He is now suspended  and straight  onto stage 3 disapliinary  meeting.

This has been a huge shock.  It involved  him flicking  an object  onto to a teacher  after getting  upset in a lesson.  No injuries  or anything  but obviously  classed as gross misconduct. 

The meeting  is in 2 weeks. Just looking  for advice  on what  I should  be doing?

Staff all know him and are  as shocked as we are by this behaviour as this is so unusual  for him.

Never had any issues  though  School although  attended  special school. He has Level 1/Aspergers  and is incredibly  nieve.

Never goes anywhere  alone  apart from myself  of 2 older siblings. 

Thanks 

Autistic people & the languages nobody knows they speak

Did you know that half the world’s population is bilingual? However, reports have shown that many autistic people are prevented from learning another language because of misconceptions that it will be “too much” for them. This is denying them access to multiple skills and opportunities, and the chance to enjoy the thinking skills and social benefits of bilingualism.

In this year’s Social Sciences Award Lecture, Bérengère Digard from the University of Edinburgh explains why these misconceptions are incorrect. Bérengère will share how being bilingual has helped many of the autistic people she works with, shaping their thinking skills and challenging the current theories of autism.

Original link

Is this really true?

Could innovative LARP education improve the experience and achievement for all neurodiverse pupils globally?

Neurodivergent students learn, think, and process information differently than their neurotypical peers. Because of this, they often face unique challenges in the school setting. Students may struggle with executive functioning skills, typical social and communication skills and have sensory processing difficulties. As a result, they may be more likely to experience anxiety, depression, and many other mental health crises - resulting in a difficult education in which they won't receive the grades or social experience that they could achieve.

This programme uses the Østerskov Efterskole school in Denmark as a case study to determine whether their revolutionary LARP (Live Action Role Play) teaching techniques could aid the education of every neurodiverse pupil. And if it can, why not implement it globally.

Podcast

I’m thinking of going to college (a different one), but here’s the thing. I want to do A-Levels. The closest college that does A-Levels for adults is over an hour away from me. I couldn’t travel there unless I moved there. That college is still in Essex but it’s just quite far away from where I live. Getting there everyday would be tiresome, so the easier option would be to move near the college.

So, I was thinking about just moving away to an entirely different county in England and just living there for a few years. The county I was thinking of was Hampshire. Hampshire have a few good colleges. I so badly want to do A-Levels because I am more than capable. I can’t do online A-Levels because the ones I want to do are practical ones like fine art, graphics and illustration and media studies. I got quite good GCSE results a few years ago. Here are my grades (from newest to oldest):

GCSE Japanese – A grade
IGCSE English – A* grade
GCSE Media Studies – C grade
GCSE Maths – C grade
GCSE Science – C grade
GCSE Citizenship – A grade
GCSE Catering – C grade

So those are my GCSE grades. I want to progress onto A-Levels this year, but here’s the catch: I have bad mental health and worry like mad. I’m currently under a secondary mental health team (they are not very good). If I moved away for 3-years, I would worry that my mum wouldn’t be safe or she’d think that I didn’t love her. I know these are silly thoughts, but what if they are true? I don’t have much family (well, I do, but I hardly see them) and I worry my mum would be lonely without me.

I also worry about my physical and mental health. I am worried if I get things like cancer or something else deadly! I'm a worrier. Plus, I'd have to lodge with someone. I would lodge with a family that maybe has a dog or young children (so I'd feel safer).

My sister says I should do what I want to do, but it’s difficult with my mental health at the moment. I think if I moved away, my mum would worry about my mental health and whether I was ok or not. I can’t keep stopping myself and holding myself back. I know not many people move away for college in the UK, but I want to do something different and get my A-Levels. I know A-Levels may not matter after university, but I really want to have a range of A-Levels and not just a diploma in art and design.

Does anyone have any sons or daughters that have moved away for college (not uni)? I know some colleges have residential.

Thank you.

Showman Milly Ayers has become the first student from a travelling family to win a place studying Classics at Oxford, hailing the prestigious place as “a win for the entire fairground community.”

A showman from Chertsey has become only the third student from a travelling family to win a place at Oxford, having taught herself Classics after leaving school at 13.

Milly Ayers, who has worked on fairgrounds since she was three years old, will join St John’s College this September, and hailed the news as a victory for Showmen.

“My success is a win for the entire fairground community, and if any good comes out of that, I’ll be over the moon,” Ayers told the Oxford Mail.

“Perhaps while I am there I can show people that showmen and travellers in general aren’t these stupid Neanderthals like the stereotypes suggest.”

Ayers was raised as part of a traditional travelling Showmen family, and spent most of her childhood helping both her parents and grandparents operate rides, strikers and food stands.

Despite attending primary school, Ayers – who has autism and Asperger’s – found that the secondary school system was not “a good fit,” and left school in order to give herself an education beyond the state syllabus.

