HELP!!!

iVillage Member
Registered: 03-26-2003
HELP!!!
12
Thu, 02-16-2006 - 9:55am

Does any take their children for addtional therapy (outside of what is offered at school)? I feel I really need to be doing more for our son.....his anxiety is at an all time high (for example - he is suspended from school for today for biting his favorite teacher). His meltdowns are becoming more volatile.....hitting his head against things, kicking chairs, throwing chairs and now biting.

I am discussing medication with his doctors (ped, therapist, and neurologist) but I would like to try some other things as well. I really feel drugs should be a last resort - not first - but I am willing to try if it will help him. I'll do anything at this point.

Has anyone tried music therapy? interactive metronome (brain-training)? OT specializing in anxiety or AS or sensory issues?

Help!
Christie

Pages

iVillage Member
Registered: 03-26-2003
In reply to: jinxgirl2001
Sat, 02-18-2006 - 11:20am

"all thier emphasis has been on the rich typical kids and raising thier scores"

That is the EXACT situation we are in. We live in a very small, affluent suburb west of Cleveland. It has "perfect" schools filled with "perfect" children - what a load of horse crap this is! We paid way too much for our house and way too much in taxes just so our kids could go to these perfect schools. It really burns me that my son is having such a difficult time just getting the services that he needs.

Another mom (from my local support group) told me to ask for a Functional Behavior Assessment (FBA). I guess our district has two ABA consultants on contract working with other kids (good to know) - either one of them could observe my son and write the FBA. Has anyone had this done? It sounds like a good idea to me.

Again, thanks ladies - you have been my knights in shining armour riding to my emotional rescue (isn't that a Stone's song?! LOL!)

Christie

iVillage Member
Registered: 03-26-2003
In reply to: jinxgirl2001
Sat, 02-18-2006 - 12:05pm

Mike had an FBA that I am trying to get out of his IEP currently. The district did agree to pay for an independent assessment last year but were having trouble locating someone. Mike started to do well because of his fabulous teacher and I dropped the ball.

Mike had some significant behavior troubles in school. An FBA was supposed to be the way to go and would be if the person doing it was any good but she wasnt. In theory it is a good idea but you really need to be vigilant on it.

I will try to be brief, but the psychologist highly recomended Mike return to mainstream. I had requested he be pulled out until the FBA was complete due to increased anxiety and behavior. The psychologist didn't listen to me or my reasoning at all. She took a small snapshot of what she saw in behaviors and made incorrect determinations includig that he should return to mainstreaming as well as totally missing the functions of his behavior.

Finally, against my better judgement but on alot of pressure from the team, agreed to let them try to mainstream Mike again. For 3 days Mike fell completely apart. On the 3rd day they finally got him to mainstreaming but then had to carry him back and he was in and out of restraints all day. We had an emergency IEP, the team agreed that I was right and pulled him from mainstreaming and they agreed to do an independent assessment. He hasn't had a restraint since. His teacher is awesoem and figured him out on her own.

Now a year later I just realized they never did the IEE. We all dropped the ball and when Mike started to do better it didn't seem neccessary. The FBA is still attached to his IEP and I am in process of having it removed and hopefully shredded.

Renee

Photobucket

Pages