I can't even remember where I left off...when was my last post? LOL I know I haven't made a post since what? Wednesday?
Wednesday I started my day by filing my written report with Harley's caseworkers. They asked at the meeting the week before that I put my concerns with the behavior therapy program into writing. (The management keeps dropping the ball). So at 5:30 AM I wrote my email. About 9:30 I got a phone call telling me that they were considering this a formal complaint and passing it on to their superiors for further action. They said it was the first time one of the parents were willing to put the complaint in writing...a bunch of other parents have the same concern but weren't willing to put it in writing ... then they go on to say they can always count on us to be their QA people, who aren't afraid to stand up and say things...Well, now the funding agency is 'auditing' the behavior therapy center and asking for staff credentials...Management has been hiring college students with no special training in autism...but calling it behavior therapy. Anyway, I'm sure I'm not making sense right now b/c you'd have to read the letters that went back and forth...but now I have that on my plate...and they're asking me to 'reconsider my decision to resign from my committee assignments'...
Wednesday was also an early release day for Harley. That means I would drive him to behavior therapy...NOT on a Wednesday I won't!! They typically pick him up from school so I arranged for them to meet me at the school...I told them I would not have any success in getting him the 1/2 block from the van to the center (and they KNOW this, as music is a non-preferred actitvity and he gets violent). Well, when the 'therapist' finally arrived...Harley went into a screaming, crying, scratching (me) fit and RAN away..nearly ran into the street!! Then we were able to 'corral' him back out of the street and he ran for the van...well, my van is now missing a handle because he pulled so hard on the locked handle he broke it off!! We finally, after about 30 minutes of this behavior were able to transfer him into the staff's car and he was off....
While he was there, I received a response from the owner of the behavior program to my email complaint. She was highly pissed off and gave me lip service....Then not 20 minutes later I got a phone call from Harley's caseworker...very concerned about the email she also received (it was a cc of the one sent to me). The attitude in this letter....well, it concerned the funding agency so very much that they turned it over to the board of directors for further action yet! Then they asked if I had someone else to pick up Harley from therapy today as they felt the owner was feeling pretty hostile and stressed and it would be best if I didn't appear there (or reply to her email) for about a week!!??
We got to the center and Andrew picked up Harley. Instead of Harley being inside in the parent waiting area or in the sensory room...he was sitting outside with all the other kiddos and staff. They obviously didn't want anyone going inside the center (maybe the owner was having a temper tantrum?). They didn't tell Andrew anything nor did they put anything in writing about how music therapy went (if they made him attend? or if he was allowed to do whatever he wanted)...this is one of my complaints in fact...I mean they are the 'behavior specialists' and instead of finding ways to coax him into doing non-preferred activities, they allow him to not participate in non-preferred activities...How is this helping him learn to overcome his behaviors? Especially when the charge is $40 an hour??!!
Andrew went and got a load of rocks for his pond...we had Tyler helping us unload them from the van and he got his foot stuck in the bumper of the van....then he refused to walk the rest of the night and had to be carried...not easy to do when I'm carrying Zachary!
Then with all the secondary signs I was having, I was expecting to see something on my opk...nope, blank!!?? Crud....that would've just made my day but nooooooo!
I was just so glad when midnight came (and yes, I will still up after being up since 4:30) and I could say the day was over.
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