The only thing that I didn't get 100% buy in for was not punishing him for his behavior issues. He has never been a danger to himself or anyone else, but he can be insubordinate. The staff seem to agree that the underlying issue is anxiety, but they still butt heads with him rather than letting minor outbursts slide. We'll have to work on that one.
One more observation - the LBS that has been working with him for the last year seems to be the least helpful person overall (she should be the most helpful, you'd think). She is great at reporting problems but does not look for antecedents or solutions. On the bright side, she is 8 months pregnant and will likely be out of the picture for a while. Hopefully they hire someone better.
Anyway, so far so good.
This is good news all around. As for the punishing (I hate that word), this is probably always going to be a sticking point, don't you think? The important thing, IMO, is that consequences are framed as consequences and that there is some actual learning for DS involved. Cause/effect...and making sure the adults understand that communication needs to be clear, rational, and non-emotional (tall order).
What is LBS? Behavioral specialist or something like that? Yes, ironic that the person who should be a critical facilitator doesn't seem to understand the role. I hope her baby is happy and healthy and...born on the early side of normal. :P
Oh, and his behavior has been outstanding for yesterday and today. Could be the change in meds, could be something else. Go figure.
Yay! So glad to read this. I did read a bit about Abilify and it sounds like it has some mood stabilizing properties? I'm going with med change. Does DS seem to feel better? Are you seeing any troubling side effects?
