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Here you'll find advice from parents and teachers on special needs education.

DS struggling with A Levels but wants to go to uni

1 reply

Ronette · 01/01/2023 14:49

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.

OP posts:
PumpkinPie2016 · 03/01/2023 21:27

Firstly, I am sorry to hear your son is struggling. Please be assured, from someone who has taught A-level for a long time, many students find it challenging but go on to be successful.

You have probably done this but a first step would be to speak to his teachers at school. He needs a very specific list of things to work on, perhaps week by week to make it manageable. I did this for a student once - almost a tick list of things he could work through and show me.

Are there support sessions available that he can go to? If so, he should go to these.

What degree does he want to do? Many offer a foundation year for those who don't have the required qualifications for whatever reason. This could be worth a look - if he already has offers, contact admissions. He still has time if he has not submitted his ucas form so look into foundation years for him.

Also, consider carefully where he is applying- would a smaller uni be more appropriate rather than a huge one where he will get lost in a crowd. Support him to investigate what support is available for those with additional needs as this can vary massively.

For what it's worth, I taught a lad a couple of years back for A-level physics. He struggled massively with all of his A-levels but was adamant he wanted to read Physics at uni. He got a D, went to do Physics with a foundation year and is now absolutely thriving! This was a boy who couldn't even organise his folder! So there is hope - some find it clicks later!

Best of luck!

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