.

GCSEs and other qualification hurdles are a bad time for any teenager, so much worse for autistic spectrum.

So much hangs on exams, especially nowadays, where half of teenagers are expected to go to university to get a job. The options to go about things more slowly don't appear to be there.

The problem is sensory overload and the bottleneck effect - you can only take so much in, and usually this threshold is much lower than for non-autistic individuals.

What happens is that his head reaches saturation point where he cannot take any more in.

Also his learning processes may be unconventional. Memory tends to be better developed, and cramming therefore tends to dominate, rather than understanding processes. Cramming is something people on the spectrum can do, but the limits are reached fairly early. They may find it harder to concentrate on learning processes - sequences of actions, tasks, calculations.

It may be better to take short breaks regularly rather than long shifts and long breaks. Also any competing tensions should be allevated - what else is worrying him? Obviously consequences of failure may be uppermost. Are you, I wonder constantly reminding him of how important are these exams? It would be easier if parents accepted that with autistic spectrum it might actually be more productive to take the qualifications ladder a little more slowly.

Also I was horrified by the "don't blame it on your condition" remark. So what else is to blame for goodness sake? Or is he being told its his fault he has difficulties? Please get your head round this. Autism makes life very much harder - lots of things in life very much harder.

GCSEs and other qualification hurdles are a bad time for any teenager, so much worse for autistic spectrum.

So much hangs on exams, especially nowadays, where half of teenagers are expected to go to university to get a job. The options to go about things more slowly don't appear to be there.

The problem is sensory overload and the bottleneck effect - you can only take so much in, and usually this threshold is much lower than for non-autistic individuals.

What happens is that his head reaches saturation point where he cannot take any more in.

Also his learning processes may be unconventional. Memory tends to be better developed, and cramming therefore tends to dominate, rather than understanding processes. Cramming is something people on the spectrum can do, but the limits are reached fairly early. They may find it harder to concentrate on learning processes - sequences of actions, tasks, calculations.

It may be better to take short breaks regularly rather than long shifts and long breaks. Also any competing tensions should be allevated - what else is worrying him? Obviously consequences of failure may be uppermost. Are you, I wonder constantly reminding him of how important are these exams? It would be easier if parents accepted that with autistic spectrum it might actually be more productive to take the qualifications ladder a little more slowly.

Also I was horrified by the "don't blame it on your condition" remark. So what else is to blame for goodness sake? Or is he being told its his fault he has difficulties? Please get your head round this. Autism makes life very much harder - lots of things in life very much harder.