“It wasn’t a traditional education by any means, it was very flexible, but I suppose because I’d always had that love of education, of learning, I was able – with the help of my parents and everything – to find a way that suited me.”

Over the next three years, Ayers taught herself the GCSE syllabus by studying books, watching documentaries, and visiting museums and historical sites, and though she dismisses the grades she achieved as “pretty average,” her studies allowed her to pursue A-Levels in English, History and Classics at college.

With higher education a long-time goal, Ayers then looked to Oxford, and found support through mentoring organisation Zero Gravity – which paired Ayers with a Cambridge PhD student during the admissions process.

“I’m really excited to be able to go and learn there,” Ayers told Steph McGovern during an interview on Steph’s Packed Lunch. “I think it’s a good opportunity not just for me but for the entire Showmen community, to put our voices out there and show that we do exist, and we are capable.”

Milly Ayers made her national TV debut on Channel 4 recently explaining life on the road and her self-education journey to Oxford University.

“It’s a good opportunity to put our voices out there,” she explained to a live audience. “We’re a community, now recognised, and I want to try to educate people about who we are.”

Well, Milly is an intellect who decided to leave school at 13 due to autism and went on to pursue her ‘love for the ancient world’ by studying classics.

From the age of three, she has lived the fairgrounds, travelling the country opening up and down working the markets and fetes.

“We’re primarily businessmen,” she explained proudly. But education, and a switch to one of the world’s top five universities, has drawn the fairground teenager.

But it hasn’t all been comfortable. That journey, she explained, has included insults and signs daubed outside the yard her family live in.

But she’s going to work on that: “That’s what I want to change,” she confirmed.

And no doubting she will. An engaging character, Milly has attracted a wave of support from the travelling community and beyond. Her blog Antigine Journal includes a Showman’s Odyssey, and her Channel 4 interview drew widespread plaudits: “So inspiring and a fantastic representation of our community”; “You’re a credit”; “a wonderful advert for showmen and women.”

Ayers certainly rocks.

Source: Coinslot

A more detailed article about Milly Ayers has appeared in the Daily Express, according to PressReader, but I'm unable to access the article directly.

Fairground traveller Milly wins a place at Oxford

In 2.5 years at Priory Group​ he has changed from a child who was out of school, often violent, and spent hours most days in a catatonic shut down to a "lovely, thoughtful, sensible young man", who is hard working and keen to help others. He is described as "a great ambassador for the school" Although there are obviously still issues to deal with I can't put into words how proud I am of him:) The amazing academic results are a bonus too;)

For those of you who don't know/remember, the fight to get him into the school lasted over a year, included having the whole family considered "at risk" by social services and very nearly broke us, even though we are a very strong family generally! We went right to the wire with the Tribunal, and borrowed money to get the reports required as the LA didn't do any! I spent almost every day in tears, and honestly contemplated a wide variety of awful scenarios.

Since getting the place, we have regularly had to fight the LA to ensure they complied with his statement and provided suitable transport! BUT.......I have been totally and utterly proven right! It was the right thing to do, it was the right place to go, and it was worth it!

The future is looking bright. To anyone else out there going through this. Never give up!

PS: A massive thank you to Sally who pretty much coached us through everything. I couldn't have done it without you (I didn't even know there wrre ASD schools without you) and my son would now be another one of the governments statistics!

• Jake Davison, 22, shot dead five, including a girl, 3, and her father, before killing himself in Plymouth rampage
• Police removed his shotgun licence but returned it mere months before the deadly attacks on Friday evening
• Experts have called for an urgent overhaul of firearms licensing laws, said police decisions were failing public

In particular:

1. Which optional subjects they are more inclined to take and which subjects they are more inclined not to take?

2. Which subjects they tend to struggle badly with and which subjects they tend not to struggle with?

There have been several changes since the early 2000s, including:

1. Foreign languages are now optional at KS4 / GCSE level.

2. The replacement of ICT by computer science.

3. Coursework has been abolished in many subjects.

4. Schools allow students to choose some options in Y9 (rather than Y10) and it's easier to drop arts and technology subjects before Y10.

Hello all!

My name is Mark Burnard and I am an Industrial-Organizational Psychology Ph.D. student at Florida International University. I'm currently conducting a research study investigating the effects of workplace characteristics (social, environmental, etc.) on autistic employees' attitudes and well-being.

I am inviting adults (18+) on the autism spectrum who currently work in an office setting to participate. Those who are currently unemployed but worked in an office setting leading up to the COVID-19 pandemic are also eligible. 

The survey will take approximately 25 to 35 minutes to complete and is strictly confidential. Those who complete the survey will receive $15 (USD) in the form of an Amazon eGift card.

To participate or ask me questions please use my contact in the flyer.

