Alternative pathways for education, Not exams

Hi, I am new to the website.

My 14 year old son with ASD (and PDA and sensory issues) is having a terrible time in school due to his anxiety. He has an ehcp, and we are working with the LEA and school to make changes. I don't feel my son will ever be able to take a GCSE or A level, his anxiety levels become so high. We have talked with his consultant and there are medications etc they can suggest to help calm him on the day.......but 1) he has missed so much school time he has great gaps in his knowledge base. 2) is it therefore fair to 'drug' him inorder for him to sit an exam that he will probably not do very well in anyway, and further add to the trauma around exams.

But he is a bright lad. When not in school he is very productive. Since christmas he has taught himself electric guitar, Bass, Ukelele and now starting on Piano. He has played drums since he was 5. People have said if he can produce a portfolio of work he could potentially present this to a university, to obtain a place, if that were what he wanted. Does anyone know of any organisations that can help with this, or do you have a child who has had these issues? Any information would be gratefully received. He is very resistant to school environments and has built a brick wall up against Maths and Science. He has high expectations of himself.

We live in east devon.

Parents
  • I would be wary of the Steiner School in [removed by moderator] - it's very new and seems to be struggling.  

    We have a child with Aspergers who spent many years in a Steiner school, fairly happily at first, but then became increasingly unhappy at the poor classroom management in their class.  Some teachers at Steiner schools seem to think that this kind of education is just about letting the children work through their conflicts/bullying/etc. so that they become more resilient.  So they are reluctant to intervene when things go wrong.  As you can imagine, that's a pretty bad situation to be in for an ASD child.

    I should say that Steiner education is not supposed to be like this at all, but many Steiner-trained teachers don't actually understand what it's all about, or just don;t have the skills and capability to implement it properly.

    *This post has been edited by a moderator because it did not comply with community rules*

Reply
  • I would be wary of the Steiner School in [removed by moderator] - it's very new and seems to be struggling.  

    We have a child with Aspergers who spent many years in a Steiner school, fairly happily at first, but then became increasingly unhappy at the poor classroom management in their class.  Some teachers at Steiner schools seem to think that this kind of education is just about letting the children work through their conflicts/bullying/etc. so that they become more resilient.  So they are reluctant to intervene when things go wrong.  As you can imagine, that's a pretty bad situation to be in for an ASD child.

    I should say that Steiner education is not supposed to be like this at all, but many Steiner-trained teachers don't actually understand what it's all about, or just don;t have the skills and capability to implement it properly.

    *This post has been edited by a moderator because it did not comply with community rules*

Children
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