Please help - do you have any opinion about therapeutic school?

[hibiscus]

hillview:

I see. Thanks for the explanation!
There were some pros/cons we thought after the school visit. Student/teacher ratio is 5:1, there is a math tutor to give individual instruction based on each kid's level. Therapeutic sessions are core part of the day at school. But the environment is depressing. We found there are some kids who actually harmed other kids at their base school before attending there (there are several monitor staff in hallways and gym). We are torn, but this could benefit DS who still needs to work with his emotions.

StantonHyde:

Absolutely agree. We feel we should give DS ample of transition time and access if he is capable of going back to his school during summer...

-hibiscus

[hibiscus]

hbridge:

Thank you. I sent the message again to your hotmail account (the other one did not work)

-hibiscus

[hibiscus]

Thank you, KpbS.
-hibiscus

[hibiscus]

We had family session at Thursday. The caseworker hinted DS could be discharged soon and told us we need to tell him about the therapeutic school as part of discharge plan. When we talked to him about it, he just broke down. It was a mess, but eventually he started trying to accept the outcome. He feels he is punished, but we told him this is not a punishment, this is a consequeence of his action/thoughts, and he needs more therapeutic time to transition.
So, he showed regression at PHP due to the school news and his stay was extended.

School visit was OK. We found pros/cons. They do offer a lot of therapeutic session time during the day and there is a math tutor to fit individual needs. Felt comfortable with 5 to 1 student-teacher ratio. The facility was not well kept and depressing. When asked they said some kids there actually harmed other student at their base school. I was not sure how this impact on DS's psyche, but we think he needs more time to transition/recover to the level he can handle normal daily routine without having meltdown....

I started interviewing therapists to start DS's counseling after PHP completion. One place suggested us go through a full scale of neuropsychological evaluation at Washington DC. The cost is $4,000 plus airfare/hotel for us. Is this pricing within normal range? I appreciate your input.


-hibiscus

[StantonHyde]

Regressing after being told about discharge plans --happens quite often, so I wouldn't feel defeated by this. Did you ask the PHP for recommendations regarding testing etc? Because $4K seems like way too much money to me. Should be more like half that--but I don't live in a HCOLA. The PHP might be able to do the testing for you and they should certainly be able to recommend someone who can do the testing. They should also set you up with a counselor for after care--or did they give you a list of therapists?

[hbridge]

I started interviewing therapists to start DS's counseling after PHP completion. One place suggested us go through a full scale of neuropsychological evaluation at Washington DC. The cost is $4,000 plus airfare/hotel for us. Is this pricing within normal range? I appreciate your input.


-hibiscus

The $4000 price seems reasonable (we live in a HCOL area). Check with insurance, they may cover a portion of this. The neuropsych will give you quite a bit of information that might help you decide on "next steps" and help you learn how to best help your son. That being said, depending on where you are located, you may be able to find someone closer so you wouldn't have to travel...

[hillview]

The $4000 price seems reasonable (we live in a HCOL area). Check with insurance, they may cover a portion of this. The neuropsych will give you quite a bit of information that might help you decide on "next steps" and help you learn how to best help your son. That being said, depending on where you are located, you may be able to find someone closer so you wouldn't have to travel...

Agree that is what we pay locally