When a team is not a team?

[snorkeler]

When you feel like this, and your Hubby is doing , and your Case Study Coordinator is doing, ,
You gotta ask yourself, "When a team is not a team,
how much do you try to solve yourself or do you, ?
Answer: Sometimes Both!

Saga:
We have been at the "Advocacy Game" a long time and sometimes you think things are rolling along albiet with bumps but never the less rolling along. Then Bam!! Right in the Kisser!

Phone call:
I received a phone call (evening before Thanksgiving at 4:00) from the secretary of our Developmental Pediatrician. She asks, "Where are your survey forms?",
I say, "OH, I didn't receive any,Can you tell me what they are for? She says, I don't know let me ask the Doctor what they are and when he sent them. And she said "I'll call you on Friday(meaning Black Friday, the day I am never home cuz I will be S H O P P I N G).
SO , I put it out of my mind thinking maybe its a blanket survey asking how the services being provided are measuring up. They do that here with Navy Medicine quit often so I just let it go!
No call came on Friday,(Husband stayed home this year, didn't want to shop). SO I know there was no call.

Tip off!
I should have known. That call had more meaning then I let myself believe. So much for documenting phone calls. " who,what when and why".

Trials and Tribulations

Being the curious cat that I am or as Husband says "one who can not let sleeping dogs lie".
I start calling the Developmental Peds office nearly everyday since Nov. 28 to get the Doctor to call me, then the Secretary says This all started with a professional consult by son's Occupational Therapist with the Developmental PEds. As you can imagine by now I am more pissed at being left in the dark. I do not mind professional consults they are normal and beneficial UNTIL the out come of a discussion requires an action. That is what happened the discussion required an action. To fill out the ADHD behavioral and learning survey. Well I never got it. And I waited and waited and called and called. Then finally after making an appearance at the Doctors office and leaving 2 messages in my own hand writing did things start to get resolved.
The OT finally called two days after my hand written note and he said I was very hard to get a hold of. Blah ,blah, I am fuming at this point but I am so concerned that the Doctor and he have taken so long to speak to me I ignored his comment and got right to the reason of the call.
Here is what he said: I was providing (ds) with services and the New Learning Impaired teacher asks me for advice and strategies to use to get better focus from ds. Great I say! SHe is young and wants to learn! And so I let him continue. He says you have done all the things we usaully do I think its time to have ds's medication increased. "Wooo, woo woo, back up the bus, you cannot discuss medications being taken with out my concetn, not to mention you cant do it anyway beccause of IDEA protactions, I say" Well, the OT says that the Teacher said that too and didnt feel that his bringing up that fact was a good idea. She wanted to talk to her boss (Case study Committe Coordinator) but the boss wetn on emergentyc leave for a week. SO the Teacher didnt know that the OT went to the DEvl Peds nor did she bother to call me to tell me that seh now knows that my son is on Meds. (she didnt know prior to that day)

Okay I'll book mark the story here, Today is a half day of school, I got to go pick up my son.

Stay tuned for the outcome!!
Snorkeler

[snorkeler]

So here is the rest of the story,

I finally get the OT on his cell at 5pm on the 2nd of December,(remember this all technically started on
the 9th of November). He tells me that he had a discussion with the new LI teacher and based on what
she said the OT went to have a consult with the Dev Peds and they decided to have us fill out the survey.
The Devl peds left all this up to the OT to take care of and the OT apparently left the forms with the new LI teacher , who didn't feel comfortable with the whole thing and she let the forms sit in the file till her boss got back. Whew!! All the while he is saying oh she is new , I am the most senior and its better to handle this thru me, yada yada yada. I am just floored. Okay yes maybe this is all done in good faith and out of concern but really, I was not even told there was a problem. I just had the parent teacher conference on the 8th of Nov for report card review. Not one person at that meeting said boo about focus issues. Hello! I have a problem with this, wouldn't you?
Now the teacher's all know he is on medication(as before all this only the school nurse knew about it)
I tell the OT that there will be NO more consults with the DEvl peds with out my prior consent and he will defiantly Not be divulging anymore info to the school.
I try to talk to the CSC at school and she is still on leave. that was 5 Dec. I go in and talk to the LI teacher on Tues the 6th of Dec. Sure enough she brings me this envelope with the survey and there is
also one for the teacher of reg ed and the para aid and for her. She said I didn't feel this was right that you weren't told before and I wanted to wait for my boss to come back. Isaid fine but when your boss didn't come back you should have gone to the V.Prin who sits in all
our IEP meetings and gotten direction from him. Well , apparently he was out too, Go figure! LOL SO she tells me what all they discussed and that she should have told the OT that the focus issues could have also been The BOY WHO BUllIES my kid and has done so since the beginning of last year. ( I found it odd that this teacher knew of the bully issues and never brought it up at the 4 plus IEP team meetings I held since Sept.) Well, apparently the bully had progressed (over the summer) from physical bully the emotional abuser or at least manipulator. And that just after her conversation with the OT the boy moved to another school and that my kid has been doing great and No focus problems what so ever. Good, I say keep up the good work with my son. (SHe is after all the ONLY ONE in 4 and a half years of resource room that bothered to listen when I say he needs instruction in read using word families and extra emphasis on vowel sounds, And now my son reads three letter words and a dozen sight words) Yes lets keep her!!
Later that day I manage to squeeze out a 10 minute meeting with the DEvlp Pediatrician. I blast him for not calling me himself when his secretary tells him I never got the survey and what the Hell did he think to let the OT take care of it and that why did he think the school had any right to this info I discuss with him. Okay I was a little strong with him and I didn't give him a chance to get a word in edge wise. So as I am leaving he yells back, you signed the consent form to release info to the school. I wheeled around and said yes and that was a big mistake and left.

