AIBU to think that DS should get extra time in exams

[yearofthehorse]

DS is 15, in Year 10 and has GCSE's next year. He is also ASD, diagnosed by an NHS doctor and has all the associated issues of lack of concentration and anxiety that go with the condition.

However he was diagnosed by a diagnostic service who do not engage under any circumstances in correspondence. The school insist that he cannot get extra time unless they are sent a letter by an NHS doctor to say that he will benefit from it but DS has now been discharged from CAMHS and the waiting list to get back on is over a year so that may be too late.

Has anyone else found themselves in this Catch 22 situation and found a way round it?

@ElderAve most employers don't give a monkeys, either because they would have no understanding of GCSEs now, or because they wouldn't begrudge a young person extra time if they needed it.

@yearofthehorse I would have thought you would be much better off posting on the SEN board here? Can you get this moved? My DD got extra time, breaks if needed and a smaller room, the school organised who got access to this. However after the exams, she did have a specific letter from CAMHS to apply for the consideration to have her marks adjusted due to her conditions.

What sort of school is it, just the bog standard academy type place or a grammar? In any case, all schools want their students to do as well as they possibly can in GCSE. Sounds like your HT has a bit of an agenda? Do you have an IAS in your area, the independent advice service for parents in your position, usually funded by LA (sometimes called SENDIASS)? If so I'd get them to help you with this, its what they are there for after all.

Yeah @arethereanyleftatall you wouldn't want to start employing people with a disability by mistake now would you ...?

Cba with arguing about what employers want - they wouldn’t even know it’s doesn’t get plastered over gsce certificates or even degree certificates. Or about the fact that just because someone has slow processing speed they wouldn’t be capable at their job.

GoddessofChaos - I've just had look at the JCQ Regulations and pasted in this bit from it below. This could have been written to describe DS. Thank you so much for the lead, I think this will be very helpful.

"A candidate has Asperger’s Syndrome which is formally confirmed by a letter from a consultant paediatrician. He has persistent and significant difficulties with his handwriting which is poor but not illegible. He is unable to complete mock English, Geography and Religious Studies papers within the time allowed. In other subjects he finishes the mock papers before the end of the test. The SENCo processes an on-line application for 25% extra time on account of his impairment which is having a substantial and adverse effect in those GCSE subjects with extended writing. Without the application of 25% extra time in those subjects the candidate would be at a substantial disadvantage."

I think your best bet would be to make the case for rest breaks, as the bar is lower to prove the need for those than for extra time (although if he regularly fails to finish timed tests and exams, that's the kind of evidence that's needed for ET).

It is harder to prove ET requirements for high ability pupils, as they often score enough marks for it to be a case of getting an A instead of an A* (or the GCSE equivalent).

All you can do is keep on at the SENCO politely.

The SENCO did this for my dd, currently Y11, but we were told sept of Y10 that she'd applied. I'm not sure of any cut off time, but it needs sorting now.
You need to contact school, or failing this CAMHS always say if we can help in the future, you'd only need a quick word, surely?

Although reading the JCQ regulations is a fab idea, good work!

You've misunderstood @DishingOutDone
I'm saying I'd want to know about it. I don't think it's unreasonable as an employer to want to know about it. Employing people with disabilities is protected by the government as it should be.

I'm sorry to be the bearer of bad news but I just checked the deadline and it was 21st Feb.

Devlesko, a quick word with CAMHS, really!!!! He has to be re-referred and there is at least a year's waiting list. I have been talking to the school about this for over a year now, just ramped up the pressure in the last few weeks.

Sorry!! I see he's in year 10, phew. Ok, so you have just under a year to get it sorted.

DD has extra time, she is dyslexic but only diagnosed by a test the school in at primary. She has no nhs diagnosis for anything. I asked at parents evening and they arranged for her to sit an internal assessment and they said she passed to get the extra time. We didn't need to prove anything.

