Like in a School
Learning support is a structured, in-school service for students with mild to moderate learning differences. It is not a separate track. It is not special education in the traditional sense. Students in a learning support school program sit in mainstream classrooms, follow the same curriculum, and graduate with the same diploma as their peers.
The confusion is understandable. In many countries, learning support and special education are used interchangeably. They shouldn’t be. Special education typically describes intensive, self-contained programs for students with significant cognitive, developmental, or medical needs. Learning support sits earlier on the spectrum: targeted help for students who are bright, capable, and simply learn differently.
Most credible international schools organise this help through a Multi-Tiered System of Supports (MTSS) or Response to Intervention (RTI) framework. These are the operating models US and international educators use to identify a student’s needs, match them to the right level of support, and track whether that support is working.
Researching schools in Qingdao for your child?
QISS is a WASC and CIS accredited international school welcoming students from Pre-K through Grade 12.
See QISS admissions →Accreditation matters here. WASC accredited schools and those holding CIS accreditation, as QISS does, submit their inclusive education practices to external review every few years.
Common Learning Differences That Schools Support
Rather than list clinical categories, it helps to describe the students we most often welcome into our learning support work.
Dyslexia and Language-Based Learning Disabilities
Dyslexia is the most common profile in any learning support program international school families encounter. A student may have strong reasoning and rich vocabulary, then struggle to decode text on the page. Support looks like structured literacy instruction, extended time on reading-heavy tasks, and assistive technology such as text-to-speech tools built into the school’s devices.
The goal is not to hide the difference. The goal is to give a bright reader the tools to show what they know.
ADHD and Executive Functioning
ADHD shows up in the classroom as difficulty starting tasks, holding attention through long instructions, or organising materials for a multi-step project. Executive functioning support focuses on the underlying skills: planning, working memory, self-monitoring, time management.
Schools can do a great deal without a clinical diagnosis. Movement breaks, chunked assignments, visual schedules, and clear checklists help most students, not only those with ADHD. That is the logic behind Universal Design for Learning (UDL): design the classroom so more students succeed without needing a special plan.
Twice-Exceptional and Gifted Learners with Differences
Twice-exceptional (2e) students carry high ability alongside a learning difference. A child might read three years above grade level and still struggle to write a paragraph. These learners are often missed. Their strengths mask their needs, and their needs mask their strengths.
Bright children who feel misunderstood at school often carry anxiety that outweighs the academic difficulty itself. According to Understood.org, roughly 70 million people in the US live with learning and thinking differences, and emotional wellbeing is inseparable from academic progress for many of them. You can read more at Understood.org.
Higher-functioning autism and processing differences also come up. Where a student’s needs exceed what a mainstream international school can safely serve, we say so, and we help families find the right placement.
How a Strong Learning Support Program Is Structured
Any school can say it supports learning differences. The question is how.
Tiered Support: From Classroom to Specialist
A credible program is tiered. Tier 1 is universal: every classroom uses differentiated instruction, clear routines, and UDL principles so most students thrive without extra help. Tier 2 adds targeted small-group work, often two to four students meeting with a learning specialist several times a week. Tier 3 is intensive, individual support for students whose needs require more.
Vygotsky’s zone of proximal development underpins why Tier 2 works: targeted small-group instruction pitched just above a student’s current level outperforms both unsupported mainstream lessons and over-scaffolded pull-out sessions. Movement between tiers is fluid. The tiers are not labels. They are decisions the team revisits.
Behind the scenes, three roles collaborate: the classroom teacher owns the content, the learning specialist owns the accommodation strategy, and a counsellor or advisor tracks the emotional side. In a co-taught classroom, a content teacher and a learning support school specialist share the room. Both plan lessons. Both work with all students. No child gets pulled out and labelled.
Student Support Plans and Parent Involvement
A Student Support Plan (SSP) is the working document that captures a child’s profile, learning accommodations, and goals. It names specifically what teachers will do: extended time on assessments, a movement break every twenty minutes, oral reading of maths problems, a written checklist for multi-step tasks.
