Panic attacks, self harm and anxious meltdowns.

That's what student Megan Horan, who has autism, went through when studying for her GCSEs.

"I was stressed, drained and felt like a failure. I cried during my mocks," the 23-year-old from Maidstone explained.

"I couldn’t concentrate and it felt like I was in hell.

"During my exams I had huge panic attacks. My leg was bouncing so fast I would need 'moving breaks' – walking out of the room when it got too much and to clear my head."

She added: "I remember being in tears, saying ‘I’m sorry’ over and over again.

"I was trying to peel my nail off and my fingers were sore.

"I began to self harm and would hide in the toilets, as I was so anxious about lessons.

"I was advised to take antidepressants but refused, due to anxiety about taking them."

Megan is now fighting to change the education system, so others will not have to go through what she did.

Growing up in Rochester, she attended Broomhill Bank School in Tunbridge Wells and MidKent College in Gillingham.

After being diagnosed with autism during Year 8 at the age of 13, Megan was told to move schools because the one she was at was not trained in special education needs.

She said: "Being in a mainstream school is hard for an autistic student.

"The curriculum is built to fit everyone, but being autistic your brain works in a different way.

"We think outside the box and for school you need someone to show you how to think inside, like everyone else.

"Plus you are in a room with 30 other children and you have a teacher not properly trained in autism or any special needs."

Despite receiving an Education, Health and Care (EHC) plan to support her further, Megan says this was not 100% helpful as the interventions she needed specifically for the two subjects she was struggling with was not provided.

She wanted to become a teaching assistant at a special needs secondary school but this requires a GCSE grade 4 or 5 – the equivalent of a C – in both maths and English.

"I retook my English exam three times and still got the same grade," she explained.

"Studying Inspector Calls, Jeckle and Hyde, or Macbeth – these are all very difficult books to learn for someone who has speech and language difficulties or autism.

"It’s a vicious cycle. I have been through that cycle so many times now it’s like a brick wall.

"You keep banging your head against it and you're not getting anywhere."

Last year, Megan joined the Ambitious about Autism's "Ambitious Youth Network" – a group of 16 to 25-year-olds from across the country who advocate to improve services for other autistic people.

The charity aims to provide more opportunities and make sure those on the spectrum are heard, included and supported.

Megan recently spoke to the chairman of the Education Select Committee, MP Robin Walker, about the issues she faced throughout her school years.

Some of the problems included long delays and difficulties in accessing EHC plans, a lack of understanding and support from staff, unrealistic school targets, social isolation and bullying.

She said: "I hope the government will take on board what parents and young adults are saying about their experiences of the broken education system and how to make it work better.

“I would like more funding for Special Educational Needs (SEN) departments and autism awareness training in schools.

"I would also like to see the government offer different pathways for children with SEND who struggle with exams – why not use more coursework-based subjects that have a qualification at the end of it?

"This could help them to show off their skills and would really improve their mental health.

"Let students learn what they need to live in society, like how to live on their own, hold a job, have a family, learn to drive and pay bills.

"I hope the next generation of autistic children and young people do not have to go through what I did."

Ambitious about Autism has also launched a petition which has more than 7,000 signatures.

Its "Written Off?" campaign calls on the government to protect SEND funding and families’ legal rights to get support for their children.