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Every Child Matters and ASD

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The 5th aim of Every Child Matters is Achieve economic well-being. How does this fit in with kids with ASD?

 

I was discussing ECM and ASD with people from the business world last year who concluded that if a condition significantly inhibits an individual when it comes to making money (by any legitimate means) then it can only be seen as a crippling disability. These people were not familiar with ASD but are aware of the high rates of unemployment and underemployment of adults with ASD. They asked me whether this is an unfortunate consequence of the condition and changes to the economy in recent years (like offshoring programming jobs to India) or whether it can be rectified through the education system such as schools specifically teaching real world social skills for life as an adult.

 

The businessmen are quite critical of the National Curriculum and mainstream school system. They say that it's too academic and a tad socialist whilst failing to teach about business, entrepreneural skills, and how the real world works. They think it lets too many people down because we have a situation where countless school leavers and graduates cannot find jobs or end up on the minimum wage whilst teenagers who are home educated or school dropouts run their own businesses and are able to buy semi-detached houses outright at the age of 18.

Edited by Canopus

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I translate "economic wellbeing" as being "independent".

 

The "legal" view of education is not just academic. It is about speech and language skills, emotional literacy, social communication, to mention a few.

 

Unfortunately many ASD children are never given support with those areas which will affect them as an adult and which will impact on their "independence" and on their ability to achieve "economic wellbeing".

 

There is also a lack of support and knowledge for post education to help those who are able to gain unemployment.

 

There have been many programmes shown on TV of adults seeking work and being unable to find an employer that would give them a chance.

 

My own sister spent years trying to get, and then keep, a job. Eventually she was given a job in a sheltered workplace and has been there for nearly 30 years. She isn't the fastest. But she is probably the most loyal, hardly ever off sick.

 

But even if you find an employer to give you a change, is there anyone who can look at you as an individual and make "reasonable adjustments" [as per the Disability Discrimination Act], so that you can actually keep that job, and perform to the best of your ability??

 

And regarding qualifications, what other kinds of qualifications are there out there for children who may not be able to sit a formal GCSE qualification? How much support do children get for adjustments during examinations. How many are provided with supports such as a computer or a reader/writer?

 

And alot of this does boil down to money and expertise. But if it isn't used whilst the child is in school - and that expertise and willingness to provide suitable support and to fund it - then the child is not going to achieve economic wellbeing, and that would mean that they may well be an "economic burden".

 

When you think of some of the skills that those on the spectrum have, it is such a waste of a potential workforce.

Edited by Sally44

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I translate "economic wellbeing" as being "independent".

 

The "legal" view of education is not just academic. It is about speech and language skills, emotional literacy, social communication, to mention a few.

 

Unfortunately many ASD children are never given support with those areas which will affect them as an adult and which will impact on their "independence" and on their ability to achieve "economic wellbeing".

 

You are right about education not just being academic...

 

The problem we have with mainstream schools goes back to the 19th century when they were set up primarily to teach academic subject like how to read and do maths. Almost every educational reform since then has focused on the academic side of things much more than the social and life skills side of things. Schools are rated according to their academic excellence, not social excellence. SATS results for primary schools and GCSE grades for secondary schools. Thousands of parents are even willing to pay huge sums of money to send their kids to private schools where academic excellence is the name of the game and the teaching of social and life skills is seen as anathema or downright repugnant, but how many schools exist in Britain which pride themselves on social excellence?

 

The mainstream school system was not designed with ASD kids in mind. Kids are explicitly taught academic subjects in timetabled lessons according to the National Curriculum but are expected to pick up social skills and life skills naturally as they go along with only ad hoc advice from the teachers. Many NT kids can do this but ASD kids can't. They have to be explicitly taught them but they are not part of the NC. Very few schools are able or willing to set aside lesson time for this as an additional subject. The consequence of this and the primary focus on academics means that there is plenty of support and services for kids who struggle with academic subjects like English and maths but there is little in the way of support for social and life skills.

