Published on 12, July, 2020
Hi all.I'm the father of a child with ASD (diagnosed as Asperger's). I'll maybe do a full introduction on the other section of forum but I was wondering if there is any advice on online courses for children (in my own childs case sports science)?
Just a little detail: She's 15 and is currently on 150mg of Seretraline (for the past 2/3 years) with Melotonin to help her get to sleep at night. This perhaps isn't ideal long term but for the time being it needs to be carriedf forward. She was seen by health care professionals around the end of year 6 primary and eventually given the Asperger's diagnosis. Always popular at primary school and high achieving but as she hit high school/puberty her anxities were fully heightened.
She's been a school refuser since the first week of high school (Year 7) but she's now in year 10, She had a couple of years in a hospital school for chilren similar to her but by year 10 she wanted a fresh start and to try mainstream again. She was pretty much mute at this school (despite being very vocal at home with the family). This got off to a good start and at one stage the school were looking to help with the addition of TA (she has EHCP). However, a few weeks in her anxiety levels kicked back in and once again she could't manage school (pretty heartbreaking to see).
However, over the past few months she's joined a local gym and has become (and I don't write this lightly) transformed. She's gone from a diet of junk food and cans of coke (as a family we're healthy eaters generally but this was a battle we could'nt fight at the time) to eating highly nutritious and healthy food. She's cut out all junk food (even at the weekend) and doesn't have sweets or any form of fizzy drinks. She's at the gym (with me!) every evening and has researched everything about training and exercise and nutrition. Her confidence has grown in strides (she has no fear of training in the male dominated weights room) and her body in turn is in very good shape. She used to be a very good swimmer and was picked by the Manchester swim team to train with them, but this was around the time her anxities kicked in and she unfortunatey she had to cease doing the sport.
With all in this in mind she feels strongly about pursuing a career in sports science and nutrition. I've had a look a few online course and also college courses for the future, but acutely aware she hasn't been in school for the past four years and many of these require qualfications. She has the EHCP so could be funded for a course (I've signed up to the InterHigh schooling curriculum).
I guess I'm looking for a bit of guidance for the next stages. She's considering core subjects (online) but is very keen on the sports science career path. She has the benefit of having lived through all this but she's a bright kld and has a skill for self learning.
I've probably left a fair bit of details out here (and a raft of spelling/grammar mistakes...no auto spell on this forum! :) ) so apologies in advance!Kind regards.
In your research, did you check out the Open University? I didn't know this (and I was quite surprised!) but they offer diplomas, certificates, and even a BSc in Sport and Fitness. I don't know if the module content would fit exactly what your daughter might be aiming for, but the OU is a great way to get back into education without prior qualifications because no prior qualifications are required to enroll on OU undergraduate courses. Further, as a means of preparation, they also offer courses called 'Optional access modules' which are usually around GCSE/A-Level short courses and can be done part time. In fact, the whole degree could be completed part time while she searches for practical part-time opportunities to build up experience.
As you might have gathered, I am a huge fan of the OU - I enrolled in a Physics degree at the OU with only a GCSE Grade E in Mathematics to my name, got a first-class degree, and now want to go back to study their MSc in Mathematics! If she is enthusiastic, it could be the perfect route.