Yr9, Autism & Options

[MrsHusky]

Ok, so i need some help/advice.

DS has had his yr9 options choices sent home over half term to go over and to choose.

Problem is, he is refusing to pick any of them, they're all creative, physical or food related, and he is 100% computer/programming/gaming oriented with huge issues around food, art and outdoors/exercise.

I feel like tearing my hair out here.

He goes to a specialist school for kids with Autism, WHY the FUCK have they picked this stuff for them to choose from? This is supposed to give them home for the future, not be me doing my best to talk him into putting down what he hates the least, but will still 100% refuse to engage in.

Are you saying there are no technical or other subjects to choose? How about vocational studies?

The only technical thing there is Engineering, which is aimed at people who want to go into either practical stuff like bricklaying/plumbing or into Graphic Design/Animation.

They do motor vehicle training.. he freaks if he even gets a tiny bit of dirt or a scratch on him.. i've spent enough time working on my own car to know he has ZERO interest in mechanics.

Even the computer related course of Imedia is all graphic design related, not the back end like programming/coding.

The other choices are Music, Drama, Hospitality/Catering, Sports science, Land Science (farming/gardening) The DofE and Hair Dressing.

Its a joke, an absolute joke.. he's supposed to pick 4.

In your position I would be considering if this was actually the right place for him. It certainly doesn't sound as if it is. Presumably he has an EHCP?

I have a y9 with suspected autism just doing options though in mainstream - he has to pick 4 as well and I read out whole list and he chose 1 and said no to everything else and that's with a normal list so feel for you with those. Mine refuses anything physical, food tech, the engineering is really design so he refuses that - only one out of your list he would do would be drama. He might just do land science if its animal or property price related.

But that list doesn't look suitable at all. Are there any other schools? In the end mine will do stats / further maths, geography, french [though refusing speaking test so not sure how that will go] and computing, that's in a mainstream. The mainstream struggle with him but its the only way around here to get him academic GCSE options and he's academic when he puts some effort in which isn't in remote education.

Hope you can find a solution.

Mine refuses computing on a computer so not sure how computer science will go either but they have to take 11 there so we can afford to drop a few and computing is 2 written papers which are quite maths based. But so far in computing lessons he refuses to speak, write or type but at home he gets 100% on the tests and says he is doing computer science A level though still not using a computer.

I've hoping he will become less stubborn with age but not happening so far but his refusals do adjust.

My NT Y9 is doing options at the moment and engineering is a popular choice among their very academic friends. It's a new subject so maybe they'll all be disappointed, but it's the programming that's putting my DC off.

Apart from that though, it does sound like a recipe for disaster. Why not IT or similar? It seems such an obvious fit for a significant number of autistic kids. And newness is often so hard. Expecting autistic children to sign up for a load of subjects that are new to them is really harsh.

Does he also get to do maths, English, science etc?

I'm sure you have tried to watch videos with him etc on the GCSE content. Do you think the newness might be a big part of the barrier? I just can't conceive of mine ever being enthusiastic about a subject he wasn't used to doing. I might discuss that with him and get him to challenge that in himself, maybe show him how these subjects are building on stuff he has already learned in school and enjoyed?