Thank you for your time,

Mark Burnard

• Michael, a junior at Taylorsville High, took Miss Greater Salt Lake to homecoming
• The teenager, who has autism, received a heartbreaking fake invite to the dance
• One of his teachers got in touch with the local beauty queen and asked for help
• Dexonna Talbot, a Miss Utah hopeful, said she cried when she heard of the prank
• Talbot walked into Michael's class and asked him to go with her instead

A beauty queen has helped a bullied high school student get the last laugh on his peers.

Michael Conrad, a junior at Taylorsville High School who has autism and ADHD, received a fake invitation to homecoming that left him upset and his mother 'sick to her stomach'.

The culprits, who are yet to be identified, egged his home and left a note saying: 'I'm sorry for the mess. But how about I make it up to you by taking you to Homecoming?' Fox News reported.

The note was attributed to a friend of Michael's, but when he confronted her about it, she denied all knowledge and told him she already had a date.

Michael's uncle said on Twitter the teenager had: 'tried to hide the hurt when this happened but it was obvious that he was upset inside'.

Hearing about the cruel prank, debating teacher Jenn Palomino said she was heartbroken, and determined to help right the wrong.

She contacted Miss Greater Salt Lake, Dexonna Talbot, and asked if she might be able to help salvage her student's homecoming experience.

Talbot, who will compete for Miss Utah in the next few months, said she felt called to act the second she heard about the fake invitation.

'The second I heard about this, I knew I wanted to do something,' she said.

'I automatically broke down into tears, because just thinking about the fact that someone would go out of their way to make someone else feel bad is so heartbreaking to me.'

Holding a sign covered in Starburst - Michael's favourite candy, Talbot was filmed entering his high school classroom last week to ask him to homecoming - for real this time.

Standing up, he can be heard responding with an enthusiastic: 'Sure!'

As the pair chat, Michael's classmates can be heard applauding the unlikely match.

On Saturday, Talbot shared photographs of the pair ahead of the big dance.

'Had the time of my life with the coolest, funniest, kindest and most amazing guy at homecoming tonight,' she wrote.

'Michael you are one of a kind. I am so humbled by this experience. Bullying sucks and kindness ALWAYS wins.'

Speaking to friends on Facebook, Michael's mother Jennifer said she still doesn't know who played the cruel prank on her son, but the family have chosen to focus on the positives.

'We don't know who did it, but to us it doesn't matter,' she said. 'Through this experience our sweet boy was able to have the time of his life.'

'I just hope [the bullies] realize that you should [not] tear someone down to try and make yourself look cool.'

Source: Daily Mail 

We've had various conversations over the years with the school with various head of years etc. For instance, he has a bit of a toilet thing so they let him use disabled toilets. They did also sort out counselling with a person that came to the school.

Fast forward to last week. School parents evening. NONE of his teachers knew he had been diagnosed.

Had a chat with the Special Needs teacher. Sat next to her was a lady who I remembered. So I mentioned son to her - never heard of him, not aware. Her assistant had and had arranged the counselling sessions (but obviously had not told her colleague). I asked why they hadn't informed his teachers - not seen the letter.

Turns out the letter arrived at the school last October and has only now been seen by the Special Needs lady. Nice one. Even then only because I mentioned it at parents evening.

She phoned today and was really rude. Not her fault apparently and, anyway, we should be grateful that a meeting has now been sorted in MAY between CAMHS and the school. This should all have happened 18 months ago!

Surely a Special Needs teachers job is to read letters from CAMHS about the pupils? Otherwise I can't see the point.

They have been useless. Whats the best way to complain? To the governors? MP? Council?

The school apologised and said the staff member's suggestion was "inappropriate"

A furious dad says he was asked to keep his autistic son off school for sports day - to avoid him ‘causing a scene’.

Mark Birchall, 28, said a classroom support worker approached him in the playground and said it might be wise to exclude his son Jacob, who has Asperger syndrome.

He claims the seven-year-old “cried his eyes out” after he broke the news about missing the event at Banks Road Primary School in Garston .

The headteacher apologised over the “inappropriate suggestion” and said it was not the view of the school, which tries to ensure all children can take part in such activities.

Mr Birchall, from Speke, claimed the staff member told him earlier this month that Jacob would be extremely upset if he lost, and could “cause a scene” at the sports day on July 18.

He acknowledged his son, a Year 2 pupil, might have struggled because of his Asperger syndrome, but said it was completely wrong to suggest excluding him.

He said: “I feel they were embarrassed by him, rather than just thinking about his needs.

“It was disgusting to single him out. It is excluding him, which is exactly what you are supposed not to do with children with special needs.

“It should be about inclusion - even if he didn’t take part, he could have handed out medals or been a referee.

“It feels like it was about keeping him away, about showing there were no issues at the school.”

He said he had to organise his own sports day and even buy a medal for his son at home instead, as he did not feel they would be welcome attending.

He said: “Jacob cried his eyes out when we told Jacob he wasn’t able to go.

