Case Studies: Asperger's Syndrome

Asperger’s: Open the door to educational achievement

Mark* is a young boy with Asperger’s Syndrome whose achievement in school was suffering because he found it difficult to integrate into a mainstream classroom. He has now been given the chance to re-engage with learning and has excelled in mathematics, by attending the Accipio Learning virtual school.   

Asperger’s, a form of autism, made it very difficult for Mark to integrate into school life and learn in a conventional classroom.  As a result, his behaviour was a constant problem and he was eventually excluded from his secondary school.

Placed in a special school by the local authority, Mark continued to experience difficulties with learning, even in this specialised environment. It was then that he was introduced to online learning with Accipio by his special school. 

Mark attended Accipio’s virtual school from the ages of 11 to 14. The online classroom and the engaging style of teaching used in Accipio’s educational programmes helped ensure Mark’s individual learning needs were being met. Learning with Accipio, Mark achieved a level 8 for his Maths SATS, which is deemed exceptional, and sat his Maths GCSE two years early; whilst still in Year 9.

Learning in the online classroom is particularly effective for Asperger’s sufferers as it removes many of the distractions which can cause distress and creates an environment that helps the student to focus for longer periods of time. Just eliminating the need for eye contact with a teacher or other students was of great benefit in helping Mark concentrate on his lessons.

His increased confidence and re-engagement with education has enabled Mark to move on to college and he has recently completed the first part of his Maths AS level.  He plans to complete his AS level and then progress to A level Maths the following year, at the same time as he sits the rest of his GCSEs.

The head teacher at his special school acknowledges Mark’s achievements: “Accipio has helped to open the door to education for Mark and shown him what he can achieve and its teachers have played a significant role in helping him realise his talents.”

*Not the student’s real name