DS struggling with A Levels but wants to go to uni

[Ronette]

Hi
My DS is 18, he is diagnosed with autism but has never had a statement or any additional help. He coped ok with high school but struggled with lockdown. He started at college a year and a a half ago and found it extremely difficult to adjust to the new routine.

Despite enjoying his subjects he is not coping with the A level workload. We help him as much as we can and have got him tutors for his subjects but we can’t see him getting more than Ds (at best) or Es when he takes his A levels.

He has his heart set on going to university and seems to see anything else as a failure. We think he needs a “plan B” but he just gets upset when we try to discuss it. He is very rigid in his routine and thinking and doesn’t want to plan for the unknown. He is obsessive about his fitness which is great but he doesn’t seem to get he should be prioritising his exams.

I don’t know what to do to help, I need advice on what options he has but don’t know who to ask. What happens if they don’t get the grades for uni? I don’t mind what he does as long as he’s happy but he is worried about getting a job if he doesn’t have good qualifications. Thank you for reading.

(reposted from SEN for traffic)

Does he have a specific uni course in mind? If he is really set on going to uni there are several out there who give unconditional offers. They are not always the best unis or the best courses, but it will give him the uni experience, and also remove the stress of doing well in his A Levels.

I can't say I'm a fan of unconditional offers, but for some students it does help them to cope with the A Level years.

Former admissions tutor here. This is a very challenging situation. I feel for your DS.

He wants the university experience: fair enough. But I cannot tell whether he is able to apply himself to his current studies. If he is not, uni is likely to be miserable and he isn’t likely to last long. If he is applying himself but his disability is getting in his way, he needs to seek mitigation for his A level exams. Sometimes pupils and students with MH challenges are reluctant to do this, but it is the only way to (begin to) level the playing field. He should accept all the help he is entitled to! The challenges will still be significant.

I am sorry I don’t have advice on other options. I would think his his College could help with this. Best wishes

Thank you for your replies. He wants to study Geology.
We have spoken to the college on many occasions but apart from some help to settle when he started and was struggling to cope they’ve not made any exceptions for his autism and general executive functioning difficulties.
A- levels will be this year and I don’t know if it’s too late to try to get help with the actual exams. We were pretty much told at primary and high school that he wasn’t causing any trouble so he wouldn’t get any extra help as he was coping.
He is very independent (likes to travel alone) but also very worried about the future. I feel so much for him as I was like this as a teenager too (none diagnosed but very likely autistic, all my children are). He wants so much to go to university and study something he loves but is also fearful of the unknown and the big changes it would involve.

I don’t know the regulations outside of HE but this doesn’t sound right to me: at uni your need for help depends on your diagnosis and your difficulties. You should not need to cause trouble in order to get help. I would hope that is also true at College.

Can you look into (a) what help your DS might be entitled to now and (b) what help he might be entitled to for his A level exams, without going through the College? Because what you’ve been told is at odds with the Sixth Form experiences of autistic undergraduates I know. It is possible that there are legitimate differences in the circumstances of your DS, but it is also true that in these difficult times not all Sixth Forms are happy to meet their more expensive obligations.

Has your DS thought of living at home for uni? I know that is a compromise, but it seems to be the key to success for most autistic students I know who do manage to graduate. However there are a number proud mums on the HE board whose autistic children have successfully lived in university halls for the whole of their degree programme. Flat sharing is more problematic. Good luck to your DS and your family

Has your ds had an assessment for extra time in exams or an EHCP? Contact the college about this.

Other options to consider are:
-clearing offers
-open university offers geology and prep courses if grades aren’t quite there.

-Would your ds consider options like earth sciences or geography or environmental science?
-some unis eg keele accept BTEC as an option. BTec could be a back up option.
-Access once he is 19

@Rummikub no he’s had no assessments since primary school. I will speak to the college. All the tutors are aware of his autism but we’ve not been offered anything like extra time. I’ll see if I can find anyone who will discuss this with me. Thank you.

Another option is to consider a degree with a foundation year as the grade requirement is lower and will provide a stepping stone to a degree.

@Ronette I have a DS with ASD and ADHD and this time last year his A level situation was looking gloomy - achieving Ds and Es and he needed ABB for the course he wanted. We found online tutors to help support with work and also applied for both extra time and use of a word processor in the exams. He ended up with A*BB in the end and is now at uni doing his chosen course. I can't say he is throwing himself into university life but he is enjoying his course, coping with student living and getting on with flatmates etc.

