Any experience securing additional time for exams?

[Wafflesandcrepes]

Hi everyone, my DD is in first year of sixth form. She has repetitive strain injury in her right arm, wrist and hand preventing her from writing fast and pain free. GSCEs have been a struggle - with some teachers refusing to even ask for extra time as she’s so capable 🙄

Our physio now says her condition has got much worse. School now refusing to accept physio letter and now says the exam board requires a letter from an orthopaedic consultant.

Do we need to see a consultant? And could the exam board turn us down because she managed to secure high GCSE grades despite her injury without extra time, which is something else that’s been hinted? (Only achieved by going to physio day prior to the exams, getting all taped up and costing us £££)

Thank you.

Extra time is based on evidenced need.

Her teachers would need to see that she is struggling with time, based on her injury, in class work, tests and examinations. This would then be referred to the SENCO, who would liaise with the exam boards.

Is she using a laptop? This seems the obvious solution here if writing is a problem.

But, obviously, you don’t get extra time unless you need it, especially based on a physio’s letter. You need to talk to her teachers and tutor to see if they think she needs extra time.

Typing also causes lots of pain as the arm is completely inflamed unfortunately. Physios are best to assess the condition but I guess we’ll go and waste more money on a consultant to write same letter as our physio already has. At least we won’t be wasting NHS time…

How can you say it is ‘wasted’ if you can buy preferential treatment in exams? Why not call it an investment?

Liaise with the exams officer at the school rather than the SENCO, they'll be more clued up on what you need to do.

@Wafflesandcrepes speak to your school, but it's likely that rest breaks will be the appropriate adjustment for this, rather than more time.

The exams officer will be the one who is able to give you definitive information. I agree that rest breaks would be more appropriate in this situation, if an adjustment is needed and agreed.

Rest breaks are not helping given how jnflamed the arm is/gets. I’ve just emailed our GP and will be going down the consultant route.

Ok Teaching Assistant in a College and well used to writing statements about the need for Access Arrangements. How does your daughter work in lessons? There are 2 things we have to show:

1. Always that it is the student's "normal way of working". Always: an explanation from the the teacher or teaching assistant about why we give the student that adaptation in class and why they would be disadvantaged without that adaptation.
2. Often our exams people would assess the student and see that they wrote more slowly or whatever.

When you say that she isn't given extra time in class, what is the affect of this? Is she doing as well as she should be? Is she in a lot of pain and stressed? If so, you need to be pushing for her to be given what she needs in classes first, push this with the SENDCO. This will give you the evidence the exam boards need.

Does she excuse herself for another reason like the loo, when actually she needs a break because of her arm? If so, she needs to stop doing this and tell her teachers she needs a rest from writing, so that they see how much pain she has, and that she is actually using rest breaks.

If she isn't struggling in class then the school will be struggling to get her any access arrangements because they won't be able to show that rest breaks or extra time are her "normal way of working". Without this, a doctor's letter confirming her actual diagnosis, may be the only option.

Would a scribe be an option? Extra time is more tricky to get than other adjustments like laptop, reader/scribe, rest breaks. It also has to be her normal way of working.

Thank you, Stitchguru. Yes she is struggling in class now - in terms of her handwriting and there’s a huge discrepancy between the grades she should achieve and what she’s actually getting based on the fact that she sometimes can’t even hold her pen properly. She managed to get through GCSEs on pain killers, physio taping etc…. And spent her summer worrying about her history grades as was unable to finish her last paper. Her hand just gave in. She ended up with a good grade but it’s not right that she should put herself through this level of pain. She’s very open with her teachers about this problem.

This has been a bit of a carry-on for a while now with many conversations, many hoops, people’s distrust of the condition and I guess I’m hugely overworked at the moment and getting a bit tired of having to explain things over and over again. So I think a stern consultant letter might actually be what’s needed… given that multiple GP and physio letters have not helped.

They are really tightening up on extra time now because private schools in particular were taking the piss with it. I agree with speaking to the exams officer if you haven't already.

Speak to the school about the possibility of using voice recognition software. At my DS's school they use Dragon Dictation. It sounds like she would benefit from learning to use something like this anyway if her condition is going to be long-term. It does take quite a while to master as the software has to learn the person's speech patterns but it can be a game-changer.

