Reply to Post suicide attempt, coming home, help me make home safer

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]
I’m sorry. It’s a tough place to be in. Definitely start the IEP process.  It takes awhile to get it in place and might not even be in place before this PHP. So you might need to informally work with counselors to make sure school work is sent to the PHP if they request it. [b]You might also need the equivalent of home and hospital services if your daughter is capable.[/b]

As to IEP services for PHP, it will depend on what type of PHP - daily during the school day, after school?

You will also need supports for going back to school. Will you need a special placement or can she return to her home school - that will have to be decided.

There are things like a flash pass and extra time which are pretty generic to everyone. But the specifics of her plan are going to depend on her condition. Most important thing is to get the IEP ball rolling. It was a long process for us because things had to keep getting moved due to frequent hospitalizations. It took four extra months to get a plan in place. [/quote]

Thanks for this. What are home and hospital services that could be available? Do I speak with the hospital's social worker when we start discussing discharge?

The PHP I am looking at is during the school day. I had hoped with her first hospitalization that it would be after school, but with a second hospitalization less than a week later, I'm thinking she needs more intensive treatment. I do not know if she will be allowed to return to her home school. She threatened suicide at school and had a plan. Does anyone know the point at which MCPS would say she needs a special placement? She is pretty popular in school and very athletic so leaving the school for a different one would add to her anxiety.

She already has a 504 with the flash pass and extra time. What other items should I be considering?[/quote]

PP here.  The home and hospital services are through your school.  Talk to your counselor.  I can't remember exactly what it's called, but I think IIS.  It's a pretty easy process to get it in place.  Whether it works is a different story.  I thought the teachers worked really hard to make it successful for my child, but really it never went anywhere because my child was able to access this service.

You really need to get to work on an IEP.  You most likely have the prerequisites for an ED qualification.  If there is any possibility of a learning disability as well, this would be a good time to evaluate that.  We did it through private testing but MCPS will do testing as well.  Let your school counselor know you need her to be evaluated for an IEP.

I am a MCPS parent whose child tried to commit suicide in school twice - two different schools in two different years, one of which was a special ED placement.  MCPS has some pretty great programs for kids with mental health issues.  At the MS level, you have SESES, Bridge and RICA.  At the HS level there is also ESESES.  If none of these work, you might be able to get an outside placement, but the school only pays for the school portion of the services.  You would be responsible for everything else - the residential and medical portions.  Your health insurance might help.

I did opt for some residential services for my child and I was on my own.  The crisis was real - I mean they tried to kill themselves in the bathroom when they had intensive services - and I didn't have time to work through the process to try to get school funding.  MCPS made it clear that they would not assist in paying for any of my child's care or outside educational services, but they were great about working with the residential programs to be sure that my child maximized the schooling options and got enough credits so as not to fall behind grade level.  I don't know if I could have hoped for better given that everything is a process and it didn't feel like we had the luxury of taking the time to jump through the hoops.  No regrets.

One last thought.  I know it seems like leaving her school would exacerbate her anxiety.  But that might be your projection and not her reality.  As parents, we want our kids to succeed in the environment and trajectory that we always saw for them.  But when mental illness changes the course, we need to change the way we look at the future.  When your child has a suicide plan, the goal is keeping them alive, not keeping them on their course.  It's hard but you have to open your mind to different paths and different options.  Maturity really makes a difference (along with good medical care).  But the path might end up looking very different than you expected. It's a hard road for both your daughter and for you.  Please take care of yourself on this most difficult journey.

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