Anyone have a child with aspergers in french secondary school

[Concerned185]

I have suspected for years that my son has aspergers and began to have him tested when he was 7. The tests were inconclusive, they said due to the fact he was trilingual (he attended a French/German bilingual primary school since he was 3) and they couldn't conclude if he just didn't understand what was being asked of him (his mother tongue is English and the test was done in French).

He was born in France, is now 12 and in his first year at secondary school. The French teaching style has had an adverse effect on his confidence (lots of negative comments, harsh methods, infrequent praise etc) and I worry how he will manage to pass any exams. His time management is poor and he becomes very anxious when he has a time frame to complete things. I am meeting with the school next week to discuss how they can support him but I doubt they will be able to offer us much.

I am considering moving back to the UK and getting him tested there but have heard the UK mainstream schools also lack the necessary support for for kids that need extra support. I'm really struggling to make the right decision. Any advice much appreciated.

French schools are not in a position to support DC with SEN. Any proper support will need to be found by you outside school. In your case, this is likely to be complicated by the fact that your DC has a mixed cultural and linguistic heritage: it is indeed very difficult for monocultural and monolingual practitioners to make accurate assessments of SEN for pluricultural and plurilingual DC.

I suggest you look for a psychologist who is U.K. trained but living in France who will be best placed to guide you and assess your DC.

I know an American woman whose son with Aspergers is doing well in the FR school system. Don't know if the diagnosis was done in France or the US but she has been able to use it to get the school placements she wanted.

There is a FB group for parents of kids with SEN in France ... I'm not on it but if you can't find it by doing a search then you are welcome to DM me and I'll see if I can put you in touch with someone who knows about it.