Definitely check out the process for extra time application for the exams and speak to your SENCO. Under JCQ regulations for "Access arrangements and reasonable adjustments", ASD comes under the category of 'complex need' rather than 'learning difficulty,' so the process for extra time application is slightly different. Have a look at p. 42 of the access arrangements PDF on this link which outlines the process in detail. We had to provide a copy of the NHS documents confirming DS's diagnoses and the SENCO submitted the application with support from his subject tutors - it was approved very quickly. Check the deadline for the 2023 exam series but for last year it was 31 March if I remember correctly. So you should still have time to apply.

www.jcq.org.uk/exams-office/access-arrangements-and-special-consideration/regulations-and-guidance/

Good luck, it is very tough supporting a student with ASD but there is support out there. Your DS should also be entitled to apply for DSA (Disabled Students Allowance) for additional support at university as well.

Is redoing year 13 an option?

He needs a post 16 assessment which would help for sixth form and uni. As part of a uni application he can apply for DSA which funds help based on need. Short term he either needs to retake y13 or switch to a level 3 qualification such as a btec to gain entry to uni.

Extra time etc would only apply in exams if he meets certain criteria- the rules for JCQ exams are quite tight and most students with ASD don't qualify as their processing speeds are within the normal range.

Colleges are also massively underfunded, hence the lack of SEN support- they don't have the ability to do this effectively, unless there is an ECHP which provides funding.

For your DS, I think there are a couple of possible routes.

1. Repeating Y13- if the college will allow him to do this, repeating the content might enable him to achieve high enough grades to get a uni offer. What are his A-levels currently?

2. Looking for a course with a foundation year. These tend to have lower entry requirements- a quick search brings up Keele and Plymouth who look like they would accept A-levels equivalent to DD grades in science subjects. The foundation year would help him transition to uni, but it would use up a year of student finance funding, so he would not get funded if he needed to repeat a year on his main course. Obviously he would need to pass the foundation year to progress.

3. Looking at foundation degrees- these are different to foundation years, as they are essentially equivalent to year 1 and 2 of a degree course, and there's usually an option to top up to a full BSc if you achieve certain grades. HNDs are a similar option as well. Again entry requirements will be lower than a standard degree.

4. When he's 19, he could try doing an access course- there is funding available for these but not for living costs whilst he studies. Normally, for sciences, you will need to study with an institution where you can attend at least some sessions in person.

I know some posters will come on and say what's the point in doing e.g. a foundation degree, or should he be going to uni etc, but A-levels don't suit everyone, and geology is an area with a lot of employment prospects.

They could do an access course, do a foundation degree, get in through profile of work, or through work/apprenticeships

If you can get a private assessment, you will wait ages for college

I am sorry he is struggling, A levels are not for everyone.

What were his GCSE grades like? Do you know the average grade progression from the GCSE to the A levels he is taking? ie if he comes in on a GCSE grade 6 what would the college expect him to achieve for his A level?

When you say college is it a sixth form or a college? And why is it different to school?

There is lots of incorrect information on here. Your son does not need any further assessment either for school or university as he has a diagnosis of ASD which is a lifelong condition. Students with ASD can have extra time in exams on medical grounds even if their diagnosis was in primary school; however, all access arrangements are based on a student’s normal way of working ie needing extra time to demonstrate their knowledge and understanding. Is your son actually struggling to complete exams in the time available or is his poor performance due to lack of subject knowledge or poor exam technique? In addition, the theoretical deadline for applications for this year’s exams has passed -late applications are possible, but it would be challenging to establish extra time as his normal way of working at this stage.

It does sound like he has had very poor support at college. In my experience quite a few students with ASD struggle when they move to a new educational setting and effectively lose the first term of learning as they settle into a new routine and adapt to new expectations. This means that some are trying to catch-up for the rest of their course and are always on the back foot. If he does not get the required grades for his course, I would consider retaking Yr 13 if that is possible or doing a Foundation Degree as suggested above. Whatever option, I would advocate for him to get additional support either through the college SENCo or at the needs assessment organised by Student Finance England when you apply for Disabled Students Allowance.

Quite apart from your DS's other needs if he can't cope with the workload of a A levels is university the right place for him?

At school or college the students are reminded about deadlines and chased for outstanding work.

At university you have to be self motivated. The students are emailed with assignments then left to it. There is no chasing and no hand holding. Students are expected to keep on top of their emails and check them every day if not multiple times a day.

Extra support is provided via DSA https://sheffield.autism-uni.org/what-is-disabled-students-allowance-4/

I think some universities are better than others at support. DD's old university just lets the students get on with it, and if they don't meet their deadlines they get marks penalised for late submissions.

Once DSA in place there is mentoring available eg dd had weekly meetings once she had hers through. Prior to that she had contact with a disability officer. Support at uni is available. And worth looking into which unis offer what. Some are better than others.

Hi
Thank you to people who have posted recently but this thread was actually over a year ago now.
In the end he just didn’t turn up for his exams as the pressure was too much. College were furious with him. I was not. Since then he has worked a bit part time and is applying for apprenticeships and he’s much happier now the pressure is off.

Great update! I posted on the thread a year ago so it must’ve popped up on my feed.

Glad he’s feeling happier now.

Fantastic x