Court today...difficult child 2 still home

hexemaus2

Old hand
But, we have those wheels squeeking just a little further along.

Bottom line - the judge ordered a new psychiatric evaluation for difficult child 2, since the docs don't all agree on difficult child's diagnosis. He won't rule on all the charges against difficult child 2 until he has that evaluation and a recommendation from his committee.

Thank Heavens, one of his "committee" is a child psychiatrist & actually has a clue!

In fact, I met with the psychiatrist from the judge's committee after court today. (The judge asked him to sit in on today's hearing.) He made some great recommendations in terms of things to bring up to difficult child's psychiatrist. (He mentioned her by her first name, so I'm assuming they know each other well.) He mentioned getting an EEG for difficult child 2, as that would show abnormalities in his frontal lobe that would confirm or eliminate Intermittent Explosive Disorder. He also said that the evaluation will be instrumental in getting difficult child 2 the help he needs from Department of Juvenile Justice. He mentioned several pilot programs he is working with Department of Juvenile Justice on and some of the criteria difficult child 2 would need to meet in order to be eligible. (One of which being a recent psychiatric evaluation.)

Another recommendation from both the judge and the committee psychiatrist was in support of re-enrolling difficult child in public school. Did that this afternoon. He starts school Monday morning. We met with the Dept. Chair for Special Services for the school. The plan is to mainstream difficult child under RTI (Response to intervention) so that he has some supports while we go through the process of getting an IEP. Basically, his teachers will all have to be part of a team that includes reps from Special Services and the Asst. Principle. They'll observe and assist for the first 12 weeks. During that 12 weeks, they meet weekly to discuss difficult child 2's needs, possible modifications, etc. At the end of 12 weeks, we all meet for the IEP planning. Between the school folks, me, therapist and doctor recommendations, etc., we should be able to come up with a comprehensive plan for difficult child 2.

I think difficult child 2 is getting about as much support - between the school and the programs from Department of Juvenile Justice - as we can get and still be out patient. But it's all temporary while we look for the right Residential Treatment Center (RTC) placement for him. YDC is basically going to be a last-ditch thing. If all else fails and we can't keep the other kids and I safe any other way, then we'll have no choice but to let the judge lock difficult child 2 up in YDC.

The wheels are turning slowly, but luckily enough we have a judge that wants to have difficult child 2 in the best possible placement & is willing to do whatever he can from the bench to help make that happen.
 

klmno

Active Member
Wow!! What a great system and plan! I'm glad this is working out for you- while still helping difficult child. I wish our Department of Juvenile Justice had a committee like that- or at all!

Has anyone thought about what will happen if these "temporary" supports actually turn out to be sufficient to keep things calm, stable, and safe for everyone?
 

Nancy

Well-Known Member
Hex that is very good news. I am always excited when I here about a juvenile judge/magistrate that really has the difficult child's best interests at heart. He sounds very progressive. There is a push in juvenile courts all around the country to treat difficult child's with mental disorders differently than they have in the past, which was just to lock them up or assign them to a PO. We just started a program in our city where difficult child's are send for evaluation and then go through a special court that deals with juveniles with addictions or disorders in getting them the services they need. Of course some result in Residential Treatment Center (RTC) placements but at least they are finally realizing that there are other options first.

We went to court last week (our sixth time I believe). The magistrate was wonderful. He truly wanted to help difficult child instead of punish her. He recognized what services we already tried and asked us as parents what he could do to help us. My difficult child doesn;t know how lucky she is.

I hope some services come through that help you and your difficult child.

Nancy
 

hexemaus2

Old hand
klmno, I would LOVE to have our temp solution turn out to be enough for difficult child 2. That would be wonderful. And we are all leaving room for that possibility. If the temp solution turns out to be enough, then we'll stick with it. However, if it's not, we're still working on an Residential Treatment Center (RTC) placement. It would be a dream come true to get Residential Treatment Center (RTC) plans ready to go, only to have them not be necessary.

I have to admit - the judge's staff stinks (they threw up every road block available to keep me from gaining access to him...but I don't think they realized they were dealing with a Warrior Mom who wasn't gonna let up. lol) but the judge himself is wonderful. Shoots straight from the hip, no nonsense, and with a heavy dose of good old fashioned common sense. From what I understand, one of his kids was a difficult child...so I think that's probably why he is the kind of judge that he is.

I know I'm glad to have him in our corner...definitely wouldn't want to be on his bad side though. He's ruthless when it comes to true juvenile delinquents who don't have any other issue than just being criminals.

I have to say, a judge who utilizes a committee to help him with matters he doesn't have enough understanding/experience/personal knowledge of is really a great idea, in my opinion. To my understanding, his committee is made up of teachers, the psychiatrist, juvenile po's, and volunteer parents. A pretty good mix of opinions and resources if you ask me. The fact that the judge has the option to take cases "under advisement" and utilize that committee of his really has been a great benefit to difficult child 2.

difficult child 2 is excited about starting public school, but also a little scared. (That's okay - so is his Mom. lol.) He knows (if he messes up) what's waiting for him on the other side. He spent a week in YDC earlier this year after he bit the officer & he sure doesn't want to go back there. I told him that for the next 12 weeks (or sooner if the judge calls us back before the 12 week RTI at school) he should think of Judge F sitting on his shoulder, watching everything. If he's not sure how to respond to a situation, he should think about how he would explain it to Judge F and see if that helps him to make better choices.

The school is aware that he has pending charges with Department of Juvenile Justice. They're also aware of some of difficult child 2's other past issues. We're all on the same page that our #1 goal at this point is to get him adjusted to a new routine and most of all, get some positive experiences going for him so he has good stuff to look forward to. Maybe that will help remind him what he stands to lose if he doesn't get "Fluffy" under control. So far, the school staff has been extra supportive of both difficult child 2 and me...stressing for difficult child 2 that they are all there to help him do the best he can & we all want him to succeed.

I've done all I can at this point. From here it's up to difficult child 2 to utilize the supports we've put in place so far and make the most of his situation. I hope and pray that he will. I really do. I'd absolutely LOVE to have our "temporary" fix turn out to be a permanent one. I'd much rather have him home and doing well than have to send him to an Residential Treatment Center (RTC). But I've also come to realize that this is the part where my responsibility ends and his begins. Only he can make those choices that will keep him at home & in public school. Only he can choose to make the best use of all of his therapists, doctors, and support personnel. I can make sure everything he needs is there...but he has to take advantage of it.

Now we just wait and see how he does....and what the new psychiatric evaluation says. I've had several docs say that they don't see the Pervasive Developmental Disorder (PDD) behaviors he showed before, then I've had some who say they do see it in him. Hopefully, whatever labels the new psychiatric evaluation puts on him will help us get him the right treatments and programs in place to help him succeed.
 

amazeofgrace

A maze of Grace - that about sums it up
I know it was a blessing for us that the juvenille judge who handled difficult child I's case was very proactive on his behalf, not that he'll ever get that.

I know some parents are not as lucky.
 

Star*

call 911........call 911
I'm happy for you and amazed with that judge -

Really are there still professional judges out there like the ones for your son and Nancy's daughter? They certainly do not exist in SC.

Congrats Hex - it's a start.
 
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