Wednesday, September 2, 2009

He's at it again!

Remember that line from the Toy Story movie?

Well, yesterday I got a call from Harley's school...they are so totally over reacting! He was having more hallucinations to the point that he couldn't function. From what I'm told he was making threats to kill people...had to remove him from the classroom...and then they called me and said I needed to come and pick him up right away...that was not possible at that very moment as I was waiting for an in home visit with Tyler's preschool teacher and Andrew had the van with the carseats anyhow. The school psychologist said they are "highly recommending an emergency psych / med eval for him TODAY at Childrens' Hospital Emergency room". Three things I had a problem with with this...#1-they said it in front of Harley and #2-If I were to take him to the ER they would put him on a 72 hr psych hold -- which would just make his conditions worse and #3 it would mess up his routine and that would cause more of the autistic tendencies to come out. It is my right as his parent to refuse to take him to the ER. I did however contact his psychiatrist who was able to make a med change over the phone based on the fact that this is the third time he's been sent home from school for hallucinations. His psychiatrist agreed with me that the ER was not the best place to take him and felt the school was overreacting...this is Harley! It's not his fault, Harley's fault, the fault of the parents nor the fault of the meds that are unmanageable...it's the fault of the last school misrepresenting Harley when they transferred him to this school.

Of course I called Harley's behavior therapist too...for a few reasons there too...I had to tell them NOT to pick him up from school and tell them about the behaviors the school is complaining about. They offered to go in and provide training...they feel that although Harley probably is having mild hallucinations (which is what they see) but then he knows it upsets the school so he plays on it and exaggerates it so that he can use it as an avoidance technique for non preferred activities. I agree with them somewhat on that point, however this happened when Harley was at lunch..and we all know that eating is NOT a non-preferred activity.

However once I got him to behavior therapy he started calling people "perverts"...He doesn't know what it means and doesn't use it in the appropriate context...I asked where he learned that word and he tells me that it was what Isaac said...I BET this is what set him off yesterday.

Andrew picked him up from school yesterday when this all happened so I could greet and meet with the ladies from preschool...They were discussing making Harley attend school only half days since these behaviors tend to start between 11:30 and 12:30. So the school is simply trying to avoid is how I see that...The school psychologist said they would have a meeting that afternoon regarding "what they would do with Harley". We were not invited nor could we get his behavior therapist into the meeting (they said that they didn't want him there!?)...does this seem strange?

Since we are doubling his dose of his anti-psychotic I decided I would keep him home today for observation to see if it makes him sleepy and/or reduces the hallucinations we see at home.

BUT then the school called and asked that we keep him home today. Then asked if we could have an emergency meeting at 12:30 today. I told them I could not find childcare on such short notice. They have called in the special ed director for our catchment area, the psychologist and the principal as well as myself for this meeting. They are doing it by conference call at 12:30 today and I will be attending by phone.

I wonder just what their suggestion is going to be? Moving him to a different school? Making him attend only half days?

I have to take Harley to music therapy today...a non preferred activity so I better charge up my camera and see if I can get some video LOL

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