Should my ASD DS 18 do this college course even though it is too easy

[gubbygubby]

DS is 19 in October . Finally diagnosed with Aspergers last November after a difficult few years .
DS has masked very well which must be why he went under the radar for so long.He presents as very articulate , he is very knowledgeable about certain subjects and is very formal and immaculatey turned out so people are shocked when they find out .

He left school with a C in English and a couple of D's and and E's and an F in maths .
He did a level 2 course at college after his GCSEs and passed but did not go on to the level 3 as he hated it.
He hates most things actually .

Last September he began a resits course of 5 GCSEs but Left in October and refused to go back .
He's basically sat at home for a year doing not much . He left because he can't cope with maths. He has always hated it and refuses to engage in it. He has to keep doing it while in education so refuses to go back into education. Trying to reason with a stubborn Aspergers teen is impossible.
As he now has his diagnosis he can go into the Autism unit and get more help.

We went to look round college and there were no courses that he likes . His only interest is ancient / medieval history of which he has a phenomenal knowledge. We've been told by a university fellow we know that he is more university level . ( knowledge wise ) However he can't do History A level as he does not have 4 c's
Also he has trouble with motivation and writing stuff down so would never pass .

He would be suited to a job where he can talk about his history , show people round that does not involve study .
Yesterday we had a meeting with the autism team at college who were amazing and we looked at a life skills course that is only level 1 . There are parts of this course that would be helpful to him such as help with doing presentations and basic cooking , but the rest is way below his capabilities. We were given a place but then had a phone call from the tutors to say that he was welcome to do the course but they were concerned that it was too easy.

I think he should just do it because he will be in a maths group of 8 pupils and maybe he can improve his F .
I just feel so upset and worried about his future as does he.
He keeps saying he will get a job as he doesn't want to go to college , but he has nothing to put on a CV and one C .

At least with this course they will help him with a transition to a suitable course / vocation next year.
He gets so down and says he is thick and will never do anything.
He is so negative and the thought of him still living here in ten years doing nothing is depressing.

My younger DS also has ASD so it's all very hard at the moment .
The tutor suggested that he could peer mentor some of the less able students.
Has anyone got any advice as I'm stuck and stressed .

Sorry for long post

I think the trouble is, if he doesn't want to do it, he will surely stop going again? could he be encouraged to do it in conjunction with volunteering or working somewhere relevant to his historical interest? Obviously it depends where you live.

Could be maybe look at open University for history courses? They don't, afaiaa, have strict entry requirements.

I have suggested volunteering at a local cathedral
He puts up barriers such as travel etc.
He really struggles with motivation at times. I was hoping he might improve his maths so it would be worth it.

Could be maybe look at open University for history courses? They don't, afaiaa, have strict entry requirements.

not if he is reluctant to write things down.

He might as well do the course if he hasn't found anything else.

This will be the last year he is offered free state education.

He might finish the year more mature and personally developed, and in a better position to choose what to do next.

he could start a bit of volunteering at the same time.

That's what I thought . He has no other options really . Very frustrating really

He will be in a very difficult position moving forward if he doesn't get that maths grade. IMO it would be worth sacrificing a year to make him more comfortable in a learning environment with the right support to get that grade and then there will be many more options available to him.

I do understand the difficulties of reasoning with an ASD teenager but your son sounds quite high functioning and should flourish with the correct support.

The problem is he is always going to be held back by a lack of maths qualifications. For many jobs his application won't get past the initial sift. Would he be prepared to do functional skills, which is more practical in its methods? Could he do an online exercise ie. Bbc bitesize or mooc to boost his confidence with numbers?

It's difficult.

My dsd has Aspergers (as do my dd2 and ds). She too did badly at gcse (well, not well enough for CV etc), and we have been trying to persuade her to retake/improve grades ever since.

She flatly refused, for years. She managed to get onto a foundation degree course, without retaking her maths, and did pass years 1 and 2, but not well enough to go on to year 3. So she was left, at 23, with nothing - not a degree, no work experience, and still no maths grade for her cv. This left her massively disadvantaged against her peers, who either had the bits of paper/grades to find jobs, or had been in work for 6/7 years by this point so had a huge advantage experience wise.

She stubbornly carried on, temping, insisting she was fine. She did look into retaking her maths, but was horrified at the thought that she might be Ina class with 16 year old 'kids' when she was 24. I'm not sure what else she thought might happen, but she didn't go for it.

She is now nearly 28, with no real work experience (a lot of temping but nothing else), and still being rejected for not have that maths grade. She has now realised that she needs to retake her maths, and accepts that it will be difficult, and possibly emabarrassing (not that there is a need for this, but she feels this way), but it needs to be done.

It has been a very long road. Her 10 year old sister (my dd2, also with aspergers) has better maths skills than she does, and she now knows how valuable the money/time/timetable aspects of maths are as she has struggled with this over the last few years.

She rejected the life skills course as 'too easy', but in reality, it probably wasn't. She felt it was too easy, as she recognised it would be teaching her things she should be able to do (and that her peers could do), but that was more about not wanting to confront her difficulties than anything else.

One thing that was highlighted when it was too late for dsd (age wise) was apprenticeships. Is there an area your ds would like to work in, is there a suitable apprenticeship? These can work well, as can give a framework for learning new skills practically, while also giving time for crucial retakes (which are seen as a means to an end rather than boring and embarrassing)

Could he combine this with free on line courses in things that interest him? There is lots on line on futurelearn and other university free moocs which require no exams.
Volunteering would be really good. Would 1-1 with a tutor be possible for maths?

