Published on 12, July, 2020
Hello, I have never posted on a forum before, but I am unsure about what to do next. My son is 15 and in year 11, he was diagnosed with Aspergers and anxiety in year 7, he has always been in mainstream education. He has mostly coped, his strategy is to be the invisible boy at school and would rather die than break a school rule. He has reserved his meltdowns for home. He goes to the large comprehensive school closest to our home, so he has been around the same group of kids since nursery as we found change difficult for him.
Unfortunately the 6th form of our school is selective, all along I've been told don't worry he'll get in, including by the senco. He doesn't have a statement, but the school have provided a lunch club for sen kids and he has a small group of goodfriends from this.
The problems began in February after his mock exams, his anxiety escalated and he stopped being able to go to school. He was referred to camhs and he is getting therapy and help from them. He did not return to school and so missed all the revision lessons. He has managed to go in for a few of his exams. The pressure of taking Gcse's and needing to get the right score just to stay in his school pushed him over the edge. I said he could go into the school's 5th form to retake if needed, but this leads to a complete meltdown.
He needs help with study techniques, life skills and communication.
He has a place at this 6th form and the other localcomprehensive school, but he didn't even take hisEnglish exam. Will he cope with 6th form if he gets in? Are there any special needs 6th forms, even private ones? Are there any summer schools to help with the transition process? I am looking into a learning difficulty assessment, but the senco has never heard of it!
Advice please!
Thank you for your comments, I am sorry it has taken me a while to post my reply as I am not very technical and my last two replies disappeared into the ether when I tried to add an emoticon! My son has given me some help, so hopefully this will work. It is really reassuring to know that we are not alone, my boy would like to progress to University and hopefully will find studying subjects that make sense to him a better experience, so you give me hope.
I am trying to look forward to the future now to see what options may be available to him. we are trying for a learning difficulty assessment through the school and I am trying to find out if there are any autism friendly 6th forms. His school has been good up to now, providing a safe space for break times and with friendship groups (two of his close friends also have Aspergers) But I need to become clear about what he needs for the next step as clearly he has not had enough support up til now, or we wouldn't be in the current situation.
My thoughts about communication skills, learning skills and life skills are that he will need to work on these in the near future as part of preparing him to move forward, and towards independence.
:)