In November 2022, I received this WhatsApp message out of the blue.
This is a subject that I come across two or three times a year; a student who has identified needs such as ADHD and/or Autism. It happened with my own family, and it continues to happen today.
A student may be listening and responding verbally in class. They will likely be demonstrating an interest in the subject. They may have a good relationship with their teacher…. but when it comes to assessment they may write short answers, or get on with the task but not produce work to their level. They may drop silly marks, appear to not be trying, and not fulfil their potential.
Sometimes they may score very low on class assessment and/or on their Mock examinations.
This was one such young person. After dialogue with the parents, the learner, and the school, this was indeed the case. There appears to be little understanding of the ADHD/ASC mindset when it comes to assessment. I know from personal experience that if you ask a student to explain something to you they may struggle. If you ask them to write a ‘draft’ piece of work, they may struggle. If they have to do an assessment ‘not for real’, then our ADHD/ASC students struggle. It is a strange phenomena to most people, but one that I totally understand (but struggle to verbalise!).
Students have told me that to give ‘me, the teacher’, a piece of work, they know that I know the answer; they know I am going to suggest improvement, so why try too hard? They don’t want to disappoint me or let me down. I am not sure if this is part of the rigid, black-and-white thinking presentation of Autism. (I know the teacher knows so why am I writing if for them?) (The teacher taught me so they know I know) (I’ll have to improve it, so why bother?) (The mock has no meaning to me so why lose sleep?) (I’ve been practising assessments all my life, why is this different?).
Embrace Autism lists hyperfocus as a strength. “Autistic people are able to exert an intense form of mental concentration or visualization (called hyperfocus) that focuses consciousness on a subject, topic, or task; and are significantly more able to focus for extended periods of times.” We can also be perfectionists, and may not attempt something if we don’t have the chemical push (dopamine) to switch on clarity and memory retrieval.
In my own learning, I know that I am able to have sustained mental effort only when I am put under pressure. Like many people presenting with ADHD/ASC traits, we will step up to the plate when under pressure, with a short time constraint, a deadline or an emergency situation we are capable of immense output.
ADDitude comments that ADHD’rs are ‘calm under pressure’ and ‘can act quickly’. Mocks though seem a lot less important.
This young person was refused entry for their GCSEs. 13 years of study, 13 years of resilience, 13 years of following the system and rules, only to be told – ‘no exit exams for you and you cannot come back to 6th Form’. At this school, the cost of tuition for 13 years had been over 800,000 dirhams. To be told ‘goodbye’ and ‘good luck’ was heart breaking and bewildering for the parents and for the learner.
So what did we do? Payment for entry to exams in the UAE is parent choice. This parent chose. We applied their rights under the Exam Access Arrangements immediately. A private room with additional time was granted. We ensured the learner turned up to revision sessions and watched videos on the topics. We kept them engaged in learning up until the very last moment. The parents entered them for exams and we kept our fingers crossed.
The learner who was predicted a complete set of U’s attained:
Now we have to find them a Sixth Form place!
I am so proud of this young person and they will go on to achieve great things. They have a resilience, a strength, and a future that we should all be proud of.
Please don’t write off our neuro-diverse community; if you believe in them, they can do more than you would ever dream!
