I just wanted some general information about a couple of things.
My son is 10 and Asperger's. He is bright but highly stressed and anxious and not coping even in his very supportive school. He has been signed off and we are looking at a package of home support. He simply cannot cope with his peer group yet is much more confident in the real rather than the school world.
Having read around AS, attended conferences and knowing older people with AS who have done well academically , it is often just a case of getting through the difficult school years with a mix of schooling when appropriate, home education etc. But flexibility is the key.
There appear to be no appropriate schools for him to attend given his ability and high anxiety and we are talking of, at least in the short term, putting together a package of 'education otherwise' which would be named in Part 4 of his statement and would be LA funded. He would be on a school roll with the hope that this would give flexibility to return if he ever can.
My questions are:
- Does the national curriculum need to be disapplied if he is taught differently? For example, using history topics of interest rather than those on the curriculum
- Can we avoid SATS at the end of KS2? He is bright but the tests are pointless and hugely stressful and medically his paediatrician would probably agree that they will be detrimental
These are just thoughts so let me know if you have any experience of any of these issues.