I take it you've read the JCQ access arrangements documentation so you know what sections apply to your DD?

https://www.jcq.org.uk/exams-office/access-arrangements-and-special-consideration/

I hadn’t seen this link - just been going with what the school says, which fluctuates. Thank you for sending through.

And I will be asking the school about the voice recognition software.

Im aware of the crackdown and it’s a worry.

As it’s so difficult for your DD to write, would extra time mean that she could write more slowly and cause less pain, or something else? Do rest breaks not give the arm some respite?

Having read subsequent posts, I agree that voice recognition software should enable her to express herself and do herself justice, without being in constant pain. If she wants to go to university, I imagine a similar scenario would apply.

I think you can argue two ways here: a) her writing is slowed down due to pain which puts her at an unfair disadvantage and b) her condition gets worse due to the strain of continuous writing under severe time pressure.

Would extra time really help, or just prolong the agony?

What does the physio suggest? What is she doing differently currently in class and for homework?

what treatment is she having and what is the prognosis? External exams are months away yet (will she even have anything year 12?) so hopefully there’s a chance that she’ll be much better by then.

As a TA in college with experience of HE, a scribe and a small room would be reasonable adjustment. A consultant letter would also need to say that it is a permanent condition. In class a recording apparatus maybe useful and a speech to text for classwork/ homework/ coursework.
It would be good as it will then follow her into university if that is what they want. Look at Disabled.Student Allowance.

Do talk to the exams officer before paying out for the consultant, if you haven't already. Especially if you are getting mixed messages from school.

Ours uses standardised tests wherever possible. You need gold standard info on exactly what they need so that you only have to do this once.

Rules on applying for extra time have been tightened up this year, so I'd get the consultant's letter and push for all the information you can get from the school / college.

During the exams I wrote on one of the threads about DC2 whose wrist/nerve condition suddenly worsened and they were unable even to type (their normal working practice for the past 2.5 years). For one paper, they ended up handwriting using their non-dominant hand because they decided that would be quicker than trying to type with only one hand. By the end of that exam they were fit for nothing!

Because the laptop (with low profile keyboard and vertical mouse) and rest breaks (for clicking joints, administering pain relief etc) were already evidenced as being effective, the exams officer was able to put in some kind of emergency/extension request related to an unforseen deterioration in an existing medical condition. Within 12 hours the school had arranged for the next few exams to be taken in a small room with a 1:1 invigilator and a scribe. It wasn't ideal because DC2 had never used a scribe before but it meant the next exams were legible!

Depending upon how your DD is affected by any medication she is taking, it may be worth considering asking for her processing to be assessed. If the speed falls below a threshold on a couple of measures, she may qualify for additional time that way. I know some medication reduces the pain for my DC but thoughts-wise, everything is very muddy and murky so processing is definitely slower.

Oh wow SE13Mummy, your poor DC! I really feel for them. I really do. I can’t imagine writing for an exam in my non dominant hand. Poor thing.

My DD’s hand gave in properly in her very last GCSE exam. (The rest of the time was very tough with terrible pains and slow writing, constant visits to the physio to be massaged and taped up) She was distraught that she had’t been able to write much at all in her last essay - her pet topic. And while she got a high 9 in that topic, we now think that the pressure on her body during GCSEs has made her condition much worse and that the summer break wasn’t enough for her body to heal. Hand pain is now constant from the moment she picks up a pen. She flunked a timed exam recently so the school is finally listening. At least we’re collecting evidence…

I’m going to investigate if she can train herself to use voice recognition software. And i’ve now obtained a referral - I actually think her being under the care of a consultant will help sort things out. I hear what you say about the medication - she’s not under any at the moment but will bear what you said in mind.

All the best to your DC.

And thank you to everyone who responded.

The school should be applying for extra time for her for exams and/or a scribe and/or laptop, whatever she needs. Ask them outright for what she wants. It doesn't matter about general "cracking down" or whatever as your daughter clearly needs this. DD2 got extra time with a private exam centre for ADHD and ASD this year. They did an assessment and she got it. Tell the school to get the fuck on with it.

I'd advise this too. The examination officer will know what supporting documents are needed

But is extra time the best solution? Would that not just prolong her pain and fatigue her hand more delaying recovery in time for the next exam. I would have thought a scribe/voice software(if allowed) might be a less physically demanding method. Is her condition degenerative longer term or are there possible treatments to help her symptoms.