 

And regarding qualifications, what other kinds of qualifications are there out there for children who may not be able to sit a formal GCSE qualification? How much support do children get for adjustments during examinations. How many are provided with supports such as a computer or a reader/writer?

 

It all depends on the individual. Some kids with ASD are quite capable of achieving high GCSE grades at the age of 10 if they are given the support and the opportunity. Others would benefit more from alternative or vocational qualifications instead. Some do not require additional support and services in an exam whilst others do.

 

The NAS is extremely poor when it comes to providing support and advice for qualifications other than GCSEs or taking exams outside of the school system. Their ideology centres around the National Curriculum where GCSEs are taken at 16 at secondary school. I have asked the NAS if they would set up their own GCSE exam centre for kids who struggle badly at school but they refused to.

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hi i totally agree there is not enough out there i have dd who is now 15,diagnosed with aspergers only last year ,she hasnt been to school for 3 1/2 years,has had virtually no help,and now looks upon it as 'well i'm never going to get a job because i have no qualifications'we have tried so many things ,but due to her being unable to go to school and unable to socialise where do we go?she has been let down so badly on the education front that unfortunatly her way of thinking is ' well they couldnt be bothered to help when i needed them so why should i do what they want when they do finally offer anything' she is very rigid on this although i have explained that it will help her in the long term.we were told we would get a support worker 3 1/2 years ago which they have only just sorted,then to be told it will only be till she is 16 in march,she has enough trouble meeting anyone new anyway let alone only getting them for 4 months!

i also have a ds of 14 who has been out of school for 1 1/2 years ,he gets a whole hour a week tuition!!!he is being assessed for the same,but there seem to be no alternatives to the bog standard exams ,its a case of either go to school and get on with it or go without! leaves a very bleak future for kids!!!

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Is the problem a lack of suitable courses or is it the inability to sit through an exam?

 

There are a variety of alternatives to GCSEs such as IGCSEs, Open University courses, vocational courses at colleges, and various industry qualifications.

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mine at 12now has no idea about what money is worth.He just knows if he won a million,he could buy lots of things he wants,like wii games etc.When he gets what he wants like the lego city stuff last year,he builds it,then just leaves it,he does not play with it.

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The businessmen are quite critical of the National Curriculum and mainstream school system. They say that it's too academic and a tad socialist whilst failing to teach about business, entrepreneural skills, and how the real world works.

 

I think they are quite right. The school curriculum has always tended to be derived from university entry requirements (ie A levels support university entrance, GCSEs support A levels, lower levels are working towards GCSEs), even if there have been attempts to make it more skill-based. What it should do is enable students to understand how the world works and allow them to rehearse the skills they are likely to need in a safe environment. That way, you could make wide differentiation possible to suit individual students' aptitudes.

 

cb

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The secondary school curriculum is actually based on the grammar school curriculum from the early 20th century. Critics say that it was not a curriculum designed for the masses.

 

Reform isn't easy because it would effectively mean sacking a high proportion of existing teachers and replacing them with teachers who know about the workings of the real world.

 

Another problem that refuses to go away is that society categorises kids according to academic ability in school subjects and little else. Uneven profiles; knowledge and talents outside of the school curriculum; and the requirements of support services for social and life skills do not fit into the equation. There is still the mindset that kids of high academic ability cannot have SEN so all SEN services are for kids of low academic ability.

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my kids inability is not so much the work but the social side,they are unable to even see the support teacher( although of late at least i am getting my son there)we see her at the local community centre because he cant deal with being in the school and will not see her at home because he feels that is his safe haven.but i wish there was more for both of them to do,neither of them are stupid,my dd spends a lot of time scouring newspapers and when she finds something that interests her she will realy get involved,unfortunatly it wont get her any exam marks though! there needs to be more skills building,learning about what goes on in the real world,not just where do you put a full stop and comma,lets face it how often do you use pythagoris therom !these kids dont fit in with the norm but should still have a chance to learn skills,but there is nothing available!