Hi I work in Further Education and it sounds like what your son has been offered is an independent living skills course. The groups will be small (and in our college) the staff will be excellent at differentiating the work that individual students undertake to ensure they are working at the right level for their needs. A lot of emphasis will be in fostering independence skills and there may well be opportunities for work experience - such as with environmental groups, garages, and in our college in-house schemes. Students do build their confidence and self esteem and some students go on to courses across the main stream. An ASD learner in recent years spent 2 years on ILS courses and progressed to L2 computing, then on to two years on a L3 BTEc and is now in the 2nd year of a computing science degree at a major university. Approach it with an open mind, discuss concerns with the staff and see what they say. ILS provision (as with all courses) will vary between colleges but the best can be life-changing

He would be suited to a job where he can talk about his history , show people round that does not involve study .

Sounds like he would make a good tour guide.

What is the downside of him doing this course? It might get him in to education again and with success.

Are they any apprenticeships in what he likes doing?

For those talking about re-takes, can these be done in the evening, with a variety of ages?
or as an access course? again, there might be a variety of ages

I'd go for it, it's not just the academic level, it's all the other life skills and social skills that come with actually leaving the house and doing something. Even having conversations outwith the family.
Starting with a course that he can manage is a good confidence booster, if he's going to rise to other challenges, he needs to believe that he can.
My DS phoned me from the pub last term and said 'Can I have a lift, I missed the bus Because I've Been Socialising' Never was a mother more happy to pick up a slightly pissed son.

I think it could be true that passing something easily and coming "too in the class" (not that they would use those terms) could do wonders for his confidence. And in my experience helping another student can rocket confidence. I wouldn't get hung up on too easy.
Also are you in a city? In Edinburgh if you can talk and move (not even walk) you can be a tour guide. Self employed, contract or part time, at every level, tourist tours, history tours, crazy specific tours. I'd imagine most cities are the same, towns probably not far behind.
Finally I think he should look at the Fivver website, he could advertise to medieval accuracy in writing plays etc. The HUGE advantage is people are paying £5 so it's literally 200 words often times. I rewrote Eulogys and while it didn't pay my mortgage it convinced me I knew what I was doing.

Yes it is an independent living skills course. The tutors were lovely and I think it may we'll boost his confidence if he finds something easy . He is naturally a bit lazy and gives up straight away if he can't do something.
He's always been like that though.
He would be a good guide I think,
He shows relatives round Durham Cathedral and it's like he works there such is his knowledge.
The website accuracy idea sounds fab.
I will have a look

They don't do functional skills anymore , not above level 1
He could do an apprenticeship but he doesn't like the look of anything, although on this course they will focus time and make gentle suggestions

He sounds similar to my son. DS has ASD, left school with one grade E gcse and was in special Ed, but his knowledge of his 'topics of interest' is phenomenal..he is a walking encyclopaedia. He is also dyspraxic and has the writing skills of a 6 year old.

He went onto a life skills course at our local college for two years. He enjoyed it..actually made friends of sorts (in their rather quirky ways!) and best of all it led him to a MENCAP traineeship where he had a job placement supported by a mencap worker initially. On the back of that he got a job in ASDA... he had to do the online assessment which he managed, and because he ticked the 'I have a disability' box he was guaranteed an interview...they liked him and he has been there 18m now. He will never have GCSE maths or english, and while some people might look down on shop work, he has beaten the odds ..he has a job(Part time but enough hours to be a proper job)! He loves earning money and it allows him to pursue his obsessions in his spare time.

I would encourage him to give the life skills a go.. it may give him a fresh outlook !
Incidentally may be able to claim ESA while on the course too..and PIP if he is eligible. Worth looking into!

Even if the course is 'too easy' for him, if he's been sitting around at home for a year I'd have thought that anything that gets him out of the house, following a routine and interacting more with other people would be beneficial to him really.

One of the best teachers I know says that his secret in getting the excellent results (at A Level) that he achieves every year is by starting with tasks that the students will find easy and that they can achieve - this builds their confidence and then they can progress from there so finding it easy initially may help him.

Thanks all ! Meduda, how fantastic! It's great to hear of a happy outcome .
I'm off to work now but will check in later

If he's so knowledgable about Durham Cathedral could he volunteer as a docent/guide and would he enjoy that? It's mainly retirees who do that sort of thing, but I'm sure they'd welcome someone young and enthusiastic!

As for OU - I'm an OU student and no, you don't need any particular qualifications to enter into study. Their advice team, who you can chat with, are also very helpful and knowledgeable and the courses start in early Oct, so he could still enrol for this year. The downside is that it's ALL independent study. Sometimes its from books, other times the courses are online, but you have to be disciplined and self-motivated. There are lots of people who just do the courses for their own pleasure though - again many retirees looking to keep their brains active and further their knowledge - so that aspect might appeal to your DS. There are assignments though and they can involve a lot of reading and writing, which might not suit his skill set. However, I would encourage you to chat to the advice team as it costs nothing more than a phone call and they really are helpful.

If the college have an autism team then they should be supporting him in his choices. There is no reason he can't do a history A level whilst doing the maths. He can have a note taker and a mentor to help him organise his work. The college should be able to provide this.

He can't do history A level as he doesn't have 4 GCSEs . I'm confident now though that the course will be ok for him. I'll ring the tutor now for a chat.
I'll get onto the Cathedral too