The Mindstorm

Category: parenting

  • We’ve Got A Date

    August 25th. That’s the official date Tim will go to ODTC for residential treatment and school. It’s so close, but the anticipation, hoping that date sticks, is killing me. It’s been such a long road to get him an ICG grant and get him into residential that it almost doesn’t seem real. Plus, the guilties…

  • Guilt and Anger

    We have a date – August 24. That’s when Tim can be admitted to ODTC. Between state budget issues (like not having one), and good old fashioned bureocracy, it will be nearly 50 days between getting the ok to admit and actually getting admitted. Mind you, none of the bureocracy was ODTC’s fault. Today Tom…

  • Insomnia

    I don’t sleep much. I used to. My husband Tom used to call me a stress narcoleptic – when I got stressed out, I’d get tired and nap a lot. Not depression tired, just brain-tired. Now I’m lucky if I get 5 hours a night. About once a week, I don’t sleep at all. It’s…

  • Hospitalization #12

    It’s gotta be some kind of record. Not that we’re trying to set a record, or anything. Tim’s been destabilizing all week – two admissions on his part of hearing voices, two other that we’ve recognized (pacing, talking to himself). Hygene refusal. MAJOR bed-wetting – his room smells like a bus terminal. Irritation. Paranoia. This…

  • The Backstory Part Six

    So – Streamwood. This is where Tim currently attends day school. Since he’s been at Streamwood his IQ has actually DECREASED, courtesy of the damage psychosis does to the brain, he’s had 4 more inpatient stays, bringing us to a grand total of 11, and nothing much else has changed. That’s not entirely true. He…

  • The Backstory – Part Five

    So Tim started his sixth therapeutic day school program at Metro Prep in Des Plaines. While we really liked the staff there, particularly Tim’s therapist and his one-on-one aide, Tim’s rages were getting more intense and more frequent. The school operated on a point system – get points for doing positive things, get points taken…

  • The Backstory – Part Four

    Ok – so tomorrow took a bit longer than I thought. Life happens. So – where were we? Oh yes – Tim’s first therapeutic day school in Illinois. Without naming it – but think of a musical starring Robert Goulet and you’ll get it – it was an unmitigated disaster. This program does great with…

  • The Backstory – Part Three

    Hell broke loose alright. Tim was put in a special ed class with a teacher that thought special ed meant that he just needed more time to do assignments. If he got up, she would get huffy with him. If he talked, she would reprimand him. After about a month of that, he couldn’t take…

  • The Backstory – Part Two

    So – what do you do about a kid who doesn’t talk at age 2? We went to our pediatrician. He told us our son had ‘second child syndrome’ – basically, his big brother did all the talking for him, interpreting his noises and anticipating his needs, so his speech development would be delayed. And…

  • Welcome

    Imagine it – a new baby, beautiful, bright, happy. What a good baby – sleeps at night, eats well, smiles and meets his milestones. Then – at year 2, still no words. Year 3 – rage – uncontrollable rage, for no obvious reason. Year 5 – fleeing from teachers, hiding under desks. Year 9 –…