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Did you get GCSE's/O Levels?

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School seems to be a big problem in for kids on the Autistic Spectrum. I only went to Main stream schools (7 of them actually) and I came out with 9 GCSE's. I'm just wondering how many of you on the spectrum came out of school with any GCSE's or O Level. I don't know of any kids at my secondary school that had ASD so I don't really know what qualifications (if any) kids with ASD typically get. Or is there even a similarity between us, at all? I hated school (as I'm sure many of you did too). I'm just curious to know what you got out of secondary school.

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I did badly at school. But I never really knew I had a learning disability let alone traits of AS. I was just considered not bright. And there was no help back in the 1970s. I only took CSE's and failed/did badly at most of them and scraped a B or C in two of them + a A in French - the only subject I was ever good at.

 

A little later on in life (my 20s), I gained a good qualification in typing/word processing (the days before PC's), retook my English language/literature and got the equivalent of an O level - then I did O level French (and passed) - then an A level. Of course, these were still before the days of GCSE's.

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A-S warrior - I felt the same, too many kids, arrogant teachers and boring lessons! Plus how was I supposed to observe/understand these kids when they didn't even understand themselves. In the end I just stopped going. Still pulled some good grades out the bag though. Don't know how I did it, was always considered bright but I didn't know I could do that. Just luck I guess.

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More than 1/2 my life ago i got the following at school

 

Grade B in Spanish and Double Science

Grade C in Geography, English language, Mathematics and French

A few D and E grades in arty subjects.

 

Youth Award Scheme (now part of ASDAN) silver level.

 

Since then ive got the equivalent of 5 grade As, got a few qualifications in administration.

Got 3 AVCEs C, D and E in ICT (double award) and science. Edexcel marked us down heavily according to our tutors because i got a B in the biology component and Cs in the other modules so a C was my expected grade.

 

I've also got a DipHE in Diet and Health from Bath Spa University (which i highly recommend as an autism friendly university) and a BPhil In Autism from Birmingham (which you attend study weekends twice a year but have difficulties getting DSA funding to attend).

 

Currently taking a break off my studies and concentrating on my volunteer work opportunities eg moderating this and another forum and also finding somewhere new to live.

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School is set up for predominantly left brain thinking those on the right generally fall out the bottom, I am 50/50 and so I sort of scraped through, but did not do brilliantly through not understanding the importance of 'o' levels and what they mean't to my future, add hay fever where Piriton was the only treatment at the time I fought hard to stay awake !

 

School I got one grade A in English language, a B in history and the rest C's but maths, geography and chemistry were off the chart with D's and below.

 

A year later at a technical college I got four '0' levels at grade C and above where maths again I got a 'D'

 

So all in all, a reasonable outcome but a fat lot of use that was in Maggie's Britain where all doors closed, four years later an annoyed with promises broken, I joined the military.

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I got physics, biology and German O level grade A, French, chemistry, English language, English literature, maths grade B, Spanish GCSE grade A, English literature A level grade D (I hated this subject and was no good at it, taking it was a big mistake), French grade B and German grade A. I went on to get a university degree and a Master's.

 

I had problems with exams because I was slow to complete the tasks and always ran out of time, I found it hard to work to deadlines. I just can't think fast. and have to read questions three or four times to understand and absorb the information. Also, I can't write fast, and my handwriting is awful. And I'm easily distracted. Luckily there are fewer distractions in the exam room than in a normal classroom and I did better than my teachers expected, especially in maths.

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Most kids with high functioning AS are quite capable of getting good grades in exams providing they are interested in the subject and are offered the appropriate teaching and support. Parents should not assume that problems at school in general will translate into problems with exams. My own experience of things is that too many parents of kids with AS are so immersed into focusing on issues like fitting in at school with its system, endless tedious classwork assignments, social problems with classmates, and what their kids are bad at, that they tend to overlook serious study and exams until Y10. Many kids with AS will benefit from accelerated learning in subjects that they are good at and interested in and taking of GCSE exams early. This is something that few parents of kids with AS have seriously looked into and they are largely absent from the 'take GCSEs early' community.

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I found that the teachers 'caused the most problem for me at school. My mum always believed that I could do well so I felt supported at home but at school all I would get told is that I was a waste of space, and how was I ever going to get any where in life if I carried on this way etc. it's crazy the stuff that teachers think they can say to kids!

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I found that the teachers 'caused the most problem for me at school. My mum always believed that I could do well so I felt supported at home but at school all I would get told is that I was a waste of space, and how was I ever going to get any where in life if I carried on this way etc. it's crazy the stuff that teachers think they can say to kids!

 

Exactly it. I also found teachers to be very rude, and quite aggressive. A bit stupid, since there trying to teach us how to be well mannered sucessful adults. Funny how i left school, and then started to find all this ability, and talent. All school did was supress me. I don't agree with schooling.

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You, Special_talent123 and everyone really!

 

Well I went to a special school, but i really struggled academically to get that far. I went to college on skills for life english but still could not get that far at the level one grade equalivant to d-g in gcse she dropped my level again

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Most kids with high functioning AS are quite capable of getting good grades in exams providing they are interested in the subject and are offered the appropriate teaching and support. Parents should not assume that problems at school in general will translate into problems with exams. My own experience of things is that too many parents of kids with AS are so immersed into focusing on issues like fitting in at school with its system, endless tedious classwork assignments, social problems with classmates, and what their kids are bad at, that they tend to overlook serious study and exams until Y10. Many kids with AS will benefit from accelerated learning in subjects that they are good at and interested in and taking of GCSE exams early. This is something that few parents of kids with AS have seriously looked into and they are largely absent from the 'take GCSEs early' community.

