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?

Hi
A lot of incorrect info on this thread.
As your DS has a diagnosis of autism he is covered by the equality act and therefore entitled to reasonable adjustments.
Therefore the school does NOT need to carry out any extra assessments or demonstrate a low processing speed or whatever. A form 8 assessment should NOT be used for autism.
All you need are statements from staff to say that his anxiety impacts his exam performance and that having extra time makes a significant difference. These statements should be held at school if examiners request them.

You DO need a letter or other statement confirming the diagnosis.

OP I’m afraid there is a fair bit of misinformation on this thread from those who are saying school and SENCO are not doing their job properly.

You say your ds has issues around losing focus and anxiety. It sounds like the most appropriate Exam access arrangements (EAA) would be separate invigilation (for his anxiety) and rest breaks (to enable him to refocus without losing exam time.) Rest breaks are NOT the same as extra time- some pp seem confused about this.

Extra time is specific to one of three things: below average (ie standardised score < 85) in processing speed, reading speed or writing speed.

In your OP you talk about the need for EAA being related to his ASD - ie a medical diagnosis. Therefore as the JCQ regulations state, there needs to be consultant confirmation of his diagnosis and an explanation of why he needs whichever EAA are applicable. These EAA also need to be his normal way of working. EAA for medical reasons are not tested by the SENCO. No form 8 is required. The SENCO will write a file note based on the medical evidence.

From the info you give, your ds does not necessarily have any learning needs resulting in below average scores for processing, reading or writing. What he does have is a medical condition which may mean that some EAA are applicable. That doesn’t automatically mean extra time. In fact JCQ regulations specifically state that rest breaks should be considered before extra time because if a student isn’t completing exams it may be due to losing focus, stop /starting, rather than actually working at a slower speed.

The JCQ has rightly become increasingly rigorous about extra time because it mustn’t put the candidate at any advantage. It must only take away their disadvantage.

I’m sorry you’re having trouble sorting appointments and medical evidence - and that’s the real issue here. The school is acting precisely as it should do for a student whose needs are medical rather than learning.

Unfortunately a few posters on here have given you erroneous information

@gettingalife
You are wrong in your application of adjustments. The route you describe is for children not covered by equality act, is those without a diagnosed disability. Form 8 should NOT be used for autistic students.

You may find you are underusing adjustments that some of your students may benefit from. Screenshot from relevant page of JCQ attached.

Acciocats

Extra time is completely appropriate for highly anxious students where the issue is that they panic or perseverate or struggle to compose their thoughts. Anxiety in autism is very often linked to poor executive functioning which means that bright youngsters struggle to filter and reorganise information in a timely fashion and it takes them longer to get anything written. This can be easily evidenced in a youngster's classwork over time and doesn't require, for exam arrangements purposes, a score below 85 in any of the areas you listed.

My son is not at exam stage yet but is also diagnosed ASD, and like your son has all of the anxiety etc that goes with it. He also has terrible handwriting when under time constaint - if he has suitable time his handwriting can be very good but most of the time is barely legible. He has just had an OT appointment who has said if there is no improvement within the next 6 months she will recommend he has a laptop as there is a worry he will fall behind if he is unable to keep up with writing. Can you get an O.T appointment? They maybe able to make the recommendation of extra time? Or an ECHP?

Callimanco I didn’t say extra time wouldn’t be appropriate! The fact is: none of us know! If it’s the case that there is evidence of the type of executive functioning difficulties due to ASD which mean extra time is appropriate then this will need to be clarified in the medical evidence from the consultant. It will also be backed up by evidence from lessons. I was simply pointing out that the JCQ regulations (not just me!) do state that rest breaks should be considered before extra time because it may be that the issue will be mitigated by rest breaks. Last JCQ EAA training session I attended it was actually emphasised that they were concerned that some pupils who were not completing exams within the time limit were being awarded extra time when actually their speed of working was within average range, it was the fact they lost focus, stopped/ started at various points in the exam which meant they didn’t finish.

Ultimately as this is a medical (not learning needs) case it will be down to the consultants evidence as to what the OPs ds needs are

Hanging
OP doesn't need that, and neither does yours.
The medical letter is just to confirm the diagnosis.
The SENco just needs to confirm that 25 percent extra is usual way of working, and provide evidence from TEACHING STAFF that the child has severe and persistent difficulties that substantially impact on teaching and learning.

It doesn't specify, as Accio said above, that there must be a below 85 score in ANY area. You don't need to have done any score at all. Just evidence from schoolwork overtime and statements from teachers. Plus a letter confirming diagnosis.

Both of mine are bright and both have mine have extra time. Both have EP reports relating to dyslexia and dysgraphia etc. DS2 was assessed for ET by the EP and qualified on multiple criteria.

DS1 didn’t qualify at the start of secondary but his processing speed has not kept pace with his peers and when the SENCO retested him in L6 he did qualify.

DS1 has used a laptop for the whole of secondary which helps a lot as he can’t always read his own writing. Laptops are gréât for some children with two provisos

1. The need to learn to touch type (v useful skill anyway)
2. It needs to become their usual way of working not just for exam board rules but also so they are really comfortable with using a laptop effectively before the stress of exams. Dumping a laptop on a child shortly before exams is likely to cause more problems than it solves.

(Sigh)
I pointed out that as the OPs ds is looking at the medical route, then he wont need scores or a form 8.
However the fact remains that extra time would only be applicable if his ASD were impacting on speed of working. It’s a case of the evidence coming through a different route - medics- rather than test scores from the school.

