.
Its supprising in this day and age that Schools are this ignorant to ASD.
I was in Primark the other day 'against my will' it was an unsheduled stop and out side was just as busy so i went in, a friend the only one i have wanted to go in, no matter where i stood people wanted to be and looking at peoples behaviour i said to my friend i cant get my head around how the Human race ever evolved past chucking Spears at Animals, She laughed but i wasnt joking.
To try and put a positive spin on things Collages offer some great access courses Level 2 and 3 all is far from lost Gcses form what i understand these days are only taken seriously for a couple of years after doing them anyway, entrance exams are still oftern required.
Maybe making sure you son can reach level 2 in relevent subjects is more important, doing work at home, at his pace and in a way that he finds interesting.
I wasnt educated after Yr 9 but interest, logic and comon sence have allowed me to pass loads of entrance exams for level3 access courses at college.
All is far from lost don't dwell on it to much once it passes past the point of which you can do something there is always something else just try to be positive and look forward, try to make your Son aware that all is not lost and theres alot available. School doesnt work for everyone and unfortunatly alot of schools are still really ignorant, if they was crutches or a wheel chair they wound know what to do 'but with this being hidden'.
All the best hope some of this may help.
Kind reguards Steven..
Hello Dr3am3r,
Statements generally end at age 16 or at the end of Secondary education, unless he was to move to a 6th form, rather than College, in which case they would continue. LDA (Learning Disability Assessment) follows the statementing period, post 16 and your son should be elidgable to for this.
Be Kind to yourself hun. You are doing a great job and it's clear you love your children and as odd as it sounds, not all are as able as you, to support their children to the level you do. Your son is clearly lucky to have you, looking after his needs.
His plans may not be all trashed even If he doesn't get his 5 GCSE's. I'm assuming that he needs 5 A-C grades for the course, not D-E. If he fails, then that doesn't mean all is lost, it means that he may get to resit them at College. Although, this seems a loss initially, If the College environment is more supportive and conducive to his needs, he may well get better results than he would have at School. Additionally, it allows for an extra year of emotional maturity to develop, which can be really helpful.
My son got 5 A-C Grades to do his 'A' Level course, but not English and Maths. He resat these during his 'A' Level course. English first year, (passed) and Maths this year, he's decided to do an extra year at 'A' Level to get the three required for Uni, just to keep his options open.
This seemed like treading water at first, but in fact doing it at 'his pace' has worked really well and taken the pressure off, immensely.
ICT can be one of the easier exams to pass, so tell him to hang in their, even if he doesn't get on with the teacher. I do feel the pressure is harsh though, so I know what you mean.
Please don't view any inability of your son to get the required grades, as being a failure. I left School with what I believed to be failures and decided to go to night School to achieve my exam results. This was great for me. Only a limited number of students and a real desire to perservere, coupled with a few more years maturity, proved to be all I needed. From an E, to a B in English, in no time. Given that I'm also Dyslexic, this is all the more reason to let someone achieve in their own time. Anything is possible.
Remember, It's never just Black & White and thinking outside the box is what maybe needed for your son to achieve.
In your preparation of the LDA, normally done by connections or the like; if they still exist in your area, see if you can make provision for a key worker to help your son. Also, depending on his grades, number of GCSE's and the type of course your son is doing, they may well be able to adapt things for him, Take the course over a longer period or drop subject to ease the pressure.
Most colleges have a learning resource centre and providing they have an LDA or similar, can timetable support into your sons college curriculum. For my son he did 3 'A' Levels instead of 4 and dropped one, whilst doing his GCSE Math and English. This kept the curriculum level managable and although he's having to do an extra year, he will add a subsiduary course on to that in his final year to fill his timetable a bit. This means that in his final year he could earn an additional BTEC Certificate or Diploma. If your son is considering UNI in the future, this will be an extra bonus. Alternatively, Open University is a great way of getting a degree, at any stage in your life.
I understand that your son doesn't want to spend his leisure time in such poor company or with the School who has supported him so badly, but he does need encouragement to extend himself to others.
The video attached, may help your son realize what is possible and that he's not alone. Make sure he realizes that the failings are to do with the edcational system, not your son.
Listen to this lads experience and see if you can get your son to extend himself to others that have experienced similar issues and maybe be able to offer your son some advice or support. This lad is now an ambassidor for Autism.
Your son may even find greater peer friendships through extending himself in his special interests area as this lad has done. Anything's possible. Stay positive.
Coogy XX
Hi Dr3am3r,
Sorry to hear you are still battling. Believe it or not, I was doing the same last year for my son. The probelm is, that you are asking questions that you are unlikely to get answers to. I did the same! Why drop a child down a level that is not comenserate to their ability? Why not give them the provision required at their correct learning level and as identified by the LDA, to enable that child to achieve? It just didn't make sense to my logical ASPIE brain. What I failed to see, was the hidden adgenda behind their reluctance.
You can only speculate that they view it that your son is only there for a few more months and in their veiw, his needs will then become someone elses problem. It's a sickening attitude, but it exists and does huge damage to a young persons self-esteem. My lad was suicidal toward the end.
Forgive me, you may have told me before (Memory is failing me.), but I'm assuming that he has no Statement? A statement; as I understand it, would have forced them into provision and if they failed your son, you would/should have recourse through the courts for any failures.(If you can endure this)
An LDA was not legaly binding for my son at the time, so the College flouted it at every opotunity. The law may have changed since the EHC plans, Perhaps you should check.
I've spent a lifetime fighting for the basic rights for my kids to be assessed, finally statemented and receive provision, but even then, you run the difficulty in FE, HE and the work place. I'm not suggesting you give up, but it may pay you to focus your energies on getting better provision at the next level, than exhausting yourself with complaints after the fact to a School he no longer attends.
I had to do this with my son, because his mental health needs demanded more attention than the clear injustice of it all.
I took my other sons case to tribunal through IPSEA and won, so then the tribunal took it upon themselves to put the School straight, But I'm not sure what the position is now, as it all seems to be going down the mediation line.
My EP said, 'it was the most damming report against a School that he has seen in 40 years of practice.' He wanted to frame it!!!!)
Although this was a significant victory in attaining his support and truly vindicated my belief that the School was failing my son, the victory was short lived, as we set about repairing the damage that was caused to my sons plummeting self-esteem issues and the lost therapy intervention that he should have received. I should have sued and indeed, I was advised to, but all I wanted was the support for my son that was needed.
I hope you are not disheartened by my post and I'm sure you relize that I'm well intentioned, so can I suggest that you refocus and prioritize what's important. I nearly had a breakdown myself over the strain of it all and I've seen the damage it can do when you are then too depleated to help anyone. You sound like you need some outside help.
Consider.
The sad part is that these issues still keep cropping up for many.
The injustice of it all makes me angry, but the truth is that you will become ill if you spread yourself too thin.
Life supporting those on the spectrum is hard enough without such injustices, but please don't underestimate your own health and well-being, as I did.
'Worrior Mum,' can soon become 'Battle Weary Mum' if you dont look after yourself.
My heart goes out to you.
Take Care
Coogybear xx
