Ds AS disaster

[asdmom]

Dear all some advice please. Ds ( high functioning Aspergers) did verywell at GCSE as a guest pupil at a mainstream plus a "minder" from his special school due to severe cyber bullying. He stayed there for Lower Vith, his choice, not mine! His Jan As modules were not brill so we got him private tutors as school were not prepared to help him any more than other students. SENCO us she only spoke to him once and that was after his review in June! well got his results on Thursday and even his resit modules had gone down !! He and tutors cant understand why his coursework grades are so high yet his exams so poor. By accident I was clearing his books yesterday and noticed all his teachers writing on his work that they coudnt read it. His handwriting is dreadful, tiny bunched together etc and gets worse when he rushes. Maybe that is what has happened as AS requires extended answers? Before you ask no the school did not apply for extra time or suggest he use a word processor. Upshot is he is being thrown out of Sixth Form and is in a dreadful state. He is adamant he knew his stuff and did enough to get at least Cs but hey got all Us. Sop I have written to the school today and asked they apply for photocopies of all his scripts so we can check did he know the stiff or were his answers illegible. All I can think to do to support him make the next right move into another VIth form to repeat his AS year or into a College to do a vocational route. He was taking AS Physics, Chem, Biol and Maths btw and wants to do a degree in Marine Zoology. Any advice on practical steps and also how to rebuild his sel;f esteem would be very welcome. I just feel I have to do something as he is so low I am worried about his state of mind.

oh my goodness asdmom - I am appalled but not surprised. My ASD boy also just did his AS levels - same story - his handwriting is woeful (not his fault - it is the lax muscle tone) & when I asked about computer was told "we don't do that"!. However the school did agree that his exam papers could be "scripted". This is where a teacher who knows his writing takes a photocopy of his paper and writes above each line what it actually says! Both the original paper and the "scribed" photocopy are then submitted. This has worked well for my son. It soulnds as if your son is very bright if he is taking those 4 subjects - do not let him give up. If his present school refuses to allow his exam papers to be scripted, put up a fight (his untidy writing is due to his condition and they should be taking steps to ensure he is not disadvantaged), and if they still don't - then move. Anf of course he should be getting extra time as well

thanks fourferrets I have applied to get his scripts and a few examiner friends are going to look at them for me. then we will see if there is a need for remarking. prob is he has ben told he cant continue there ( they have just become an Academy) so I am trying to find another Vith form for him but not proving easy, what with staff on holiday etc, an they will have to accept his statement also and LA agree to move. He won't survive in a large College and id very stressed about moving somewhere new also. Me stressed as trying to get something sorted for him so he has a place on Sept 2nd, Well another day in the phone for us both to try and get a place. If we do I am going to insist he uses a laptop all the time, gets extra time and also uses a WP or gets a scribe for all his exams. Thank you for replying :-)