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Original poster

Hope and the future for SEN child

31 replies

Airtentmamma23 · 26/08/2024 07:29

My 8 year old is autistic. Lovely, polite boy. He struggles with everything educational. He can count, but loses focus and struggles even to 20. He struggles reading, writing etc.

But.... he's 8. In mainstream and popular/ well-liked. He's pretty good-looking too in my parental judgement (ha!) and autism isn't that obvious if you don't know him.

Soooo what I want is stories of older children that are happy with their lives. They don't have to have achieved academically, but stories of those who have suddenly "got it" and have achieved academically are welcome.

Yabu- an autistic child won't suddenly "get it" and find life/ education easier as they get older

Yanbu- they may find things get better (+ anecdotal story if relevant)

OP posts:
Newsenmum · 26/08/2024 07:43

Potentialmadcatlady · 26/08/2024 07:41

My ds left primary school with a reading age of 8, he couldn’t read a clock and didn’t know his times tables. He went to ‘big school’, got a much better CA and a librarian who took him under her wing. By the end of his first year there his reading level had gone up to 16years. He was able to use calculator so times tables didn’t matter and he learnt to read a clock because of the moving between classes every period. He then moved to a tech college to do his A’levels and loved it- no uniform, treated like an adult, able to leave between classes etc etc and he blossomed.
He is in his final year doing an honours degree. It hasn’t always been easy but all the things I was told he would never do he is doing.

Wonderful post

MrTiddlesTheCat · 26/08/2024 07:41

My husband is autistic. He really struggled in primary school. Struggled with reading, writing and behaviour. He spent half of the week being taught 1to1 at a special school. When he went to secondary school he was given and chemistry text book and he says something in his head clicked into place and suddenly school and learning made sense. He's now a professor of nuclear chemistry.

My DD didn't have a eureka moment. She just always clung to learning by the finger tips. She's also very clever but just couldn't apply herself. Somehow she clung on all the way through university and after many resits got her degree. She's now a SEN teacher who really understands the struggles her kids have.

Potentialmadcatlady · 26/08/2024 07:41

My ds left primary school with a reading age of 8, he couldn’t read a clock and didn’t know his times tables. He went to ‘big school’, got a much better CA and a librarian who took him under her wing. By the end of his first year there his reading level had gone up to 16years. He was able to use calculator so times tables didn’t matter and he learnt to read a clock because of the moving between classes every period. He then moved to a tech college to do his A’levels and loved it- no uniform, treated like an adult, able to leave between classes etc etc and he blossomed.
He is in his final year doing an honours degree. It hasn’t always been easy but all the things I was told he would never do he is doing.

Newsenmum · 26/08/2024 07:38

Also there (except mine is less polite and absolutely struggling with friendships!) I think just remember he’s very young and autistic kids often defrost different rates. He still had all of secondary school to get through and even then, you can work out what kind of things he might be able to achieve.

Sirzy · 26/08/2024 07:36

My best advice is don’t worry too much about the future focus on making sure he is getting the support he needs in the here and now. The future is unpredictable for anyone but even more so when there are additional needs.

ds is 14 now. When he was 8 I was sure he wouldn’t cope in mainstream for secondary but now he is going into year 10 with a massive support package but he is doing ok in mainstream. For now. I am just starting to explore options for when he moves into post 16 but no idea what that will look like yet.

Angharad78 · 26/08/2024 07:32

Similar situation here. Hope you don’t mind OP but I’m posting to follow.

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