Thursday, August 17, 2006
Back to school
Wow, is this red-head getting "schooled" this week...
We finally were contacted and met with the baby's caseworker to finalize his FSP (family service plan). By law, this was to have taken place within 45 days of the initial evaluation. His evaluation took place on April 11. Do you think, perhaps, that the state dropped the ball on this one?
I'm an early interventionist by training (occupational therapy)--there was no way that my kiddo was going to go without treatment for four months. There's too much ground to be lost and gained during this precious window of toddlerhood. So, we started private OT and PT shortly after his eval--limited insurance funding for OT, cash out of pocket for PT (sigh).
Luckily, nothing is quite as scary to the "system" than a parent who is more than aware of their child's rights. After a few tense (intense) phone calls and meetings, we're getting the funding that will continue therapy without having the fear of being cut off by our insurance company or dealing with monthly PT bill that is roughly 1/3 of our grocery budget.
My frustrations? First, that my kiddo could have easily fallen in to some bureaucratic black hole. Secondly, that my case worker continues to treat me like a moron, despite the fact that I've more or less written the service plans for her, and have educated her on the finer points of muscle tone and sensory integration disorders. (I have to note, I was talking to a physician friend whose son also received services--her "child development specialist" treated her like an idiot as well, so I'm attempting to give my case worker the benefit of the doubt). Still, she insisted on handing me a computer-generated "home program" that contained such advanced developmental activities as "read to your baby"--um, thanks...I'll reconsider the afternoon sessions of Jerry Springer and vodka-laced sippy cups that have been the mainstay of my parenting up to this point!
Lesson learned? The system can work, but you have to be ridiculously assertive (to the point of obnoxiousness). Advocating for these small ones is no picnic. I need to remember this when and if I return to pediatric OT. While I tried to always consider each parent the "expert" on his or her child, the attitudes of my heart didn't quite match up, and I'm ashamed that perhaps some of my clients may have felt that I was talking down to them at one time or another.
In other news, we've started (most) of our homeschool schedule (co-ops don't begin until September) and soccer and AWANA have kicked off. Throw in twice a week therapy appointments and I've got a new reason to smile smugly when asked, "Oh so you don't work then, do you?"
Least I sound terminally grumpy, I *do* love this time of year. I love fresh starts, sharp pencils and crayons and clean notebook pages. I'm excited about all the potential a new school year holds--for all of us, mama included.
We finally were contacted and met with the baby's caseworker to finalize his FSP (family service plan). By law, this was to have taken place within 45 days of the initial evaluation. His evaluation took place on April 11. Do you think, perhaps, that the state dropped the ball on this one?
I'm an early interventionist by training (occupational therapy)--there was no way that my kiddo was going to go without treatment for four months. There's too much ground to be lost and gained during this precious window of toddlerhood. So, we started private OT and PT shortly after his eval--limited insurance funding for OT, cash out of pocket for PT (sigh).
Luckily, nothing is quite as scary to the "system" than a parent who is more than aware of their child's rights. After a few tense (intense) phone calls and meetings, we're getting the funding that will continue therapy without having the fear of being cut off by our insurance company or dealing with monthly PT bill that is roughly 1/3 of our grocery budget.
My frustrations? First, that my kiddo could have easily fallen in to some bureaucratic black hole. Secondly, that my case worker continues to treat me like a moron, despite the fact that I've more or less written the service plans for her, and have educated her on the finer points of muscle tone and sensory integration disorders. (I have to note, I was talking to a physician friend whose son also received services--her "child development specialist" treated her like an idiot as well, so I'm attempting to give my case worker the benefit of the doubt). Still, she insisted on handing me a computer-generated "home program" that contained such advanced developmental activities as "read to your baby"--um, thanks...I'll reconsider the afternoon sessions of Jerry Springer and vodka-laced sippy cups that have been the mainstay of my parenting up to this point!
Lesson learned? The system can work, but you have to be ridiculously assertive (to the point of obnoxiousness). Advocating for these small ones is no picnic. I need to remember this when and if I return to pediatric OT. While I tried to always consider each parent the "expert" on his or her child, the attitudes of my heart didn't quite match up, and I'm ashamed that perhaps some of my clients may have felt that I was talking down to them at one time or another.
In other news, we've started (most) of our homeschool schedule (co-ops don't begin until September) and soccer and AWANA have kicked off. Throw in twice a week therapy appointments and I've got a new reason to smile smugly when asked, "Oh so you don't work then, do you?"
Least I sound terminally grumpy, I *do* love this time of year. I love fresh starts, sharp pencils and crayons and clean notebook pages. I'm excited about all the potential a new school year holds--for all of us, mama included.
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