“He had been practising trial runs at school, and said he wanted to be as fast as his hero, the car Lightning McQueen.

“It’s hard to accept sudden changes like that when you have autism. So I had to take the day off work to do my own sports day with him.”

He said he had disagreed previously with the school over provision for Jacob, who is likely to move to another school next year.

He added: “Because autism isn’t a physical, visible disability, I feel people with autism aren’t accepted the same way.”

He said he had been encouraged by the response from other parents after he shared his experiences on Facebook, with many shocked by what had happened.

Headteacher Linda Gibson said: “This was an entirely inappropriate suggestion made almost two weeks ago that neither myself nor the class teacher were made aware of until after the event.

“We have a clear policy that all of our children take part in sports day and I have taken steps to make sure this can’t happen again.

“I am really sorry for the upset this has caused and I am meeting personally with the family together with our Chair of Governors to discuss their concerns.”

Liverpool is trying to become one of Britain’s first autism-friendly cities, with many city institutions and businesses taking measures to properly support people with the condition.

Source: Liverpool Echo

I am living in Middlesbrough. My 8-year-old son has autism and has additional needs. We have now decided to move to Leeds, so I am looking for the choices of primary school for him. The best choice for him is probably a mainstream school with autism unit/provision, but I don’t know how to find these schools in Leeds since I don’t know anybody there. The Council has given me the names of two of them but I am searching for more choices if there is any. Does anybody have anymore info in this regards? How is the level support for ASD children in Leeds?

My daughter is in Year 5 and for as long as as we can remember has shown 'ASD' traits, eg impulsive, bossy, loud, insensitive etc. After raising our concerns with the Head (also SENCo) she agreed with us and brought in a service to observe DD in the first instance.  Disappointingly because they concluded she is able to 'manage' her behaviour in class their support  is not needed. HOWEVER she is struggling massively on a social level. 

Whilst she doesn't mean to be unkind her brutal honesty has obviously created friendship barriers and is now at a stage where her classmates actively avoid her. In her defence she is also incredibly loyal and can show great kindness but they just 'don't get her' and she doesn't have the level of self-awareness to see how her behaviour causes conflict. She is very lonely, spending most breaks on her own or 'doing jobs' for teachers - utterly heartbreaking.

I feel let down by the school, its as if unless there is an impact in the classroom, they are not interested. However I now have a daughter who has gone from having a unique happy sparkle, to one who dreads going into school and says everyone hates her. Surely there must be resources in schools to support these children in developing social skills? I do as much as I can to talk with her but she really doesn't want to hear it from me as a parent

Desperate for some advice please on what I can realistically expect the school to do.

Quote

tell us about tech

We’d like you to tell us about the technology that’s available today. What tech is there? What do you like about it? What do you not like about it? How can it be improved?

Quote

Who can take part?

Anyone who is pursuing or has obtained a degree in mathematical sciences, theoretical physics, statistics, computational sciences or other mathematically related subjects from specific universities is eligible to participate. We are looking for people who have a clinical diagnosis of autism. We are also looking for individuals with a maths background as described above but with no diagnosis of autism or immediate family history of autism. This group of participants is important to make genetic comparisons.

More information

Can you suggest any kind of equipment, furniture, aids or software that would benefit my pupils. I have a list of my own, but I'm worried there is some fantastic "thing" out there that I know nothing about.

Help me out, please.

Antolak

PS. The money can't be spend on employing extra staff.

"

I am still looking for people to interview (Skype or online text chat messaging) as I am seeking your insight (as part of my masters research) about your past educational experience and how we can make education a more positive experience for children with HFA. If you have HFA /Aspergers yourself  I would really value your input! My email address is lydiabeeuk@yahoo.co.uk. The project has full ethical approval through the university of Nottingham.

Many thanks!

Lydia

My name is Lydia and I would like to know if you would be interested to take part in a research project involving those with High Functioning Autism/Asperger’s Syndrome that I am undertaking as a postgraduate student through the University of Nottingham.

Reason for the research

I am keen to research and publish a paper on the experiences of people with AS at primary and secondary school. There is not much research out there that listens to the views and stories of people with AS themselves. This is unfortunate and my aim is to highlight (through themes that come up from your responses) areas of the school system that have been troublesome, any that were good, and highlight areas that need to change. I am also keen to explore whether you feel that identification in childhood would have been beneficial to your experience at school and for those of you who were identified as a child (if any?) your experiences of education as a result.  I am also interested in your thoughts on any experience you have had with the ‘Special Educational needs’ system whilst at school.

What it would involve

The research will be carried out though the University of Nottingham, as part of my Master's program, and has full ethical approval.

