When diagnosed with autism aged 22, Amber Sparshott said "everything in my head suddenly made sense", and the once-close-to-expulsion student is now an aspiring medic.
Despite achieving 11 GCSEs, with a mix of As and A*s, when Amber was at school they were at risk of being excluded due to their refusal to attend lessons.
Their declining mental health and frustration with the constraints of traditional learning took a toll.
"I was starting to realise that the busy, loud, classroom environment was hindering my progress," said Amber, who grew up in Welwyn and now lives in Stevenage.
"I was being forced to sit in a classroom, where they were teaching at, in my opinion, snail pace, when I could do more work and make more progress my way.
"When I was 17, a worker from the Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services wanted to screen me for autism to ‘rule it out’, as I was describing a lot of distress around noise, lights and busy places/situations, showing signs of OCD, struggling with food, needing a detailed routine, and lacking social skills, and other, more risky behaviours.
"Turns out I ticked every box on the criteria, so we couldn’t rule it out at all.
"It was like everything in my head suddenly made sense and I realised that it explained all the struggles I was having at school.
"Unfortunately, I wasn’t formally diagnosed until I was 22, and so I was never eligible for any extra support or accommodations to help me moving forwards."
Amber, who is now 23, is excelling with online learning provider learndirect, after taking a break from their degree at the University of Manchester following a mental health decline.
Amber is planning to restart their first year of a BScmedical physiology degree in September next year.
Until then, they have been studying online, achieving a distinction in a level 4 advanced anatomy and physiology course, before enrolling in an access to higher education diploma (medicine and healthcare professions).
Amber said: "Not only has it been over three years since I’ve been out of education, but I’ve also had time to evaluate what worked before and what didn’t, and am trying to put together a new approach to my learning.
"[This course] will challenge me to work harder and smarter because I now have the opportunity to see what style of learning - note-taking, routines, exam technique - works best for me.
"The younger me never believed they’d get anywhere, and that my autism and complex mental health problems would stop me from ever achieving, or even partially achieving, my ambitions.
"With my formal diagnosis, I can now apply for appropriate support and accommodations to help me study my way."
Once they have completed their Access to HE Diploma with learndirect and achieved their degree, Amber intends to make an impact in the medical field.
While they are yet to choose a specific profession, Amber has ambitions to succeed, either as a paramedic, medical researcher, or a specialist doctor or nurse.
“If I go down the research/specialist doctor route, I really want to travel with it and help as many people as I can. It’s going to be hard work, but I can’t wait to look back in the future and be proud of myself for each step along the way."
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