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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
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
