• Replies 22 replies
  • Subscribers 79 subscribers
  • Views 10999 views
  • Users 0 members are here
Options
Related
Hints and tips
  • To quote someone's message, first select/highlight the relevant text, and then use the Quote button that appears
  • To "mention" someone, type @ followed by the start of the forum name, and choose from the list; that person will get a notification of being mentioned

Teaching, Aspergers and capability proceedings

RidleyRumpus

Hi,

After a degree in Physics, a career in SW I started a new career teaching Physics in secondary school 14 years ago.

I have struggled for some time with complaints from parents and students for reasons that I struggle to fathom as the students results have at least been in line with other teachers (who receive few if any complaints)

I have suffered from anxiety and depression for some years.

I have often put my problems down to a complete inability to remember student (and even teachers names), even after I have taught them for years. I have raised this as an issue and I have been advised to use the old chestnuts which just do not work for me. I have found that I seem to annoy colleagues with apparent rudeness/abruptness which has gone against me. I was not happy that my head of department accused me of having Aspergers in from of my department in a meeting when I asked her to clarify something. In retrospect she may have been on to something even if her communication skills were flawed.

My ex wife also thought I was on the spectrum but I had put that down to her not being very nice....

However the school have now moved to put me through capability (essentialy a dismissal) on pretty flimsy evidence. This sent my anxiety through the roof and I have been signed off for some time. I applied for help with my local IAPT service and the worker there also suggested Aspergers as a contributor. 

After some pondering/research which showed me that the traits fitted my to a tee. I took the plunge and was tested and was diagnosed as having Aspergers.

Now should I tell the school?

If so then what difficulties do you think I could face in the classroom as an Aspie and what should/could I ask for as reasonable adjustments?

Parents

  • NAS18906 said:

    Hi Ridley,

    You should speak to the occupational health department of your employer (perhaps the LEA?) and ask for the disciplinary proceedings to be suspended until you have been assessed by occy health.

    I have already been assessed by OH but not for ASD but for the anxiety and depression.

    I would formally declare it to whoever is in charge of the capability proceedings. The Equality Act provides you with some very significant protections and they will not want to be seen to be persecuting a "disabled" person. Having autism doesn't make you disabled but that is the term that a layman will understand. Your union should have specialists that can help you in your situation.

    My experience of unions prior to diagnosis was that they were rubbish. Now that I know that I have autism, I would be much more understanding of how to use them best.

    Care to elaborate?

    People with autism are often in the courts and tribunals because we are not very good at negotiating through the social interactions that can smooth the way. We also tend to interpret the rules differently so we see persecution and wrongness where NT people wouldn't.

    Tell me about it!

    You can also call Access To Work. This is a government organisation that aims to keep disabled people in employment and, given that you have a diagnosis, they will do what they can to help you work your way through this.

    Will do, thanks for that.

    Teaching is not the most obvious career for someone with autism. There have been a couple on the forum over the last couple of years but they have been the exception rather than the rule. I'm a physicist currently in software but would never imagine being able to engage or control a class of pupils!

    Young ones are OK, older ones nowadays are more tricky to engage/control.

    There are a few discussions on transgender issues in the forum it probably isn't central to this thread?

    Not really other than it making it more difficult to find alternative employment and possibly being another reason for the recent (post transition) upturn in the number of complaints.

Reply

  • NAS18906 said:

    Hi Ridley,

    You should speak to the occupational health department of your employer (perhaps the LEA?) and ask for the disciplinary proceedings to be suspended until you have been assessed by occy health.

    I have already been assessed by OH but not for ASD but for the anxiety and depression.

    I would formally declare it to whoever is in charge of the capability proceedings. The Equality Act provides you with some very significant protections and they will not want to be seen to be persecuting a "disabled" person. Having autism doesn't make you disabled but that is the term that a layman will understand. Your union should have specialists that can help you in your situation.

    My experience of unions prior to diagnosis was that they were rubbish. Now that I know that I have autism, I would be much more understanding of how to use them best.

    Care to elaborate?

    People with autism are often in the courts and tribunals because we are not very good at negotiating through the social interactions that can smooth the way. We also tend to interpret the rules differently so we see persecution and wrongness where NT people wouldn't.

    Tell me about it!

    You can also call Access To Work. This is a government organisation that aims to keep disabled people in employment and, given that you have a diagnosis, they will do what they can to help you work your way through this.

    Will do, thanks for that.

    Teaching is not the most obvious career for someone with autism. There have been a couple on the forum over the last couple of years but they have been the exception rather than the rule. I'm a physicist currently in software but would never imagine being able to engage or control a class of pupils!

    Young ones are OK, older ones nowadays are more tricky to engage/control.

    There are a few discussions on transgender issues in the forum it probably isn't central to this thread?

    Not really other than it making it more difficult to find alternative employment and possibly being another reason for the recent (post transition) upturn in the number of complaints.

Children
No Data