Author Archives: carl

>End of a Good Week

>M had a good week over all.  I told the speech therapist not to engage M in any power struggles. 

Talked with Protection and Advocacy (P and A) on Friday.  Signed a bunch of releases so that they can look at his school, psych, and probation records.  Faxed copies of the Sheriff report to their office, as well as our copy of the IEP, witness statements, and other information we thought important.  She made the comment that it sounded like the school needed an education in how to work with someone like M.

Spent some time talking to the school counselor. He didn’t understand why three different stories were told by the people who were there the day M experienced his break down.

Evidently the aide that was working in Special Ed with M has been released from employment at the school.  I wonder if this is in retaliation for her statement on the day of the incident. 

On this coming Thursday we will have our second meeting with the school.  It is scheduled for 1 to 4 on Thursday.  Hopefully P and A can be there.

I am reading From Emotion to Advocacy by the Wrights from wrightslaw.com. 

>Goodness

>It has been a good week.  M has had very few problems this week.  The problems he has had are more typical of a child his age.  Pushing someone who cut in line.  He is still argumentative, and really likes to sass and talk back. 

Had to sit the girls down last night and reestablish ground rules.  It takes the whole family to make our house work.  We appreciate their help, but when they fall short, someone else is left holding the bag and taking up the slack.  The biggest issue is empty washing machines.  An empty machine in our house is a waste of resources.  There is always laundry to do. 

Normal problems… 🙂  Three cheers for our house!!!

Now, I am waiting on a call from P and A.  Been waiting for over a week. I called and left a message with the lady who did the intake.  She called back and said she would resend my contact info to the advocate who is assigned to our case.  Still waiting for a call from her.  Very frustrating.

We meet a week from today with the school, so I hope that we can have the advocate with us.  It doesn’t bode well.

>repetition

>Noticed something on Friday, and paid more attention to it over the weekend.  M has started repeating words and phrases four or five times or more.  Doesn’t matter if it is something off the television, something someone said, or something he came up with on his own.  Probably just a phase.  🙂

He was being especially difficult this morning.  His spoon got milk on it, so he had to get his socks on.  I have no idea why he needed socks for a wet spoon.  Then he got difficult with getting his snow pants on and cooperating to get in the van.  His siblings don’t like it when he does that.  I don’t like it either, but recognize the mental illness causing some of his behaviors, whereas they just seem him as being difficult.

Now, how to educate them to see the mental illness as well as the behavior?