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NAS74405

Hi,

I am waiting for a diagnosis but everything points to being autistic.  I am 52 and on an apprenticeship at work.  My issue is that I need my functional English skills and I struggle with anything fictional.  I have undergone a neurodiversity assessment through work and it shows I have a specific problem around English. I have to keep doing progress tests on punctuation, spelling, read text etc.  My problem is that because it's based around fiction my brain just can't take it in. It's like looking at a blank piece of paper. It's making me quite anxious, angry, tearful and then makes me want to throw the computer out the window.  Is there anyone that has experienced similar or knows of anything that will help? 

  • in reply to Robert124

    Thank you so much for your reply. It gives me some form of hope that I will get through it.  I just keep having  complete melt downs which I have no control over.  Hopefully my tutor will understand Shrug

  • When reading texts, concentrate on identifying certain language features such as similes and metaphors, and what effect the author is trying to convey by using them.

    Look for explicit meanings in text.

    Look for implicit meanings in text.

    Justify your answer.

    The functional skills reading exam is easy, it is composed of multiple choice questions and short answers such as a single sentence.

    I got 100% in the reading exam.

    The writing exam is much more difficult.  They want us to write two different types of essays.  Both about a page long.

    It could be a formal essay, a letter or emails.

    I only got 76% in the writing exam.

  • I have always struggled with English, writing fictional essays is far far more difficult than reading and understanding fiction.

    I passed my functional skills English course at level 2 last year.  There's very little fiction in that qualification, only reading texts about hypothetical situations such as arguments for and against a bypass.

    My advice is practice and getting feedback from tutors to find out what the examiners are looking for.

  • Thank you for your post, .
    Fiction seems daunting to you when drawing a blank piece of paper. Perhaps moving the drawing board and computer aside and instead experiment with modelling clay. I dare not suggest playdough as those punctuation marks might appear too fictional with their smell however plasticine lands somewhere in the muddle.

    I would if I could ask for you to mock-up anger using a plasticine model. That way I could see a figure of an angry individual in your attempt to model anger using plasticine.

  • in reply to Martin

    I wish it was that easy.  My brain just shuts off. I don't watch fictional programs either as I don't understand the need for them. It's quite difficult tbh. Non fiction I absorb and like to research.  Didn't like fiction as a child either so its nothing that's suddenly occurred.  I like your thoughts and may try and visualise it in that way.  Thank you Blush

  • I can't really relate, as I have devoured fiction ever since I read and was captivated by 'Treasure Isaland' at 7 years of age. Would it help to treat pieces of fiction as factual reports of conversations and events, perhaps as part of a criminal investigation?