Monday, January 12, 2009

She's ready for the Wheel-Barrel Race!


The last couple of days have been great. James was off this weekend so we got plenty of "family time". Saturday afternoon we dropped Kendal off at my cousin's house and me and James headed out to a movie and dinner. We had such a good time - we even flirted back and forth. We went to a Hibachi grill, which is one of my favorites, and ate like kings. Kendal seemed to have a great time while we were gone and did not seem the least bit concerned that we had left her.
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This morning I got back on the ball with all the things going on with Kendal. She had Speech Therapy this morning, and then when I got to work I registered for a class for me and James to attend. The class is supposed to fully explain the role of special education in the school system, Kendal's rights under the disability act, and what to expect dealing with issues related to Kendal and the school system. It's a 3 hour class and Nana has agreed to come over and watch Kendal for us.
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I also contacted Kendal's pediatrician to request a letter of recommendation for a minimum for twice weekly Speech Therapy sessions. This letter, along with another one I will get from the Neurologist, will be attached to the request for further authorized visits for the medical insurance. There seems to be a limit of therapy sessions authorized per year unless you have a specific medical diagnosis of cerebral palsy, down syndrome, and a few other well-known disorders. The Speech Therapist thought that they might go ahead and approve it with we had some additional recommendations from Kendal's doctors. Please keep this in your prayers!! Kendal has made some amazing advancements with her Speech Therapy and I would hate to slow down her progress.
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I also contacted TEIS and left a message with our Service Coordinator. I called this morning and did not get a return call back today. James noted that Kendal is only 2 months away from getting kicked off the system and that we are probably pretty low on the totem pole - I think he is right. I was calling to express my displeasure over the Behaviorist that was supposed to be helping us. She was to attend Kendal's therapy sessions last week and observe what behavior issues Kendal is having with the therapists and then advise different methods to address certain issues.
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Monday she showed up 20 minutes late with no apology or excuse for her tardiness. I was quite aggravated at this because I do not conduct myself this way, especially professionally. She gave us little to no feedback. She then was supposed to be at Physical Therapy Thursday and she showed up 40 minutes late as I was putting Kendal's shoes and coat on. I was livid to say the least. She then stated she couldn't make the Occupational Therapy session because it was just too early (which I understand, it's at 6:30am on Fridays). She left a message for the Occupational Therapist (who of course played it back for me) stating that she was just calling because the mom wanted her too and if she had any questions to call her back.
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My question is simple: How do you disciple a child that is usually happy?
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Spankings don't work, time-out doesn't work, taking away toys doesn't work.
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She is not your typical child in these ways. I just want some new ideas to try.
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I have decided I don't want the Behaviorist to call me back, and I definitely don't want to work with her. I can already tell you, it would not be a good working relationship. And if anything, Kendal would probably learn some bad behaviors watching me react to the Behaviorist.
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As an update to my last post, I did get an email back from the neurologist. He apologized. I was thankful for that, whether he genuinely meant it or not. It was nice to read it and he seemed to respect my wishes on how often he saw Kendal. I'm glad I emailed him telling him how I felt. If anything, I feel better just getting it off my chest.

1 comments:

Anonymous said...

I would love to let this behaviorist HAVE it! I can't stand stuff like this. You are so awesome! Kendal is so blessed to have you on her side. I miss you guys. Maybe we can get together when the weather gets warmer and my kids could play with her at the park. They would love it. Have a good weekend!
donnetta

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