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The secondary school curriculum is actually based on the grammar school curriculum from the early 20th century. Critics say that it was not a curriculum designed for the masses.

 

And grammar schools traditionally led on to university. Personally, I wouldn't want a curriculum designed for the 'masses', but one designed for the diversity of needs both of learners and of the knowledge and skills the larger community relies on.

 

Reform isn't easy because it would effectively mean sacking a high proportion of existing teachers and replacing them with teachers who know about the workings of the real world.

 

Well they managed a pretty rapid reform with the Education Reform Act 1988, so I imagine it wouldn't be that difficult to reform back again. Plenty of teachers would welcome such a change.

 

Another problem that refuses to go away is that society categorises kids according to academic ability in school subjects and little else. Uneven profiles; knowledge and talents outside of the school curriculum; and the requirements of support services for social and life skills do not fit into the equation. There is still the mindset that kids of high academic ability cannot have SEN so all SEN services are for kids of low academic ability.

 

Agreed.

 

cb

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my dd spends a lot of time scouring newspapers and when she finds something that interests her she will realy get involved,unfortunatly it wont get her any exam marks though!

 

I wouldn't worry about this too much. I'm of the opinion that the 21st century is going to be a century where talents lead to success. Not a so called broad and balanced education or GCSE grades. That's so last century. If a kid has talents in certain areas then they could well be a pathway to a successful and well paid career if even their geography and maths schoolwork is mediocre.

 

Well they managed a pretty rapid reform with the Education Reform Act 1988, so I imagine it wouldn't be that difficult to reform back again. Plenty of teachers would welcome such a change.

 

This didn't significantly change the secondary school curriculum from the subjects taught in 1980ish.

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What I found with my own child in a mainstream school, was that certain skills were taught [academic or even social, as it was an ASD enhanced resource school].

 

But those skills were never generalised. Once skills had been demonstrated, they moved onto the next topic/skill regardless of whether the child had achieved it or not. And that applied to academic, social, emotional and physical skills.

 

Gradually every demand placed on my son was something he could not achieve. They had moved too far forward and he hadn't mastered even the basic skills to allow him to make progress.

 

This made him fearful of every demand and learning task because it made no sense to him.

 

When you know you will fail at every academic task, most social interactions, cannot perform physically etc you become very anxious.

 

That anxiety can become the founder of avoidance behaviours and psychological and mental illness.

 

My son is now at a school where they will address the basic skills he does not have. He also now has a specialist SpLD teacher.

 

I am not even expecting him to make dramatic educational/academic progress over the next couple of years, although that may come, and I expect he will make much more progress in his later years in this school.

 

For the moment he is receiving the intensive 1:1 therapy he needs. I want him to become happy, confident, and capable of engaging and begin to enjoy being in school and learning, whatever shape that may take.

 

His current school have pupils that have gone on to the Royal College of Arts and similar. One particular pupil has had his work exhibited, and yet he has the reading age of 6 due to his severe dyslexia. The school bought out his abilities and gave him the confidence to succeed in those areas regardless of, and maybe inspite of, his difficulties.

Edited by Sally44

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I wouldn't worry about this too much. I'm of the opinion that the 21st century is going to be a century where talents lead to success. Not a so called broad and balanced education or GCSE grades. That's so last century. If a kid has talents in certain areas then they could well be a pathway to a successful and well paid career if even their geography and maths schoolwork is mediocre.

 

A 'broad and balanced' education goes way back. To the ancient Greeks and beyond. I don't think its supporters are going to go away any time soon.

 

 

 

This didn't significantly change the secondary school curriculum from the subjects taught in 1980ish.

 

No, because the subjects taught in secondary schools continued to be determined by the content of GCSE courses.

 

Prior to 1988 there wasn't 'a' school curriculum, primary or secondary. It was entirely up to teachers, schools or local authorities what was taught in schools. The 1988 Act was a massive change to a standard curriculum under central control. There are still teachers around who were originally expected to develop their own curriculum and would be happy to go back to that situation. I've come across many teachers trained since 1988 who would be happy to give it a go.