Good plans are living documents. They are reviewed each term. Parents sit at that table and read the same data the teachers read.
Our team operates on a simple principle: families should help decide what happens next, not just be informed of it.
A Week in Learning Support: What Students and Families Experience
Picture a Grade 6 student we’ll call Mei. She has a diagnosis of dyslexia and mild ADHD. Her SSP includes extended time on assessments, a laptop with text-to-speech, and two thirty-minute sessions each week with our learning specialist.
Monday morning, Mei walks into the same homeroom as every other Grade 6 student. In English class, the teacher hands out the week’s reading with key vocabulary already highlighted, a UDL choice that helps six students in the room, not just Mei. Tuesday and Thursday she meets her learning specialist to work on decoding strategies and preview upcoming science vocabulary. On Friday, her advisor checks in for ten minutes.
Our 3:1 student-teacher ratio and average AP class size of eleven make this rhythm feel ordinary rather than exceptional. Small classes are the practical condition that lets differentiation actually happen.
Want to talk about whether QISS is right for your child?
Our admissions team can walk through your questions on a 20-minute call or in-person visit.
Talk to admissions →Self-advocacy skills sit at the centre of the work. Through the Leader in Me program at QISS, which draws on Stephen Covey’s habits and the CASEL framework, students learn to name how they learn. By high school, Mei should be able to walk into a new class and tell the teacher what she needs. This is our Learn, Lead and Live promise in practice. You can read more about the SEL framework at CASEL.
Students with learning differences also benefit from structured social contexts. Our after-school activity program is designed with the same inclusive principles as the classroom. This is part of our holistic approach to student wellbeing.
What Qualifications Should a Learning Support Specialist Have?
Ask this question on every campus visit.
A credentialed learning specialist school professional typically holds a master’s degree or graduate endorsement in special education, learning disabilities, or educational psychology. They are trained to read psychoeducational assessments, translate diagnostic language into classroom strategies, and write plans that hold up under external review.
Practical competencies matter as much as the diploma. A strong specialist knows how to select assistive technology, coach content teachers on accommodation design, and involve parents without alarming them. They stay current through professional development at EARCOS and ACAMIS conferences, both of which QISS belongs to. The values that underpin this work echo the IB Learner Profile our US curriculum shares in spirit: reflective, principled, caring.
For students who are also English language learners, our ELL team uses the WIDA English language development standards alongside each SSP. Learn more about our English Language Learner support program.
There is a real difference between a learning support assistant (LSA) and a credentialed specialist. Assistants play a valuable role, often reinforcing skills already taught. They do not write plans. If the person leading learning support at a school is uncredentialed, that is a signal worth exploring.
Common Questions Parents Ask About Learning Support in Schools
Is learning support the same as special education? No. Learning support serves students with mild to moderate differences who follow the mainstream curriculum with accommodations. Special education, in the US sense, describes more intensive placements. Most international schools provide learning support rather than full special education.
What is a learning support course? Some schools offer a scheduled class, often called Academic Workshop or Study Skills, where students meet regularly with a learning specialist to build executive functioning, reading, or writing skills. It is a structured curriculum, not a homework club.
What kind of school is best for a child with ADHD? Look for small class sizes, clear structure, opportunities for movement, and teachers trained in executive functioning strategies. Our AP classes average eleven students. Rigid, lecture-heavy environments tend to be a poor fit.
How do I know if my child qualifies for learning support? Share any prior assessments and school reports with our admissions team. We review the documentation, meet your child, and determine whether we can serve them well. Sometimes a full psychoeducational assessment is recommended before enrollment.
What is the difference between accommodations and modifications? A learning accommodation changes how a student accesses learning: extended time, a quiet room, a read-aloud test. A modification changes what the student is expected to learn: a shorter reading list or a different assessment goal. International schools typically use learning accommodations, not modifications, so students graduate with the same diploma as peers.