Wait for call from CSC coord, wait for call from CSC coord. and finally she is back and she calls the second I left the house at 4:30 pm on the 12 of Dec to mail all my Christmas packages back to the States, My husband just smacks his head as he tells the women I cant believe it , and asks if I can call her. She gives us her home number and says call after 6:30 and I do.

This is what we decide: The school would not in the future, and never should have gotten anything from the Devl peds that was other than development issues(as that is what I signed on my release of info. forms. We will have the surveys filled out and sent to the Devlp Peds as he wants to check any differences since the last ones done in October of last year. He will not send a report back to the school, just the school folks fill them out and send them to the Doc. And that the Coordinator will bring up this info sharing problem at the next School wide teacher meeting this week and she will have a chat with the OT about INCLUDING THE WHOLE TEAM when there seems to be an issue.
ANd a little smack on the wrist for committing such a rookie mistake like not calling the parent especially since he kept going on and on about being the only one senior on the Related Services staff. Blah, BLah.
Dec. 13th I get a call from the OT, I think it was supposed to be an apology but those exact words never came out of his mouth. He reviews how my ds has made progress on two important goals and how that is so exciting cus so much of what they do is maintenance with "these" kids. I really want to slap him.
He wants to be my friend I just think he is "smarmy". I Hope that is a real word! LOL
There will be a team meeting in January.
Yeah I say cuz then we can also discuss WHY the school is using the OT/PT therapy room (which isn't even there property as a ware house for tables and chairs. That room is owned and equipment supplied by Navy Medical Group. Yikes! I cant wait to see who loses a job over this one!! And why hasn't any of the Related Services staff filed there own compliant about that anyway. I feel like I have to be the police always tell ing them what their jobs are. I wish common sense was handed out with the parchment.
Today I was feeling pretty good, not great but feeling like at least the CSC Coordinator knows what is going on and she has always stopped the steam train before when it was going 100mph.
I was ready to relax when guess what ??

More tomorrow.
Stay tuned!

Snorkeler

[Gillian]

Wow! Can't wait for next installment.

[Mayleng]

I hate to think of what happens next.

[snorkeler]

Here is the next installment!

My husband comes home from work and says guess who called me today? I say I don't know who? HE says with a smirk. The school!!

They wanted him to re fax all our registration info that we gave them last April during Registration season!!

Anyone want to hazard a guess at that one?

I am trying to be positive and hope that it is just the CSC gathering info to figure out why we are being charged for related services now.(which by the way I have been refusing to pay, and now have delinquent notes from the hospital)

My cynical side says the Administrator was trying to make the problem go away by kicking our son out of the school. If we had been contractors here and our kid was space available they may have been able to, but we are DOD CIV and space required. SO they have to deal with the problem. Its not going away.

OH, I cant wait for a call as to how they will resolve this, but alas, tomorrow is the last day of school and we break for two weeks. SO they can just stew in it as far as I'm concerned. (And by the way, I sent a note to the hospital billing office protesting the charges so I dont think I will get any new notices for a while.)

For those of you who may be new and are Military or Civ assigned over seas make sure you keep a copy of your DODEA rights handy just like I know everyone else here who is civilian in public schools keeps their copy of IDEA and 504's handy!! RIGHT!!

We shall see if the "old team" members get any better at supporting new team members in our January meeting. Hold my breath?

Epilogue:

Try educating them, try encouraging them, try in their face and hands off. And when you cant take it anymore
dint totally give in, get out the "big gunns"(Letter from advocate or lawyer), fight the important battles and leave the small stuff for the custodian to broom up!!
LOL!!

