Last chance saloon - DS won't revise

If DS has dyslexia, I assume that the essay subjects are more daunting? Would it help to start off with maths - tell him that if he completes a past paper during the day, you'll take him to McDonalds this evening for example? Otherwise you could cut up a past paper and every time he wants you to fetch him a drink / wash his football kit etc he has to complete one question first? With dyslexia, little and often is probably better anyway. My DD has dyslexia and finds watching revision videos on Youtube useful - would this work with your DS? I think the multimedia element of a video can help people with dyslexia. Good luck to you!

Maybe too late now, but can you actually sit with him and do revision "together", i.e. you have his text book and ask him questions, get into discussions, etc.

Our son has mild aspergers and we've done revision "together" for the last three years. At first, there was no way he'd even do homework on his own. His mind is all over the place and he wouldn't even touch it - he'd just waste an hour or two daydreaming (not even anything useful like playing computer games!!). We took the bull by the horns and sat with him and turned it into an inter-active session. Once he got into the "habit" we started to let go, and after a few months, he'd manage his own homework himself without our input. Then came the end-of-topic progress tests - same scenario, he hadn't a clue how to revise, so we sat with him and did question/answer sessions together. Same with year end tests. First year, he hadn't a clue where to start or what to do to try to revise so much, so we took over again and planned it all for him, sat with him, etc. Second year was slightly better. This year, happening now (tests next week), he's doing most subjects himself, we're just sitting with him to revise the harder ones (3 sciences), but it's been pleasing to note that he's deciding when and when to do the others (languages in bed at night), maths during the day, etc. Our aim is that by GCSE time, he'll be in the habit, so will do it all himself.

As you say, you made some progress when you were locked in the car together. That may be what he needs, i.e. "together time" with you! He may well just be some over-awed by the scale of the task, he just doesn't know where/how to start. If he's not been in the habit of revising for progress tests and end of year tests in earlier years, it's all very stressful, especially so late in the day.

With my dyspraxic DD we picked an aim for a 45 minute session and often did them together, especially science. So not just 'physics' but 'properties of metals'. I also did a lot of explaining verbally too.

But she let me help, which makes all the difference I suspect.

I cannot see him being able to do A Levels because of this inability to work.

Do you have Plan B in place?

BTECs are good for kids who will work steadily on assigned work but can't do the revision-exam thing. I think achieving highly (or even not so highly) in a BTEC is better than A levels with D/E/U).

The great thing about where I live, Hampshire, is we generally do not have 6th forms in schools so everyone has to make a positive choice about what they are doing next and where. There is no falling in to just 'staying on' by default.

Have a look at the BTEC Thread if you haven't yet looked in to them.

Other option of course is Apprenticeships where they earn whilst gaining a qualification.

If you can focus on just one thing it might help. My DS who is 17 advises doing past papers. He sets himself a target of so many past papers (and specimen papers) per day.

Your DS will benefit from pretty much any target, so even just one past paper per day would be a good deal. You could read it through with him to get him started, perhaps.

Does he need / get a reader and scribe or use of a laptop for exams?

Most dyslexics myself included find that the most useful revision happens a long while before the exams, as our short term memories are not great.
I didn't discover this till A-levels and university. I found I needed to do the vast majority of study up to three months prior to the exams to commit it to long term memory. Certain things like maths I needed to practice over and over so calculations happened by muscle memory.
This could be why he feels it pointless revising now as he knows it won't stay in.

How badly does it matter? Will he get the post 16 placement he wants with the grades he's likely to get if he carries on as he does? I know we want them to be the best they can be and it's so frustrating when you know that they are capable of better but is it actually going to close any doors for him? If he has a good memory he may be able to get by with winging it and then you can go through this all again at 18.

The knotty issue is your first sentence - whether it's can't or won't revise. DS didn't have a clue how to set about "revision" and his solution was total avoidance. He wouldn't talk about holidays, the summer or anything that hinted at time passing. Will your DS talk about how he feels about the exams (I find car journeys are good because they can't get away) because if he feels bad then being prepared would make him feel less bad.

it's hard when you see them messing up.

Would he let you actually sit with him and get him started? Problems with organisational skills and time management are features of dyslexia and he may not know where to begin.