setbacks

9/11 3:40 p.m. Heather from day care calls to report that Ricky has hurt several teachers (including biting Sue) and is destroying the classroom. Tried to tip over the lizard tank. I ask if I can speak with Ricky and he won't speak with me. I tell Heather that I am on my way there. Karen tells me she will mark me out at 4 for 1/2 hour of SIC/FMLA.

4:05 p.m. Sue calls my cell phone to find out where I am. I tell her I am on my way, having been stuck in traffic on 87, and am almost to the Cottle Rd. exit. She says he's getting worse and probably some other things I don't remember.

4:08 p.m. or so I get to the day care. Heather waves at me from the main door over to the other door where Sue's arm is waving at me from the mostly closed door. I enter the classroom and it is completely wrecked. Styrofoam peanuts, bookshelves turned over, toys everywhere, cardboard blocks. Sue tells me he punched her in the jaw, and also tried to run away but she told him she'd call the police if he did that. At some point I tell her he is obviously in a manic cycle. I catch him and hold him. Sue tells me that he can't come back until I meet with her and Mitch. I tell her I will make other arrangements for Thursday the 12th.

4:20 p.m. or so I leave a voice mail for Mitch at CDI asking him to meet with me as soon as possible. Around this time I give Ricky a Zyprexa tablet.

4:55 I speak with Dr. Joshi at Stanford Child Psychiatry. He says I've done what I should have done. We go over Ricky's history again and he says we won't change meds at this time but that we can discuss this further when we see him on the 23rd. He says we'll be getting a new psychiatrist in the future but he will remain involved in Ricky's care.

5:10 or so Dr. Lee calls to see how Ricky is doing because of his cut on the head and ER visit the night before. I end up telling her about his behavior issues and then we get into the aspergillosis. She expresses her sympathy and says she'll be faxing a lab slip to Good Sam.

5:55 I get off the phone and call CDI and talk to Mitch. He claims he never got my message. He says "nothing has changed". I tell him that Ricky did very well for a month and this is just a temporary setback. He says it's more serious because staff and students were put at risk. He says he can't meet with me until Friday morning. I emphasize that I need day care ASAP. He says he's waiting for a fax from Sue at the day care and does not know the background yet. I press him and he says that we can meet only with Sue if she is comfortable with that.

6:00 I call the day care and have Tiffany call Sue to have her call me.

6:04 Sue calls me back and we discuss the situation. She has just gotten off the phone with Mitch. I tell her that Mitch has said that I could possibly meet just with her. She says Mitch never said anything of the sort to her and that he needs to meet with us. I tell her that I wish they would take into account all of the good behavior and not just look at the bad. She says it's more serious now because he hurt her and other staff members, and ran into the other classroom to hurt other children, unprovoked. To me it sounds like he is not going to get to go back. She promises to call Mitch and call me back whenever he calls her, whether it be tonight or tomorrow morning or whatever. I say okay and give her all of the phone numbers.

9/12 7:35 a.m. I drop Andy off at Tiny's and press Tiny to take Ricky tomorrow. I explain the busses to her and she reluctantly agrees. We briefly discuss her taking him on a more regular basis until we can work something out.

9:20 a.m. or so I leave a message for Susan Duncan at SARC.

11 a.m. or so Susan calls me back. She expresses that Ricky would qualify for SARC services if he is mildly retarded i.e. depending on his IQ scores. We talk a bit more and I tell her I'll send a copy of his IEP to her. I get her mailing address.