Revision strategies for an AuDHD Year 11 struggling before GCSEs

[Sunnyjac]

My DD has AuDHD and is in year 11. She is struggling. She's got about four weeks until her GCSE's and the school are not being particularly supportive (the Senco left suddenly in October and it's gone downhill from there).

She really wants to do well and is on track to achieve 4-6 for her exams, which is fine. She is struggling with revision and her anxiety is ramping up. We've bought some revision guides and cue cards. I think the problem at the moment is that her anxiety is increasing due to the return to school next week and what that will look like for her (the year head is particularly unhelpful and the school have changed the safe space so she doesn't feel good there). She can't set out a revision timetable as that then places pressure on her to stick to it, she's feeling overwhelmed with the amount of work there is and that is making it hard to even start. I've suggested perhaps setting herself tasks each day, something like 'today I will revise some maths when I feel ready', to see if that helps.

Does anyone have any methods or strategy suggestions that your teen used that helped? I think if I can have a lot of ideas then she might find something that works for her.

Thanks everyone

She does sound overwhelmed. “When I feel ready”won’t get anything done as she’s not feeling ready.
I would do a revision timetable but with breaks, favourite activities and treats/snacks etc.
I’d add some elements of choice and use colour coding. Maybe only do one week at a time.
You could put in 2 levels in a session or 2 lengths of time so she can choose which one she feels able to do e.g. Making a mind map or learning some definitions.
Things that can help include
Movement e.g.walking up and down while reading or reciting things to learn or bouncing on an exercise ball
Mindmaps, BBC Bitesize, Twinkl resources and any suggested by school
Lots of colour coded resources, coloured pens/ felt tips. Use a colour for each subject or topic
Audio books
Tap in to her preferred learning style
Ask about revision sessions in school especially if she compartmentalises.
Our daughter ( ASD diagnosis) made her own colour coded revision resources but school had study skills sessions for parents and pupils well in advance. Movement really helped her.

@24Dogcuddler’s post includes excellent suggestions.

How are DD’s notes? Has she made revision cards as she has gone along?

We use a colour coded spreadsheet with red for not secure, working up to green for secure. Every subject is broken down into papers, each paper into topics and then sub-topics.

Would DD use resources like Tassomai? DS2 is finding that helpful.

Has DD been receiving any study skills support at school? To help with organisation, revision skills and exam technique.

I’m in exact same boat. It’s so tough. My DD seems to have settled for focusing on 3-4 subjects that she wants to do at A and are quite early exams. Good days and bad days. She has only just really started properly so is a bit anxious. She seems to be using flash cards, videos and notes. I have to accept she won’t get Stella grades.

I also find trying to nudge her makes it worse. Have to be gentle and supply her with endless healthy snacks

My son is autistic and year 11 - has his 1st GCSE in 2 weeks. He refuses and hasn't done any revision at all. I have battled all through secondary with homework and in the past year have bought all revision books, cards etc. But total waste of money. He has been accepted at a specialist school for post 16. I have given up now with revision and he will just do the exams and hopefully he will get reasonable grades (4) in maths and English. Otherwise he will retake next year.

Just wanted to add something for the maths side specifically — our DS (15, not AuDHD but had a real confidence crisis with maths that made revision feel impossible) found that anything with a gamification element completely changed his willingness to engage. We use mathstutor.me and the thing that works so well for kids who can't face a revision timetable is that it's built around short sessions with points, streaks and levels, so it doesn't feel like "revision" at all, it feels like playing. There's a free maths assessment on there too that pinpoints exactly where the gaps are, which might help with the overwhelm because instead of "I need to revise everything" it becomes "here are the specific bits to focus on." There's no pressure to do a set amount, she can just open it and do a few questions when she feels up to it, and the progress tracking means she can see herself improving without needing a big structured plan. The free version gives two lessons a day which might be a gentle way to try it without any commitment. Really hope you find something that works for her, the anxiety piece is so much harder than the actual content.

Just wanted to add a few things that might help alongside the great suggestions already here.

The overwhelm of not knowing where to start is often the biggest barrier for AuDHD kids, more than the actual revision itself. The today I will revise some maths when I feel ready approach is kind but you're right that it probably won't get traction what sometimes works better is making the starting point so tiny it doesn't feel like a decision at all. Like literally just open SaveMyExams and do three questions with no expectation beyond that. Sometimes that's enough to get momentum going without the pressure of a full session.
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For English Lit and History specifically, breaking it down by topic rather than by time can feel less overwhelming for kids who struggle with timetables e,g,"today is just Of Mice and Men quotes" rather than "one hour of English" can feel more manageable and containable. Kingsbridge Education is worth looking at too they do predicted papers which is genuinely useful because it narrows the field which can really help with the overwhelm piece.

The anxiety around school returning sounds like the bigger issue right now honestly. If the SENCO situation has left her without proper support you could look into whether she's entitled to access arrangements extra time, rest breaks etc as those can make a real difference and applications can sometimes still be made this late if her needs have been documented. Might be worth pushing the school on that specifically even if they've been unhelpful generally.

She's lucky to have someone in her corner fighting for her 💙