Snorkeler

I suppose it will be awhile before the resolution of the bills but when I have my IEP meeting in January, I will up date you all.
S

[snorkeler]

CSC Co-Coordinator cleaning up the mess! Yea!

So far this is what she has accomplished:
1) she called the Devl peds and got their policy people working on billing, depends on who initiating the visit.
(Our devl peds has two hats one for school consults and Child Find , the other for referrals from GP or anyone at the Naval Hospital)
2)CSC Co-Ordain. held business mtg to discuss team process and got to the bottom of why the team was not a team at our last IEP mtg. No more "not helping" new team members. And if an invited member cannot make the mtg they must send in a written or faxed letter of their concerns, ideas, suggestions, notes on progress, etc.
3) checked with registrar on why we needed to resend all our documented orders on duty station. Apparently,
the Registrar files were audited and the DSO didn't like
our forms format they requested they be "redone" using their format. What a joke, if they wanted it a certain way to begin with they should have a form letter to fill out. Jerks! Not ask for it after the fact!! Suppose my husband had been deployed while this was going on. Sheesh they would have son kicked out till the forms came back they way "they" wanted. oiy!!
tongue*
4) She sent me a draft letter for son's file with regard to info sharing and getting my consent first before consult that has anything to do with medical. All development issues they can consult anytime (as should be) since this is what I signed and wrote on my release of info form.
happy*

Not to shabby huh??!! Top drawer and all that jazz.

So all that is left (at least with school) is to have the IEP meeting in January.

BUT, I still have to face the Devl Peds next week to go over the Behavioral and Education survey and decide on any changes with medication(Concerta 18mgs).

We do not see any changes or problems at home but,
we will have to give son time in school without the Bully/ intimidater boy to see if (and I'm sure they were the "intimidater boy" ) the lack of focus continues to be a problem.

So with all of that we are not going to do any homework other than reading for joy and marking it on his log for the reg. ed teacher. I think that learning to read three letter words and 10 sight words in one semester is enough and we will celebrate that. We all need the academic break!! Especially little guy!! cool* WHO has maintained his cool and love of school most of the time. (4th grade)
Husband and I can only cow-tow to his accomplishments this year.

Snorkeler

[snorkeler]

I meant no homework over holiday break ofcourse!!
tee,heee!
S

[Mayleng]

It sounds like you did a good job sorting all this out. Well done! And Happy Holidays.

[snorkeler]

Had to enjoy Christmas before I updated you all on the
Developmental Pediatrician visit.

So, remember the OT and Dev Peds wanted the teacher, and others to fill out the Behavioral and Education Survey?

I had to pick up the forms myself cuz they didn't send it home with DS or mail it. I had to go over there after school was closed for X-mas break and guess what, they didn't even leave it at the front desk. The
main Secretary had to get the key to the CSC office from the Asst. Prin. and she went up there and looked around in that Secretaries out box and our son's file and she found it thank goodness. SO, of course it was sealed. ha,ha.

I take that to the Devl. Ped. and he shows them to me. WHAT A JOKE! The Para Aid did one and it showed
no change in behavior only the same old stuff about no organization. The Resource Room teacher is the only one who signed her name and put her title, said that he needs more time with the SLP (ok, not happening) nothing about really big lack of focus and SHE is the one who started all this by asking the OT for help. The
Reg Ed, we assume the one not labeled or signed was hers, she didn't even complete the back and as far as front, it was only half done. I'm not sure what to think with her. My positive side says Reg. Ed teacher thought this was a joke and waist of time, or she didn't have time to do it before the Secretary came to collect it and put it in a sealed envelope.
Now how would you react? Knowing that the school started all this and I an the one who has to PAY for the appointment with the DEvl. Peds???
I really hit the fan.
But, it really does end well! ;D doctor does the check up asks son a bunch of questions to get a feel for how he is doing with his speech, ability to answer with how much delay to respond and all that other jazz they do for a developmental check up, and checked heart and asked about diet. SO,
he is FINE. I knew that. And the Doc says he wont bill us and he renewed son prescript at the same old way its been. 18mgs Concerta, once a day!
Doctor thought this whole thing was the school not communicating with each other and not being a team too, said that son is doing great. " Thank you Very Much." He had a little talk with the OT about not sharing stuff with only those that need to know.

Happy New YEar everyone!
I'll let ya know how the IEP team meeting goes but that won't be till end of January.
Snorkeler

[Mayleng]

What a Fiasco. Glad you got that sorted out.

I saw you were asking about Hawaii and the schools there at the schwab site. lep is in Hawaii, and may be able to answer some questions for you.