School life as a teenager with autism

“Because she was older and with support from her mum, she was able to identify and communicate what was going wrong at school and with her friends.”

Laura * was diagnosed with autism as a teenager in Year 9. She was then triaged to the Specialist Advisory teacher for support by the school’s SENCo as there were concerns about her lack of academic progress and social vulnerability.

The Specialist Advisory Teacher said: “When I first met Laura her head was bowed, she had hunched shoulders and she cried when we talked about her diagnosis of autism.

“I worked with the SENCo, Laura and her Mum to identify the difficulties she was experiencing at school and in her social life.

“Because she was older and with support from her mum, she was able to identify and communicate what was going wrong at school and with her friends.”

Based on the discussions with staff, Laura, and her mum strategies were suggested to help Laura both at home and at school.

“For example, one of her challenges was letting go if she faced a setback in class. Once teachers understood how to approach her needs, she was then able to move on.

“I was also invited to deliver the ‘How to support the autistic child in the classroom’ training, and did so, highlighting Laura’s needs and how to support her.

“We were flexible in our approach and offered review meetings at least every term when new strategies were suggested when they were required.”

The outcome was positive. She enjoyed school and started looking forward to going college.

“When we last met I could tell she had come on a long way. She was smiling, and her posture showed that she was feeling positive and confidant.”

The Specialist Advisory Service is a small team of advisory teachers who provide training, advice, support, assessment, observation and guidance to schools, academies, and families, on meeting the needs of children and young people with severe and complex difficulties, in the areas of communication & interaction, cognition & learning, and social, emotional & mental health.

*Names have been changed in this article