DS and End of Term Grades

[ButterfliesnWaterfalls]

Hi all,

DS (10) is Autistic in Year 5. His concentration level is around 10 minutes. Needs lots of breaks. Doesn’t get 1:1.

Academically, he has improved and progresses every year (thankfully). His teacher emailed today to say he was a few marks off 5EX for Maths.

I feel deflated. I know I shouldn’t. I work hard with him and I know he tried his hardest with his tests but I just feel Maths is the one thing he would get an Expected for and he didn’t.

English - he’s working way below age related as he has no interest and hates writing and reading.

I know if he’s not working at age related now - chances are he won’t do well in Year 6 SATs. What does this mean for GCSEs and future academic career? Will he be able to go to University?

Do children with SEN get to experience uni life? What about work? Will he get employed?

AIBU to be worried. I don’t know how else to help him.

We have always been taught the traditional - get C or above in GCSEs and do A-Levels and go to Uni. But I don’t know what else is out there as an alternative which pays well.

Any ideas as to how I can help him?

If a laptop will help you think then get it written into his ehcp at next review. Does he have an OT?

You may find secondary better for looking at getting a laptop than primary.

What they did for ds, was I requested from the SEN department that he was assessed for it, after it was mentioned at his ADHD assessment that he might benefit from it.
They did an assessment which involved him doing some handwriting and some typing and they compared answers. He scored roughly bottom 25% for handwriting for his age and top 5% for typing for his age. They said it was unusual to have such a huge discrepancy, but that meant immediately he was put into the needing to use it for exams.

Then he did a second mock and went up a number of grades, but also did a history exam in lessons and scored badly enough he was put down for an extra support session.
So I again contacted the SEN department and explained this and requested he could use it during lessons because this "wasn't fair". I offered to get him a computer (the school should provide if they decide they need one, but I felt quite strongly that as we could get him a second hand one for a not too bad price that would do, then we should leave the school ones, which I know they're always short of, for those who really can't get one)
They agreed straight away, and all we had to do was get the laptop and then take it into school so they could set it up on the private WiFi.

It was actually quite easy in the end and has made a huge difference, not just to his ability but also mentally, and how he feels about school.
He apparently had a bit of hassle in one lesson (when he'd gone up a number of grades) and some of the form were complaining it wasn't fair. He offered to "hug them and they could see if they caught ASD from him" which apparently has totally shut them up. 🤣

No, he doesn’t have an OT. He doesn’t have any other support.

When is his EHCP up for review? It sounds like it needs rewriting with extra provisions (and perhaps money for a 1-1 in English? Certainly a laptop).

@MargaretThursday This is good to hear, I might push for him having a laptop for his work. I know he enjoys typing. I don’t mind buying the laptop for him, if it helps him.

He absolutely hates writing. And even though his handwriting is not age related, he has been trying to write in cursive so he can get the pen licence. Most of the other students in his class have one and write with a pen but he writes with a pencil.

His review was in Feb. And next one will be in October I think? But I will email the Senco and find out if these changes can be made earlier and in place for September.

If he has an EHCP then the primary school will be getting funding for him. So they should be providing extra support for him.

If I were you I'd be asking where that support is. They may seem supportive but they're not doing the best by your son if they're taking the money and not investing it into your son (which they legally should be)

With any kind of SEN from what I know from friends the parent/carer has to push to get things done. Unfortunately. It will be a bit of a postcode lottery but educational psychologists and SEN specialists sometimes have long waiting lists for assessments - due to funding cuts. I've heard some have saved up and got it done by a private ed psych.

Not sure how things are where you are - postcode wise but here - the SEN/disabilty support is better in further education colleges than it was in schools. Also Universities (look on UCAS) have things that young people can apply for to help them study - and extra grants and I believe have to take a certain quota of SEN young people by law in the interests of equality.

Degree apprenticeships as someone said - may be relevant - too. If you are wanting to - you could ask already at local FE college just for info.

There are also foundation years for uni which I guess will be increasingly popular as many have missed out on so much during covid. Course it does mean there is an extra year of student loan. Usually once they reach further education there are progression pathways that help a lot i.e in the last term of the year they focus very much on aspirations and where they can go next.

I would concentrate on on getting his EHCP into good shape for his transition to secondary. If you can afford an independent OT assessment I would get one done. You should have a transition review, usually the first term of Yr6, so it would be good to have the report for then. Even if the LA starts being dramatic about it being included in the EHCP, it will be useful for you to share directly with your secondary preferences, and appeal the EHCP to get the provision sorted.

IME secondary schools are much more accommodating of laptops. My eldest point blank refused to use one though!

DS1 started school with a Statement of SEN, which transferred to an EHCP. He's just finished his GCSEs. He won't have passed many, but it's not the disaster it would have felt when he was Yr5. We've got a really good post-16 package for him, which will be based our his interest. He will gain qualifications without sitting exams. I can see him maybe doing an open university course down the line, or carving out a niche career around his interest.

You really do need to be more focused on his EHCP and Y7 now than SATs or GCSEs. Getting the right provision in place will change everything. My dd is autistic and in Y10 and academically very able. She's in a good mainstream and keeping her there and on track was our goal. An autistic friend of hers who was pretty much written off academically is in a fantastic specialist school and he's really picked up academically and should get some qualifications. He might not go to university but he's going to have a decent future.

FWIW, my brother used to tutor GCSE and A Level students for Maths and Physics. He could turn E's into B's. If your son can get some 1 to 1 things like Cs in Maths and English might not be out of reach if he does need them for what he wants to do.