Young People & Parents - Success Stories
Click on the titles to jump down the page:Student Case Study
Parent Testimonial
James is a quiet young man who is diagnosed as being mild to moderately Autistic. He initially had great difficulty in communicating and interacting with others and required support in attending his placement as he lacked the confidence to travel independently. James has complex issues concerning his self-image and is concerned about what other people are thinking about his appearance. Initially this resulted in James wearing a hat at all times and avoiding contact with the general public where possible. James would avoid eye contact and found initiating communication extremely difficult, and was reluctant to attempt new activities and could not eat in front of others. Historically, James has a poor attendance record in mainstream schooling; he felt the teachers and pupils misunderstood him. James’s dreams and goals are to live independently and gain employment. Now in his second year on placement with his provider, James has a programme which includes: literacy, numeracy, life skills, ICT, preparation for work, social and personal development and sports. His programme has a particular emphasis on building self-esteem and challenging negative self-image. Professional counselling is provided in support of these objectives. After some initial problems integrating into the Mayflower group James’s social skills and have improved greatly and he has made some major breakthroughs in the following areas: independent travel, eating in company, self expression (initiating conversation on an individual basis and discussing issues of a personal nature), communication skills (maintaining a degree of eye contact when talking) and he is now able to function effectively as part of a group. Having previously shown no enthusiasm for sports he now participates in various sports including football, tennis, basketball squash and archery. James was extremely uncooperative at the start of the programme and could see no reason for aspects of the programme – he wanted to do what he wanted to do and little else. Whilst James can still show resistance to the timetable his sense of self discipline is improving and he’ll apologise for acting improperly. He is becoming quite focussed on achieving particular goals. James is now working at level 1 numeracy and literacy and has completed a number of OCN units and gained a Duke of Edinburgh bronze award in sports.
PARENT TESTIMONIAL
Neil – by Neil’s mum
Neil has complex medical needs and has been diagnosed as mild to moderately Autistic. He has hydrocephalus and epilepsy. Neil attended Grange School in Kempston, a school for pupils with moderate learning disabilities. Neil was due to leave Grange, which does not have a 16 plus provision, in May 2006. I started looking at possible future placements for Neil some eighteen months before his leaving date. Our first visit was to The Pathways provision at Dunstable College. Although the courses were suitable for Neil I was advised that the Statement of Educational Needs which provided the extra support that he would need would cease if he attended a College of Further Education. Everyone was in agreement that he would need extra support in order to attend the Pathways courses. In an attempt to retain the support provided by his statement I then looked at all sixteen plus provisions attached to special schools in both this area and surrounding Counties. Without exception they were all working at levels not suitable for Neil. The search stopped in the early part of 2006 when Neil underwent two major operations, the first planned and the second an emergency. This necessitated a long absence from school for my son and a busy and worrying time for the rest of the family. When things finally settled down we started again to look for a future educational provision for Neil. However the summer holidays were fast approaching and we were running out of time! Neil had left school in May and I had virtually resigned myself to the fact that he would have to stay at home with me for part or all of the academic year 2006/7 whilst we resumed our search.
At some point someone had mentioned ‘The Mayflower’ and I remember giving permission for an application to be made to see if they could provide any assistance. When The Mayflower Team contacted me, they explained that they had received Neil’s papers and were looking at his application. For the first time we had someone who could explain the whole process to us. Without giving us any false hope The Mayflower Team explained that the panel could consider Neil’s case and, if it was suitable, allocate the funding that was needed for him to be able to attend The Pathways Course at Dunstable College. Before this could happen the staff at Dunstable College needed to meet and assess Neil and then complete and return the necessary paperwork to The Mayflower. I think that we had a period of approximately three days for all of this to happen! Well it seemed impossible and I think that under normal circumstances it probably would be, but with The Mayflower Team’s persistence, the help and co- operation of the staff at Dunstable College and of course Neil, we did it. The paperwork was completed and the funding needed was approved by the panel. I can only start to imagine the extra hours that the staff at The Mayflower must have spent working to get Neil’s case ready in time.
Neil was able to start college at the beginning of the new academic year. I can say without any reservation that the course is proving more suitable for Neil than ever I had dared to hope. He is making friends, acquiring new skills and greatly enjoys going to college. I particularly like the fact that The Mayflower now monitors Neil’s progress to ensure the suitability of his placement. Recently we had a meeting with The Mayflower Team and it is very reassuring to maintain contact with them and know that they are happy to answer any questions Neil or I may have. I can honestly say that if it was not for the funding provided by The Mayflower, Neil would be spending his days at home with me and would not be able to benefit from the extensive and varied courses provided for him by Dunstable College. Neil’s own words sum it all up when he recently said to me “I am a student now I can do what I want to!”
