Name changed and photo for illustrative purposes only

Learner: JW from the 21/22 Cohort
Programme: Achieve Lifeskills – a course designed to empower and support young people in everyday fundamentals for living life more independently. Learners work towards a Diploma in Independent Living Skills, an employability award as well as English and Maths Functional Skills.
Centre: New Meaning Warwickshire (Stratford-upon-Avon)

Jay’s parents noticed that he was struggling at school in the last few years of primary school and they tried hard to pursue an assessment. Their efforts continued through secondary, until eventually at the age of 14 he was diagnosed with Asperger’s Syndrome. Academically, apart from some extra time and being allowed to use a laptop during exams, there was little extra help for his GCSEs. Jay had 100% attendance at school and achieved a B for Maths, C for Art, D for English and C for Science.

Things started to slip after secondary school when Jay started college on a media course. He struggled with his relationships with other people on the course and his tutors found it challenging to maintain his attention. His attendance slipped and eventually Jay switched to a two year art course which resulted in him achieving a degree in art.
Once 19, the next stepping stone didn’t seem so clear for Jay. He was no longer obliged to be in education but was struggling to identify where he wanted to go with his life. That was until Jay joined the New Meaning Warwickshire Achieve Life Skills programme in November 2021. Here Jay was encouraged to think about starting with a volunteer job with the hope it would lead into a more permanent job in the future as his confidence grew.

Well practised at talking with education settings, his parents shared as much information as they could, explaining that he was always very particular in his patterns and did not like changes. As with many people with Asperger’s , he would stick to the same routine, food habits and very rarely would start a conversation, especially with people outside his household. At first Jay came to class in silence and would sit down on his chair waiting for us to tell him what to do.

Jay was the kind of student that has inspired New Meaning staff. His progress during this year, with the guidance, encouragement and reinforcement, showed us that a person can change little by little. It was around Christmas time when his tutor decided to have a one to one conversation with him about what he wanted to do in his life and how he wanted to be. The tutor asked him if he wanted to break his routines and whether he wanted to try to be different in the way he was around people. It was a pivotal moment. He began to open up and explained that he really wanted to feel more confident about being around people.