special needs and universities - what sort of support is organised, do you know?

[andisa]

My son has a statement for social communication difficulties which means he was slow to develop educationally but is now doing very well. Do universities support SEN, take some students from this background?

Should a student be open about past difficulties or would it be held against them?

How would extra time in exams and typing scripts be organised?

Who has experience of this? Anyone?

DH has dyslexia he got extra time in uni exams, graduated 13 yes ago. He and other students who had extra time went to a separate room to do their exams. I currently work in a uni and students still get extra time allocated when necessary. Our uni has a department specialising in SEN they work with individual students assessing need eg teach dyslexic students how to use specialised software. Unis (certainly in Wales) and therefore prob England too are having to start returning stats on the number of students they take with SEN.

DS1 graduated in the summer from Manchester Uni and got extra time in exams for Dyslexia. You need to contact the student support centre of each Uni that your DS has applied to (all of them!) and speak to them. Actually they may require your son's permission to speak to you about it all.

Always best to declare before he arrives at Uni and then support can be in place already. Don't leave it until he gets his results.

I'm just going through this and was with my son at his Disability Assessment this week. There is quite a lot of support - in fact more in university than in secondary school!! Contact the Disability support team at the University you will attend. They wil be able to provide you with all the information you need!

My DH works for a University (lecturer & tutor) and says you don't have to declare any special needs in advance (unlike with a lot of schools) - Universities find out each students needs once they arrive. He says don't worry, certainly he has had students recently with Asperger's (got a First), social communication difficulties, dyslexia (lots) - and they are all supported in whatever way they need, such as not doing your exams in a big exam hall, but in a smaller room instead; having extra time in exams etc. As long as you have the required A Levels, then there is absolutely no problem going to University and doing well.
All Universities have the equivalent of a SENCO and you can definitely talk to them in advance (if you wish) but they are their for the purpose of supporting students with extra needs once they arrive, and seem to do so very efficiently (in my DH's experience). I hope this reassures you a little.

My experience as a disabled student at University is totally positive. Disabled student allowance, special software, special adaptations for exams, in fact it has changed my life. I can now use a PC without a lot of pain! I can take exams on my own using speech software, they even offered an amanuensis for exams!
The only downer is the number of forms that need to be filled in! I did need a doctor's statement to back up my condition for the student allowance, but this was no big deal really. University of Sussex offer help carrying books if you need it, luckily I have a wheeled bag.

I was at uni with a young lad who has severe Aspergers- highly functioning but struggles elsewhere. He got lots of support, inc someone going in with him for a while and his mum too at one point...I don't know if he got extra time cos i never asked him but it would've definitely been available if he needed it.
You can get all sorts of help.
Your child would have a needs assessment with student support and would qualify for DSA- disabled student allowance which means he could have a computer if needed, printer credits if needed, photocopying etc plus note taking, a support person to help with his studies, someone to help in the library etc...basically whatever would make his life easier he could get, so you'd have to specify at the meeting with student support.
They welcome people with disabilities (its the law!) and do encourage their uptake of places. Just be upfront about what he needs etc...and also it can change over the course, one thing might not work whereas something else would so it can be reviewed.

Ime what universities offer- at least my university- is far, far better than what you could expect from your average school. It's not just that it's the law (in that case, schools should provide what they are supposed to, too ); it is also a different attitude towards the students, who are seen more as equals than as something to be kept under control iyswim.

You could certainly expect a disability support team, a counselling team, a pastoral support officer, an exams officer with some training in supporting SN, funding for special software, helpers etc etc. And a willingness to deal with an emergency.

All good news. Thanks.

At what point do you indicate needs?

If you tell them in advance they will find out what he needs (by meeting, talking with him beforehand) and have it all in place for the academic year. Our University has an Educational Support Office, fully staffed and trained to deal with whatever the needs are and to work with the academics to ensure that everyone knows what is expected of them.

It's really worth ringing round as my sister found some institutions are better than others at support (though ALL seemed lights ahead of school tbh) at the appilcation stage.

Partly this is cos of things like available equipment in lecture theatres (the acoustics and size can affect some Aspbergers types) & class sizes. How often people have tutorials with a personal tutor. Whether they keep the same personal tutor for 3 years or change each semester. Accomodation types - some halls etc are more homely than others, % of students living at home with parents.

Activities and clubs to join (my sister does dance to miitigate the effects of her medication for example) - if there is a social club that matches your child's key interest it's gonna help a huge deal with the social integration. (I can tell already my son would benefit from a hiking or nature trail type group, his father needed chess as his stress relief and to help him make friends at Uni) All these things have an impact.

There is much better technology funding (for laptops, dication machines etc) at Uni than at school and the service is far more personalised. Overall there seems to be much more basic understanding and willingness to make adaptions for students with disabilities at the Uni level than at school. Negotiating stuff like extra time in exams etc seems much less hassle than it is in the school system. This willingness to help is at a really fundamental level - I think you'll be very pleasantly suprised.

The only exception to this is courses with have a health requirement of students at the admittance stage(teaching and medicine being the main ones)

If you contact your LEA who are sorting his grant etc they should direct you to the place you need to take him for an appt for DSA. It might be at the uni he chooses but it might not- I just had one at my old university where i did my degree, even though I'm now at another one doing my PGCE.
They give you a couple of choices normally and u pick the nearest. Get it done asap so that they can put in place the things he will need. Sometimes too u might need to wait for an appt so the sooner the better really.

size of lecture theatres and continuity of tutor in tutorials good points to consider. Thank you.