The research would involve an interview over the internet with myself that would last approximately 45 minutes.  This would take place either by live chat (non-video instant text messaging) or a videocall (e.g. skype), whatever you are more comfortable with.  I would send you a copy of the questions in advance, including an information sheet and a consent form. You would be free to withdraw from the research at any time (no obligations) and your contribution will remain anonymous. The interview would be 'semi-structured', meaning that there is room for you to add personal views and opinions about additional areas that the questions may not cover.

 Why research?

Research helps to inform practice - at least eventually. Research also potentially inspires other and more larger scale research. It is therefore a potential force for change. I think that this is a valuable project to be a part of, in that it aims to listen to the views and experiences of people with Asperger’s Syndrome who have been in the education system before, in the hope that we can make things better in school for children with Asperger’s in the future.

If you would like to take part in this research or have any questions please email me at lydiabeeuk@yahoo.co.uk

 Kind regards,

 Lydia MacDonald

My son has just passed Level 1 Horticulture course at college but we were told by his tutor that the college will not hold Level 2 course next academic year. He also told us that my son could enroll Level 1 Hard Landscaping course instead until 2018 when they plan to organise Level 2. The problem is that my son also has a severe dyspraxia and he really struggled with practical side of his course throughout the year although he managed to complete it at the end. The college and the tutor were brilliant and helped him a lot but at the end report they also wrote that he did not improve much with practicals. The Hard Landscaping course also involve fencing and using hammer and nails and my son is concerned about it. When I told him that perhaps he could try IT Level 1 instead he was happy about it. He does not know much about computers but can use it and learned some things from his father. He likes watching his clips over and over again. 

However, my son also likes gardening (despite his dyspraxia) and we are all very proud of him that he managed to pass his Level 1. The tutor has a son with asd and understands my son very well. He is also keen on him completing the whole course. He told me that my son is 'his little project'. This kind of support from any tutor my son has never had. We do not know if he would get the same support on IT course. Besides, maybe it would be pity not to continue with Horticulture. The tutor thinks that he would benefit from attending Hard Landscaping course since it will widen his experience and increase his chances to get a job. But with his dyspraxia would he be good at it? Maybe IT is more suitable for him? At the moment he applied for both courses and will make a decision nearer the time of enrolment.

Any advice will be appreciated greatly.

Does anybody know if kids develop better socially if school is deferred until the age of 7? The common belief is that attending nursery at 3 is beneficial from a social development perspective over starting reception class at 4 although I dispute it. It's rare to find kids in Britain that are home educated for KS1 but start school in KS2 so I have very little information to work on.  

Take into account that back in the days of O Levels most kids took 8 subjects. Biology, chemistry, and physics counted as three separate subjects. In recent years it's commonplace for kids to take 12 GCSEs but is this really too many subjects for their own good?

Are there any particular subjects that are not worth taking because nobody sees value in them?

Are there any particular subjects that a high proportion of kids with AS struggle badly with?

Hi everyone,

I am looking for people with Asperger's to interview via Skype (or other video/audio medium) for a research project I hope to publish about school experiences, looking really at how the school system could be made better for those with Asperger's. Would love to hear from you if interested - particularly if from the UK and started school after 1981 - though not exclusively so please be in touch

Rationale
I am keen to research and publish a paper on the experiences of people with Asperger's as they travelled through education. There is not much research out there that listens to the voice of people with Apserger's themselves. This is a mistake and my aim is to highlight (through themes that come up from your responses) areas of the current school system that are troublesome, any that are good, and highlight areas that need to change. I am also keen to explore whether you felt identification in childhood would have been beneficial to your experience at school and for those of you who were identified as a child (if any?) your experiences of education as a result.

The SEN system, introduced in 1981, I argue is not specific enough to needs and there seems very little provision for (or understanding of) children with more 'hidden' differences such as Aspergers , ADHD etc. I am therefore particularly interested in those of you who went to school after 1981.

In short the aim of the research is to look at
-the impact of having Asperger's at school and in adult life
-whether the current SEN approach of support and identification is working for Aspies

What would it involve?
The research will be carried out though the University of Nottingham, as part of my Master's program, and will have full ethical approval.
The research would involve a Skype interview with myself (lasting approx. 45 min. I would send you a copy of the questions in advance, including an information sheet and a consent form. You would be free to pull out at any time (no obligations) and your contribution will remain anonymous.The interview would be 'semi-structured', meaning that there is room for you to add personal views and opinions about additional areas that the questions may not cover.

Why research?

Research helps to inform practice - at least eventually. Research also potentially inspires other and more large scale research . It is therefore a potential force for change. I feel that this is a valuable project to be a part of, in that it aims to listen to the voice and experiences of people who have travelled education before, in the hope that we can make things better for children who will in the future.