Have you tried going over the schools head and asking the education authority for your area. ? We had an ed P report for one and a Consultants report for another child with a different condition and there were no difficulties raised. Your school sounds like they are being quite difficult.. is it that they don't want to set up an extra exam room? or extra supervisors? Could you have a chat with your local Dyslexia Action, I know that is not your son's problem, but they deal with this all the time and may have some suggestions/advice about how to proceed. We found that just knowing they had extra time if they needed it considerably reduced anxiety.

My experience is similar to KatnissK and Dakota - the teachers are asked to provide evidence that the extra arrangement works, whether that is extra time or typing or a separate room. I think a separate room is probably better at reducing anxiety than extra time would be personally. I don't understand all this official diagnosis in triplicate stuff. Am in Scotland.

I think you need to calm down with the attitude to @devlesko. Phone cahms theyll write a letter for you its not that hard, whether hes been discharged or not theyll have his notes

he could be one of that small proportion of ASD kids who go onto live an independent life so I just want him to go armed with a decent set of exam results.
The vast majority of children with an ASD diagnosis will go on to live an independent life!

Your DS GP cannot write a letter saying he will do better in exams if he has more time, because they don't actually know that, it's just you telling them. He may have never completed an exam because he may not be capable. The vast majority of schools will bend over backwards to ensure any student requiring access arrangements for exams will getbit. After all, schools have a vested interest in getting the best results out of them.

Phone CAMHS, you don't need a referral, just ask the receptionist to give the person who dealt with your child a message.
I've done it several times for things after mine was no longer receiving treatment.

Your initial post said you wanted him to have extra time due to anxiety. The extract of the JQC regs isn't about anxiety. Rest breaks may be much more appropriate in his case.

Is the school a state school? If so you can make a ‘formal’ application with what you have and then threaten them with a judicial review on grounds of impropriety (for failing to consider) and/or irrationality. Most public bodies just cave in when threatened with legal action.

I'm sorry I don't understand. Who Was he diagnosed by? Camhs? Where's your original diagnosis letter?

When you say the person who diagnosed him doesn't enter into correspondence? What do you mean? Camhs do. Should. As should the Doctor, if you write.

Have you done a data request for his file?

There must be a way round this.

Thank you but I have tried phoning CAMHS and they told me they could only speak to me at an appointment if I got him re-referred. I think we must be in different areas. Apologies if that looked like attitude, it's just frustration.

Oblomov20 He was diagnosed by an outsourced service, Psicon.

I would go back to SENCO. My DS is doing GCSEs this summer. He doesn't have an official diagnosis of ASD, but rather has a dx of "Features of autism" and various SpLDs dx in year 3.

The dx didn't mean anything wrt extra time.

I asked SENCO if I should go privately to have some tests to prove the need. She said no, and that school would use an in-house assessment. They DID assess him for processing speed and he didn't qualify for extra time on that measure. I went back to SENCO again as I never though processing was his issue, and they assessed using another test (DASH - handwriting speed) and it showed a very significant need for extra time. It doesn't matter how 'clever' a child is - if they have a significant weakness in one area they can get extra time. My DS is exceedingly bright (predicted 8/9s in most things) - extra time raised his marks from a 4 to a high 7 in English language - he just needs a bit longer to finish the paper.

So , I suppose my point is this: can school assess for need? Make sure they do the RIGHT tests!

That seems questionable from the school.
Access arrangements aren't to do with intelligence.

To get access arrangements there needs to be an assessment of need, outlining what adjustments should be made and then evidence that it is the candidate's usual way of working.

It's not uncommon for y10 students not to complete whole essays in exam conditions and exam technique does come later, buy it seems wrong to dismiss access arrangements straight away.

Could you flip it on its head to the school and explain you're concerned that should he be in the same situation this time next year the school could be faced with a student grossly underperforming and without enough time to demonstrate his usual way of working to meet JCQ requirements? That might give them a kick up the bum to investigate.

Haven't had time to rtwt but in both schools I have worked I no er many years, lie other teacher posters, we need to show that extra time will equal a better grade. Evidence collecting starts form around y8 when possible. Like others, we get them to change pen then see if they gain additional marks. I would say over the years, only around a quarter need/use the extra time.