In other words, if his executive functioning is impaired (not uncommon with ASD) and he has below average capacity to process and organise information, then he does have a timing issue. It’s just a case of the evidence coming from a different source.

If on the other hand his anxiety and loss of focus is the issue ( but he can process information, read and write within average range speeds) then rest breaks would be The right EAA because it would mitigate the issue of losing exam time (the exam clock simply stops for the rest break.) Extra time is not appropriate for a student who processes, reads and writes within average speed. They would be getting an advantage if it were given, not simply having a barrier removed

accio
I'm sorry, you are still not correct.

The jcq guidelines I posted above are very clear that the medical letter is only needed to confirm diagnosis. The medical letter does not need to mention anything at all about exams. The diagnosis letter might theoretically date from a child being 3 or 4 years old. My son's was from being 8.

The evidence that extra time is needed can come from in school evidence from teachers.

I agree that rest breaks etc may be a more appropriate route for some children. I am correcting what you say about evidence for extra time needing to come from a medical route. It doesn't.

Please don't sigh. I am correct on this.

If they need a letter from an NHS Doctor and it was an NHS Doctor who diagnosed then I’m not seeing the issue here - they can provide the letter ?

Mrsbyers - the issue is that school are misinterpreting the JCQ regulations. As you can see on this thread there appears to be a great deal of bad practice in this area.

Yearofthehorse - a simple way of looking at it is that the underlying difficulty has the same impact, whether it’s a learning need or medical. It’s just that there are different routes.

For a learning need, standardised scores on a form 8 are required. For medical, a form 8 isn’t needed but extra time would still only be appropriate if the medical needs impact on speed of working (ie processing/ reading/ writing) So if your ds has below average executive functioning extra time would be appropriate. But if losing focus is the issue, then it isn’t- he may well need breaks so he doesn’t lose time, but he should not be awarded more time.

If the school actually said he’s ‘too bright’ for extra time that’s a weird response because students of all abilities can have a specific impairment in one of those 3 speed areas. It may be that they have no evidence from lessons, in house tests and assessments that he has difficulties - and they’ve just worded it very clumsily.

@Callimanco is correct. There does not need to be any information about speed of working or reasonable adjustments in the confirmatory paperwork. The consultants diagnosis forms core evidence. The school then needs to paint a picture of need in the form of sample work, normal way of working form etc. It's all in the JCQ regs.

There's a surprising amount of information out there, and on this thread

misinformation. Unfortunately

Thanks mynydd
It's annoying being sighed at when the regulations are right there!

What they need is a letter to say that he will be at a disadvantage if he doesn't get the extra time.
They really don’t, the school request the extra time. My dd has ASD and extra time for processing reasons , no such letter exists.

For one final time
For a child with a diagnosis covered by the equality act

You don't need to have done a measure of executive functioning or any in house assessments.

School staff need to state that the child's disability seriously and persistently affects their progress and they need to establish extra time as a way of working and demonstrate that it makes a significant difference (and brings written work more into line with perceived ability of the student).

The SENco keeps that on file on headed paper.

They need a copy of the diagnostic report or a letter confirming the diagnosis has been made. It does not have to mention specific problems or exams, just confirm the autism or DLD or whatever.

That is all.

Op:
" 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 "

Sounds to me, like, as per usual some ignorant incompetent, lazy school/ Senco , lying to op, fobbing her off.

If Senco actually cared, she'd do her job properly, get the info and present a case, so that says child gets what they need/are entitled to.

This should be moved to SN.

How many of us have been told by school : "he's fine". No he/she isn't fine. Masking. Just because they get top marks!

Teachers will say 'he's fine'.

No. He's not!

@Callimanco, you may well be correct. I’m afraid some schools don’t seem to have your understanding or interpretation of the regulations, though. I must admit I was surprised when my DS with a DX of ASD, an EHCP and use of a scribe, wasn’t awarded extra time. He had extra time in his primary school SATs. The school assessed his processing and writing and came to the conclusion that he didn’t meet the criteria for extra time, just that of a scribe, so stopped letting him have any in normal class tests and mocks, so there wasn’t evidence that it was his normal way of working.

Does it lay out clearly in the regulations that pupils whose disability comes under the Equality Act don’t need to meet the same criteria as others? I would be interested in pointing this out to his old school to benefit future students.

As it happens, DS wouldn’t have used his extra time, if he had been awarded any. He hated exams and used to leave as soon as he was allowed to, often much earlier than everyone else, so I don’t feel too aggrieved on his behalf, but would like to remind the school of the regulations.

Millicent - the evidence should be updated to reflect the stage the pupil is at, so for example a pupil moving from primary to secondary or KS4 to 5 should have evidence from the school to show that the need continues to impact and that it’s the normal way of working. In your ds’s case, if he would not have used extra time anyway then it would be wrong for the school to continue with it as it wouldn’t be his normal way of working (though it sounds like in this particular case they did it the wrong way round by removing it first, without evidence that he’d progressed to the extent that EAA were no longer applicable )

Wow I have learnt something from this thread. Ds was only diagnosed with ASD last year and his anxiety is at an all time high as his exams start in May. I was under the impression any other adjustments that could be made for him would have meant assessments.

oblo I'm fed up with the school saying everything is fine and his grades are alright. Ds was near meltdown last night after masking his anxiety all day. It seems like nobody understands.

Ds's exams are so close now.

If exams are close you need to be all over the school I am afraid. You have very little time to establish a usual way of working.

Insist (easier said than done I know) that they trial and document anything that might help like rest breaks, laptop, extra time.

The extra time had to be in to the exams boards by January