Any questions just ask on this forum or email me at lydiabeeuk@yahoo.co.uk

Regards
Lydia

I am currently conducting my Master's dissertation on the University Experience for Students with Asperger's Syndrome

My son will be 16 next month.  To cut a long story short we had a meeting back in February at which his consultant Phyciatrist recommended a 52 week residential placement at a residential school due to his anxiety levels regarding transitions.  We have been through the usual channels of behaviour support through the council 5 times and it is felt that the behaviours displayed are due to the developmental disability rather than anything that could be altered through specific behaviour programmes by myself.  He has little quality of life at moment, has an adittional diagnosis of deterioration of autism/catatonia and is on rispiradone.  He is currently attending a generic special school with respite twice a week.

The problem I am having is that the SEN department are refusing to follow legislation regarding consulting my preferred choice of school (Wilsic Hall) but on the same token are not even communicating with me as to what other placement they have in mind.  There is no placement within our authority that can meet his needs.  The social worker keeps on cancelling appointments.  

Has anybody been in a similar situatuation and have you paid for a solicitior ? I have quoted legislation to the council ie Code of practice but I am not getting any response.

Ideally we wanted him to go to the residential school in September.

Any ideas or experiences would be greatly appreciated.

Nikki X

I have been a member of this forum for years, and used to post a lot regarding my eldest son who has ADHD/AS. He is now 18 and is just about to go to Uni, so all the battling has paid off!

However, I now find myself in a similar situation with my 9 year old son. He is not yet diagnosed, but I am positive he is also on the Autistic Spectrum.

He is in mainstream school, where he has struggled since he was in reception. School have given him minimal support, and have pretty much ignored my pleas for help for him. He struggles hugely in social situations, doesn't cope well with any change, and also struggles with organising himself with his work. He has been bullied the whole time he has been at school, mostly by other children winding him up because they always get a reaction from him. School have always struggled with his behaviour, but have have hardly done anything to address this.

He has just started in year 5 and so far, has struggled worse than ever to settle into his new class. He has been removing himself from lessons, crawling around the school, locking himself in a metal locker, trying to climb out of windows and refusing to do any work.

They have given him a "safe place" to go to when he is stressed, but so far this has not helped him at all. The staff say he is "choosing" to behave in this way, in order to seek attention 😕.

In the last 2 weeks he has been excluded twice, once for hitting back at someone who was bullying him, then for running away from school. Police were called and I found him in a friend's garden 😯.

Since then, they have put him on a reduced timetable, which they have called a "Pastoral package ". He is only allowed in school until 10.40 every day, which gives him 1hour 30 minutes of learning. They are sending work home for him to do, but I don't agree with what they're doing so I have point blank refused to help him do the work at home. He can't cope with the work without assistance.

What I want to know is can school actually do this? They have given me no time span either, they just said they'll take it day by day. I asked if he could stay for lunch tomorrow, but they said no because he'd kicked a boy at play time today ( the boy was winding him up and there was no one supervising him).

It feels like school don't know how to handle him (or don't want to), so the easy option is to send him home. They said to me the reason for sending him home is to "avoid further exclusions".

They are in the process of applying for emergency support for him and also applying for EHCP.

I asked the school if they could give him 1 to 1 support NOW, but they said it doesn't work like that.

I'm desperate for advice. I don't know what to do 😢

It was my first time ever away from home and I made sure to contact my university and college about my diagnosis and problems I might face.

I heard nothing from the disability support at all and only received an email from my college to say that I’d not have to share a room.

The whole college experience was horrendous:

My room was in one of the busiest and most noisy parts of the whole college there was constant noise surrounding me I couldn’t sleep, I was stressed all the time. The college did nothing to help I kept asking them to stop the person above me jumping on her floor and partying all night and the college would keep promising to do so but never did. Then there was the extreme anxiety when people would knock on my door asking for donations or to sign up to certain things.

I never made any friends and some people found it very funny to torment me it made leaving my room and going to meals even harder than it was already. I do struggle with some issues with food and having to eat in a canteen with hundreds of other people made me constantly physically and mentally sick. It was made worse by the college occasionally allowing societies and groups to do events and gimmicks at meal time like a week when you could pay to have someone soaked with water balloons or super soakers or when societies would run in screaming, making noise and becoming physically close.

It was such a horrible time I struggled to leave my room in case I’d be bullied or become anxious but even in my room, I felt so lonely and uneasy with the noise and people knocking on my door. I barely slept and ate and felt extremely stressed the entire time. I did speak to the college about the situation but they told me it was too late to change rooms and they kept saying they’d make the person above me quiet but it never changed anything.

As for the course I, really do love my subject but I found the way they did was very hard for me. We’d have small group exercises in which I’d always be put on the spot or made fun of by the other students. It made me so anxious I wasn’t always able to go. Additionally, there just wasn’t the support from the disabled support at the university they kept moving and the one contact I had there stopped answering my emails and when, after two months, I built up the courage to call the office and ask what was going on I was told she left out of the blue. Then there were the note takers I found that all the notes were extremely badly done and when the office agreed they were illegible they typed them up but these were just as bad so it meant I was without notes for my classes.

