After two years of ICG applications, denials, appeals, IEP meetings, inpatient hospitalizations, broken doors, bruises, rages, locks, letters to elected officials, and vigilance, Tim was admitted to and settled at ODTC yesterday.
They were very thourough at intake – took him for a tour, show him his room, then asked us a ton of questions to get to know his idiocyncracies, and that showed me they read the volumes of info I had already sent them on him. They don’t start school classes until next Tuesday, so he has a week to get the lay of the land, which is great.
Only him and five other boys on his dorm floor, and everyone has their own room, another bonus, and they have a big pool, big lake, big gym, and constant rotation of Special Olympics competitive sports teams. He was allowed to bring his art supplies, easel, stereo, books, posters. The school sits on 200 acres, and the staff to resident ratio is about 6 to 1. We’re very happy, and so was he. He practically threw us out!
Tim in his dorm room
I had such a stress release after we left that I burst into tears when we got out of the dorm, after helping him set up his room, and then came home and literally passed out for 3 hours. I talked to him after dinner last night, and he said his afternoon was great. Welcome to the honeymoon. I give it two weeks before he stops trying to hold on so hard and his symptoms start to show through.
This is the first time in his life that I won’t at least talk to him on the phone every day, and won’t see him at least once a week. I think it’s going to be harder on me than on him. At least I hope it is.