ONSLOW COUNTY, N.C. — When COVID-19 turned the world upside down, education was one of the areas that quickly had to adapt.

Throughout the pandemic, students with special education requirements have struggled to get the attention and resources they need to succeed.

For families like the Adamsons, there was a big learning curve as they tried to find what worked best for their family.

Kinshasha Adamson is a single mother with three kids. As an essential worker and a small business owner, she's found it difficult to stay actively involved in her kids' education. Her son Dakarai has ADHD and struggles with focusing at home. Her 8-year-old daughter Ka'niyah has epilepsy.

Adamson says communicating with the teachers is key if she wants to know what her children are learning at school.

“We all have to work together. I really believe that. It can't be just the teacher, it can't be just the parent. We all have to come together for the benefit of the kid,” Adamson says.

During a normal year, her kids get special education tutoring at school, but because of the pandemic, most of that has been put on hold.

“When I got their first progress report, I was like OK, we gotta do something. This is not going to happen on my watch,” she says.

After a lot of research, Adamson found Varsity Tutors — a group that offers specialized online tutoring for kids with special education needs. The extra guidance and attention has been a blessing to the Adamson family and their grades.

“It's hard,” Adamson says. “But we're gonna keep going. Our children are resilient.”

To families who are in a similar situation, her advice is to openly communicate and don’t be afraid to ask for help.

“We are human. We only can do so much," she says. "You gotta give yourself grace, give your kids grace, and you've gotta ask for a lot of patience from God.”

Varsity Tutors provides one-on-one or small group tutoring to help students with learning differences connect with special education experts.