So, after just about passing my first year after the bullying, academic and college struggles. I was severely underweight, sickly and had started anti-depressants. I should have given up there and then but I felt like I’d be letting down my parents not to continue my degree even though they were concerned with how sick I looked on my return.

I ended up repeating my second year and so after three years I just couldn’t take it anymore and I quit. I was so ashamed that I couldn’t do it because I liked the subject but the other issues were just insurmountable to me. So, I left with huge amounts of student debt, in a deep depression that I am only now just about beating and the feeling of having wasted my life.

I know that the university is not responsible for how I reacted to university life or my autism but they failed to provide me any support at all. Do I have any rights to ask them to pay me back at least some of my fees or to ask for an explanation or even an apology?

Thank you for reading

Last week at school my son (undiagnosed but has a 'sprinkling of many traits from the autistic spectrum' was sent to reflection time for swearing. (reflection being the most severe punishment) They told me he swore at another pupil by sticking up his middle finger. knowing my son I knew that he would have known what it meant and that he often uses that finger for pointing and I do tell him some people would consider it not polite. I asked it they had asked him in detail about the incident and they said that 'at the end of the day he confessed to doing it'. I am continually asking them to always consider the 'next step' when asking him or telling him off as he is black and white and not always the answer is what it may appear. Anyway... it turn out that he showed another pupil his finger as it was cold and smooth, the pupil told my son that it was swearing and went to tell the teacher.

I have discussed with teachers, TA and the head and they do not get it that when questioned 'Did you swear at the other pupil' my son obviously replied yes because as the boy had told him so after the event. My son being black and white and also a very literal thinker so of course he would have said yes but if they had asked him did he know it was swearing he would have said no.

Anyway, I consider it that as he did not have the knowledge, understanding or the intention to swear he should not have been put into severe punishment but it educated him into what the action meant. My son knows that reflection is severe an is very upset by it all, the teachers said it was only for 10 - 15 mins but it makes no difference if had been 1 to my son (aged 7). On top of this he is in Yr 3 but struggling to achieve Yr 1 assessment and has speech and language reports clearly saying about his use of language and understanding language is below his age range.

This is just a long line of incident when they have been telling him off... for example he didn't want to sit at the tables for lunch with others and sat on a bench. 3 times he was told to sit at the table and he refused so sent to eat in a separate classroom for punishment - if they had asked him why he would have said that he didn't like the germs from people eating with their mouths full and it going on his food and also the tables were littered with food debris. The fear of germs is not something abnormal to him and so should have been punished?

Anyone thoughts please? THank you x

PS just found this site and what a useful site this be!

The schools I attended were all dominated by white indigenous British kids. I never really had much of a chance to meet black / Asian / Chinese people of my own age until I started college and even that was probably close to 90% white indigenous British.

For example, I might want to set reminders to take medication or let me know when I need to stop playing video games so I might want to let users select 'medication' and 'leisure' from a set of task types which I define. Would anybody have any suggestions?

Please note that I might not manage to produce an application that anyone can use.

Thank you.

Later this week, interviews begin for the position of new headteacher in our school and I am on the preliminary interview panel. I am able to ask the interviewees just one question. What should that question be?

Any suggestions?

Richard.

PS Please remember that I may have to work under this person for the next few years.

A study is being carried out at the University of Dundee exploring parental views of the support given to autistic children in primary and secondary schools.

Participants must be the parent or guardian of a child diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). It would be greatly appreciated if you could take 10 minutes of your time to complete an online survey to help our research. Participants will remain anonymous. By taking part you are contributing to our understanding and exploration of this topic and your help is greatly appreciated, thank you!

https://dundee.onlinesurveys.ac.uk/transition-of-primary-and-secondary-school-for-autistic-children

He won't tell the class teacher anything because he approaches it wrong and ends up being in trouble for being rude so expects me to do it, if I say anything I am just one of those parents who is attacking a class teacher, again. If he tells another member of staff the noise level in the class is acceptable. So any suggestions would be greatly appreciated I am now at a loss.

We attended an induction evening last night with his form tutor and he has progressed really well in all subjects so far BUT..the poor work ethic in English is still there. My husband and I were proud as punch while we were chatting to the form tutor but I have a knot in the pit of my stomach because every year, since our son started school, begins like this. First it's his poor attitude (with writing usually in English) which is flagged until eventually it takes a turn for the worst and it results in rudeness, work refusal, restraining and ultimately suspension from school.I know they will push him with this and then every other aspect of school which he does well in will go out of the window. I have been there, done it, tried to help and failed miserably in the past.

My son really likes this school because he said they help him instead of telling him he is lying all of the time(his words) and I can see how hard he is working to be someone he is not everyday. I am to contact his English teacher to discuss the above which is the only area in his progress that requires improvement but I really do not know what to suggest. As far as I know he gets a scribe when doing lengthy pieces of work and I only know this because my son told me. Does anyone else's child have the same issues? if so what suggestions have you or the school made to help? I really don't want to see my boy turn into the unhappy shell of a person he did throughout primary school.