This is true - kids can achieve academic success when they have a special interest in what they are studying, in my case languages. it is other areas they will lag behind in and have problems with, particularly the social aspects of school and university, and later on in employment. At least, this was my experience. All I can say is that I'm glad that my grades were based on written work and not oral presentation.

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I went to school in Australia so we didn't have A levels etc, but the equivalent... I did quite well in. I was actually pretty good at school if I put my mind to it and ended up getting a scholarship going into first year high school and then a scholarship coming out of high school and into college.

 

I tended to do better at subjects I didn't like... but I've since come to realise that I probably didn't like them because I found them easy and ultimately that bored me.

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Like A-S Warrior do you feel that you could have gotten more, if your educational setting was different?

 

Well I was bullied all the way through school and by teachers as well, I feared school because of the bullying and when I was in school I used to go and hide out of the way in break times and head to the metal work rooms in dinner break to keep away from the bullies and get on with my metal work in my time, because I was interested in my metal work. But I really feared school.

 

A year later getting four O levels in a totally different learning environment that of an adult education facility ( really a Merchant Navy College ) said it all, a totally different environment did that.

 

I later went on to get a B/tec certificate in Civil Engineering then a B/tec Diploma in Engineering and a B/tec certificate in Aeronautical Engineering finally giving up with the B/tec system with a certificate in Electronic Engineering and I got loads of City & Guilds qualifications and loads of professional qualifications, the final one being six years ago, the Lifting Engineers Association Inspectors certificate for my eye for detail proved very useful as I was good at my job.

 

My last attempt at a qualification terminated two years ago when I crashed with major depression whilst studying for a BA in Applied Arts, I could go back and finish it, but really I am fed up with bits of paper because I am unemployed and not any of my bits of paper are any use anymore.

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This is true - kids can achieve academic success when they have a special interest in what they are studying, in my case languages. it is other areas they will lag behind in and have problems with, particularly the social aspects of school and university, and later on in employment. At least, this was my experience. All I can say is that I'm glad that my grades were based on written work and not oral presentation.

 

Uneven profiles are a common feature of kids with AS. The state education system is based around average profiles for a particular age and fails to capitalise on strengths of high ability students. Many parents focus their attention on the weaknesses and often let talents and strengths go to waste because only they can capitalise on them rather than the education system.

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This is true - kids can achieve academic success when they have a special interest in what they are studying, in my case languages. it is other areas they will lag behind in and have problems with, particularly the social aspects of school and university, and later on in employment. At least, this was my experience. All I can say is that I'm glad that my grades were based on written work and not oral presentation.

 

I think you are right in some degree, like Me past my ECDL qualification; but that is because Adult Learning helped me to progress giving me the right level of support

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I was considered to have a learning disability but they didn't know about my aspergers and no-one would actually take the time to teach me maths at GCSE level or even geography. I ended up going to learn direct to get my maths GCSE grade C. I did French, but had no idea how to follow the exams so ended up just sitting there guessing the answers and went out almost in tears of frustration. I had to repeat the English gcse because I didn't understand the questions again and ran out of time writing a lot of background info I didn't need to put in. I didn't particularly like Science so got a D in that, and Design technology I got a D. Child development was a course I enjoyed immensely and got a C in that with a straightforward exam questions.

So most of the time it was me not understanding the language of the questions and the fact that no-one would do 1-1 tuition with me otherwise I could have got my maths and english.

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I was considered to have a learning disability but they didn't know about my aspergers and no-one would actually take the time to teach me maths at GCSE level or even geography. I ended up going to learn direct to get my maths GCSE grade C. I did French, but had no idea how to follow the exams so ended up just sitting there guessing the answers and went out almost in tears of frustration. I had to repeat the English gcse because I didn't understand the questions again and ran out of time writing a lot of background info I didn't need to put in. I didn't particularly like Science so got a D in that, and Design technology I got a D. Child development was a course I enjoyed immensely and got a C in that with a straightforward exam questions.

So most of the time it was me not understanding the language of the questions and the fact that no-one would do 1-1 tuition with me otherwise I could have got my maths and english.

 

I am impressed you had a go, how did you do in the exam, and the reason I ask is because many ASD know the answers even if they cannot reason them, so in guessing I was wondering how right you were in your guesses.

 

But you had a go, one I did at GCE 0 level I hadn't a clue, I just blanked and so I calculated the volume of the sports hall the exam was being sat in and then went on to estimate the amount of bricks used in the building of the sports hall and their combined weight on the ground. Hasten to say I got a classification of U for unclassified for that.

 

The old GCE 'O'levels pre GCSE everything hinged on the day of the exam, stuff that up and that's it, the culmination of your schooling, you have just failed.

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I got GCSEs in Maths (A), English (A), English Literature (A), French (A), Nuffield Co-ordinated Science (BB), Geography ©, German (A) and Latin (A). Also Italian (A) in Year 12.

 

School is set up for predominantly left brain thinking those on the right generally fall out the bottom, I am 50/50 and so I sort of scraped through

 

The one time I was tested for left/right brain thinking I was only a few points to the right but I had my highest score in Imagination.

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Has any serious research been carried out concerning kids with AS and GCSEs to identify how and why they succeed or fail and where problematic issues are? Are GCSEs or IGCSEs better suited to kids with AS? Also, have a look at my previous discussion about IGCSEs.

 

http://www.asd-forum.org.uk/forum/index.php?/topic/24169-igcses-or-gcses/

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