Does attending a learning support program affect university admissions? No. Universities receive a transcript, a diploma, and a counsellor’s recommendation, not an SSP. Our 100% college acceptance record, sustained every year, includes students who received learning support with us.
Choosing a Learning Support-Friendly International School in Qingdao
You have limited campus visits. Make them count.
Five Questions to Ask on Your Campus Visit
- What are the credentials of your learning support staff, and how many specialists serve how many students?
- Do you use a co-teaching model, or are students pulled out for support?
- What documentation do you produce, and how often is it reviewed with parents?
- What is your average class size, and how does differentiation actually happen in a typical lesson?
- How do you communicate with parents between formal reviews?
If a school cannot answer with specifics, that is your answer.
Why Accreditation Matters for Learning Support Standards
WASC and CIS accreditation both require schools to demonstrate inclusive education in practice, not just claim it. Reviewers observe classrooms, interview learning specialists, and read SSPs. A dual-accredited school has committed to being checked on this by outside educators.
Small class sizes are the second signal. Our 3:1 student-teacher ratio and AP average of eleven students are the practical condition that makes individualised support possible. A learning specialist with twenty students on caseload can do meaningful work. One with sixty cannot.
The third signal is the school’s broader social-emotional framework. Our Mindful Hearts philosophy, expressed through Leader in Me and daily classroom practice, is CASEL-aligned. Students who feel known and safe learn more, and this is especially true for children who arrive carrying a history of being misunderstood. For families exploring UDL more deeply, CAST publishes the full guidelines.
Come and Meet Our Learning Support Team
The best next step is a conversation before enrollment, not after. Bring any prior reports and your questions.
Email our admissions team at admissions@qiss.org.cn to schedule a campus tour and a private meeting with our learning support staff, or call Ms. Paula O’Connell on +86-532-6889-8888. We will walk you through our admissions process and enrollment steps and answer whatever you still need to know. Once a Shark, always a Shark, and that includes every student we support along the way.
Apply to QISS
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Start your application →Frequently Asked Questions
What is a learning support program in a school?
We provide structured, in-school services for students with mild to moderate learning differences who sit in mainstream classrooms, follow the same curriculum, and graduate with the same diploma as their peers. It is not special education, but rather targeted help for bright students who learn differently.
Is learning support the same as special education?
No, learning support serves students with mild to moderate differences who follow the mainstream curriculum with accommodations, while special education describes more intensive, self-contained placements for students with significant cognitive or developmental needs. Most international schools provide learning support rather than full special education.
What is a learning support course?
We offer scheduled classes where students meet regularly with a learning specialist to build executive functioning, reading, or writing skills through structured curriculum, not as a homework club. These sessions are typically two to four students meeting several times a week.
What kind of school is best for a child with ADHD?
We recommend looking for small class sizes, clear structure, opportunities for movement, and teachers trained in executive functioning strategies. Our AP classes average eleven students, and rigid, lecture-heavy environments tend to be a poor fit for students with ADHD.
How does learning support work in an international school setting?
We use a tiered system: Tier 1 universal differentiation in all classrooms, Tier 2 targeted small-group work with a learning specialist, and Tier 3 intensive individual support. Our classroom teachers, learning specialists, and counsellors collaborate, often through co-teaching models where both professionals share the room and plan lessons together.
What qualifications should a learning support specialist have?
We look for a master’s degree or graduate endorsement in special education, learning disabilities, or educational psychology, plus practical competencies in assistive technology, accommodation design, and parent collaboration. Our specialists stay current through professional development at EARCOS and ACAMIS conferences.
How do I know if my child qualifies for learning support at an international school?
Share any prior assessments and school reports with our admissions team, and we will review the documentation, meet your child, and determine whether we can serve them well. Sometimes a full psychoeducational assessment is recommended before enrollment.
What is the difference between accommodations and modifications in a school learning support program?
We use accommodations, which change how a student accesses learning (extended time, read-aloud tests, quiet rooms), rather than modifications, which change what the student is expected to learn. This means students graduate with the same diploma as their peers.