Thank you.

Thank you

Thanks

the most difficult of wich seems to be what to do for my dissertation [this is a lenghthy document wich i need to wright on a reasonably advanced mathematical subject(symaler to year 2or 3 of the degree) that will take 1 year to research, process and wright the report (probably approx 50 pages)].

my problem is the ambiguous nature of the request leaves me stumped.

basically i need eather an area of mathematics to study or something that used some complicated maths (eg the calculations that predicted neptunes orbit and its exact position so it could be observed for the firt time in 1846)

BUT i have 2 main aspe problems:

1st i need to discover the most facinateingly amaseing subject ever if im going to be still working on it in 6 months.

2nd the ambigous nature of the task - i need a highly focused topic to keep me on track (im shure you know what i mean, u start walking to the shop for bread for lunch and end up in a cafe then get home to be asked where is the bread an where u been for last 6 hours)...

if anyone could please help me with any suggestions weather you can point me to page and line or just a general occurance you remember (like the neptune thing)

thankyou

Mathematics was the first main GCSE subject to abolish coursework and become all examination. Do you think that this was a good or a bad move?

The current GCSE consists of two papers - one where a calculator is required and one where a calculator is prohibited. Is this a good idea or not?

As a charity formed more than 25 years ago by parents of children with autism, ESPA is trying to raise awareness of the many services it offers young people aged 16-24 across the spectrum.

We are writing to organisations around the UK who support parents of children with ASD and groups run by young adults with ASD to tell them about ESPA College’s bespoke curriculum and all year round residential provision.

Recognised as a leading provider of specialist education for young people aged 16-24 with ASD, ESPA College offers a diverse and flexible curriculum including the core subjects emotional literacy, social communication, behaviour self-management and functional skills like English, Maths and ICT.

We offer vocational specialist traineeships with work placements designed to prepare students for employment, while our excellent links with further education colleges and universities enable us to identify progression routes into further and higher education.

A combination of autism specific environments and multi-disciplinary teams, coupled with small teaching groups, gives our learners specialist autism provision which other providers struggle to match.

Dedicated facilities include our day college sites Tasker and the newly refurbished South Hill in Sunderland and North Rye in Newcastle. We also have halls of residence in Ashbrooke in Sunderland and Gosforth in Newcastle, and can provide a residential service 52 weeks per year as well as respite provision.

Other services include: transition services; support at general further education college and university support.

ESPA College is part of Education & Services for People with Autism, a registered charity established in 1989 by a group of dynamic parents in NE England. Our mission is to support people across the autism spectrum to enjoy rewarding and fulfilling lives.

To find out more please visit: http://espacollege.org.uk/gateway/

So, I've always struggled with education environments. Like, school, for example. My brother and I both had 'school refusal' down on our records because the both of us only just got diagnosed ASD (i mean, c'mon. I get that I may've been missed because it's rare that girls get diagnosed in an instant, but my brother is 24!).

Anyway, I'm in my second year at college now, which is a struggle but i do love it regardless. I'm staying for a third year because I want to achieve the same A-level grades as everyone else - (i did only 2 igcses and was homeschooled for 2 years before college so im a bit behind)

After that, I'd really love to go to University, but im really worried about the issues i might face with it all - work load, responsibility, independence, and mostly - being away from home. of course, I can go to a (fairly) local (kind of) college, but its still a case of being sure I dont have an episode - that i dont waste my money because I have a meltdown and end up having crappy attendance!

So, I guess, what im wondering is,

Any Aspies been to Uni? What are/were your experiences?

or, alternatively, are there any Universities speciffically for people on the spectrum?

I know there's a school near where I live that is specially for girls with autism (the school from itv's 'Girls with Autism' Documentary - I went to a 'hospital school' with a girl who goes/went to it) - but i'd already finished school and become out of the age range by the time I knew about it - and by the time i knew i was autistic, even.

I came up with a bold explanation but I'm a bit reluctant to repeat it here.

I have not posted here for a while due to family circumstances. However, i would appreciate a little advice. My eldest son is 16. His mainstream school placement broke down at the beginning of Year 10 when his mental health deteriorated (he has Asperger's syndrome and developed mixed anxiety and depression). He was an inpatient in a CAMHS unit for several months and his old school said they could no longer meet his needs (they had been struggling a little for some time). He acquired a place at a Special School which specialised in students with autism, but there was a significant delay to his starting date and his mental health deteriorated again to the point where he spent most of his time crying when he got to school.

Ny son said that he wanted to apply to a mainstream college. He was interviewed for a Level One Horticulture course, but after interview and consultation with the LA, the college said they could not meet his needs. He went for a look around a specialised college which has been very