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Exam accommodations

StephMW

I wonder if anyone has advice please.  My daughter, 17, has recently been diagnosed with autism by the NHS after years of waiting.  She has impending A Levels and one of the accommodations proposed was extra exam time due to her not understanding inference and having processing difficulties as a result of which she struggles with exam questions and the way they are worded.  The school are saying ‘no’ to extra time because it is not her usual way of working.  Does anyone have any experience with this please? Thanks in advance Pray tone1

Parents
  • StephMW said:
     The school are saying ‘no’ to extra time because it is not her usual way of working.

    I wonder how they have assessed "usual way of working" and what is meant by that?

    the excellent resource from  (with what strikes me as good advice as well)  says the following about establishing what is their "normal" way of working -

    6. How does my exam centre establish my normal way of working?

    Your Special Educational Needs Coordinator (SENCo) will gather evidence to show your normal way of working through:

    • Feedback from teachers on how you work in class
    • Notes from support lessons or interventions
    • Evidence from mock exams or internal assessments
    • Records of previous access arrangements
    • Work samples that highlight specific difficulties
    • Screening tests or assessments from professionals

    So, have the school acknowledged the processing difficulties? - are they part of the diagnosis/following recommendations following the assessment? 

    Has all the evidence been gathered by the SENCo?

    generally...

    However your daughter does the exams now, it's all learning about learning and that's most important - things can be good :-) .

    Use whatever support is necessary while working towards independence.  If and when you no longer need it, pass it on to others.  That's the way I reckon.  Support that  enables people to do their best is necessary for equality.  

    Anyway for a lot time hereon-wards  working appears to be moving to using more generative artificial intelligence - how the education system and the associated sorting system of academic achievement adapts to that will be unfolding soon I expect (fingers crossed).

    Quality of thinking and outcome performance are perhaps more important in the long run than speed.  So what if I take longer - I'm doing it in the best and most effective way I can! 

    Bit of a blow that exams are stressful - often an associated issue with ASD finding stress especially tricky.

    One of the things I most learned was the importance of having stress levels OK for prolonged study and concentration.

    Giving over longer times to get qualifications eventually came through for me.  I studied for fewer qualifications but with more depth, finding something that maintained my interest best by one means or another.  Along the way learning how to study and pass exams reasonably well.

    Eventually kind off working out what exams are metaphorically coming up in the life that continues outside of formal education, then preparing and taking them on.  Mental exercise is kind off addictive and self-sustaining!  

    All the best to you and yours.  keep up the good parenting! 

Reply
  • StephMW said:
     The school are saying ‘no’ to extra time because it is not her usual way of working.

    I wonder how they have assessed "usual way of working" and what is meant by that?

    the excellent resource from  (with what strikes me as good advice as well)  says the following about establishing what is their "normal" way of working -

    6. How does my exam centre establish my normal way of working?

    Your Special Educational Needs Coordinator (SENCo) will gather evidence to show your normal way of working through:

    • Feedback from teachers on how you work in class
    • Notes from support lessons or interventions
    • Evidence from mock exams or internal assessments
    • Records of previous access arrangements
    • Work samples that highlight specific difficulties
    • Screening tests or assessments from professionals

    So, have the school acknowledged the processing difficulties? - are they part of the diagnosis/following recommendations following the assessment? 

    Has all the evidence been gathered by the SENCo?

    generally...

    However your daughter does the exams now, it's all learning about learning and that's most important - things can be good :-) .

    Use whatever support is necessary while working towards independence.  If and when you no longer need it, pass it on to others.  That's the way I reckon.  Support that  enables people to do their best is necessary for equality.  

    Anyway for a lot time hereon-wards  working appears to be moving to using more generative artificial intelligence - how the education system and the associated sorting system of academic achievement adapts to that will be unfolding soon I expect (fingers crossed).

    Quality of thinking and outcome performance are perhaps more important in the long run than speed.  So what if I take longer - I'm doing it in the best and most effective way I can! 

    Bit of a blow that exams are stressful - often an associated issue with ASD finding stress especially tricky.

    One of the things I most learned was the importance of having stress levels OK for prolonged study and concentration.

    Giving over longer times to get qualifications eventually came through for me.  I studied for fewer qualifications but with more depth, finding something that maintained my interest best by one means or another.  Along the way learning how to study and pass exams reasonably well.

    Eventually kind off working out what exams are metaphorically coming up in the life that continues outside of formal education, then preparing and taking them on.  Mental exercise is kind off addictive and self-sustaining!  

    All the best to you and yours.  keep up the good parenting! 

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