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What I found with my own child in a mainstream school, was that certain skills were taught [academic or even social, as it was an ASD enhanced resource school].

 

But those skills were never generalised. Once skills had been demonstrated, they moved onto the next topic/skill regardless of whether the child had achieved it or not. And that applied to academic, social, emotional and physical skills.

 

Gradually every demand placed on my son was something he could not achieve. They had moved too far forward and he hadn't mastered even the basic skills to allow him to make progress.

 

This made him fearful of every demand and learning task because it made no sense to him.

 

 

Under the 1996 Education Act, parents are required to cause their child to have an education suitable to the child's age, aptitude, ability and any special educational needs they might have. This requirement is derived from the 1944 Education Act, which expected the child's education to suit the child. Because of the national curriculum and other constraints, this requirement has effectively been turned on its head, so that the suitability of the education is determined by different levels of differentiation in the curriculum.

 

As both you and Canopus have said, this approach doesn't take into account anyone with an uneven profile.

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A 'broad and balanced' education goes way back. To the ancient Greeks and beyond. I don't think its supporters are going to go away any time soon.

 

There isn't even an accurate definition of a broad and balanced education. What schools really teach is a selection of subjects but whether it is broad and balanced or not is down to the individual. For example, the NC doesn't include astronomy, economics, Japanese, law, or psychology, despite GCSEs being available for these subjects. Neither does it cover software development, video production, the history of South America, plumbing, or car maintenance.

 

No, because the subjects taught in secondary schools continued to be determined by the content of GCSE courses.

 

It was like that with CSEs and O Levels as well. They set the Y10 and Y11 curriculum in secondary schools.

 

Prior to 1988 there wasn't 'a' school curriculum, primary or secondary. It was entirely up to teachers, schools or local authorities what was taught in schools. The 1988 Act was a massive change to a standard curriculum under central control. There are still teachers around who were originally expected to develop their own curriculum and would be happy to go back to that situation. I've come across many teachers trained since 1988 who would be happy to give it a go.

 

This also restricts the subject choices available in secondary schools. A secondary school once offered a statistics O Level and a course in motor mechanics but had to discontinue both after 1988 because they didn't fit in with the NC. It also makes it difficult to offer non-European foreign languages even though there may be a local demand for them.

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The businessmen are quite critical of the National Curriculum and mainstream school system. They say that it's too academic and a tad socialist whilst failing to teach about business, entrepreneural skills, and how the real world works. They think it lets too many people down because we have a situation where countless school leavers and graduates cannot find jobs or end up on the minimum wage whilst teenagers who are home educated or school dropouts run their own businesses and are able to buy semi-detached houses outright at the age of 18.

What, even in London?

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usually with taken exams with all the evidence to prove the student /pupil will find it hard to take an exam they can have a couple of things if they are taking proper exams. 1- extra time usually 20 mins more, someone who scribes for u and all that

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do u know there is an 'every disabled child matters'? google it and u find stuff on there

I found this site, which doesn't mention Asperger's anywhere:

http://www.edcm.org.uk/

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What, even in London?

 

I don't have specific details of where the houses are, how much they cost, and how many people bought them. I do know for sure of two self employed people in their 20s who own houses valued at £60-70k outright. One is NT and was HE from the outset. The other has AS and was HE since Y7 but attended college for 2 years between 16 and 18.

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I don't have specific details of where the houses are, how much they cost, and how many people bought them. I do know for sure of two self employed people in their 20s who own houses valued at £60-70k outright. One is NT and was HE from the outset. The other has AS and was HE since Y7 but attended college for 2 years between 16 and 18.

That definitely wasn't in London!

http://www.mouseprice.com/property-for-sale/London?MinPrice=60000&MaxPrice=70000

Or Bristol, for that matter...

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