Off on the wrong track with EI scheduling - VENT! UPDATE

We had our meeting with goals and what services DS would get with EI. What transpired was that the agency would work on a schedule, the Team Leader would contact us, they would all work together for DS' goals.

Last week, I heard from 1 person doing the ABA. She has the same 1st name as the Team Leader (which at the time I had still not heard from). Great! She does not know what other services DS is getting. I finally hear 2 days later from the Team Leader after I called the agency on "progress" on the schedule. She tells me we will start THIS WEEK. Thanks for the short notice! She does not have the schedule because her computer at home crashed. OK! The speech therapist called today. She give me the time she would come twice a week. She "could" be 10 minutes late on one day because she has to wait for her DH to come home. Honestly, I don't care. I want DS to get his services. I don't need to hear their personal story or issues. Sorry! Just frustrated a bit here. So I tell her that 5 minutes is OK but we will have 4+ therapists every week and I need to keep a schedule because we will have to home a lot and I need to have my own schedule too for errands, etc.. and I can't just wait for her to show whenever she can. I found that completely unprofessional and ridiculous. Then she tells me she is expecting and due in May. Great! She did not even start and she will be gone in 3 months. So I tell her it's not an issue if she can be here and there is a transition between and the new therapist. That I don't want to just find a new therapist at my door one day and have no transition for DS. And she asked me if we had other therapists too. What????? So I asked when she would start since I just found that from the Team Leader that we are starting this week. She said she would call the agency and let me know if we are starting tomorrow also. Well, it's almost 5:30pm and she did not call. I have to work tomorrow night. So, if she decides to show up and we are not here.... I will lose it!!!

They did not find an OT yet.

So far, it leaves me with the feeling that the schedule is just fishing for whoever is available. NOT therapists who are organized and the "best" for DS and his specific diagnostic.

What happened to our "the agency will put a schedule together with you and therapists will all work together with the Team Leader on the same goal for DS"?

People are calling me with no introduction prior to it, they have no clue what services DS is getting, they don't know when to start, etc..

VENT OVER!

*************************
UPDATE!

So we met with the Team Leader this morning. I told her about the way this process is coming across and the Speech Therapist. She was actually very surprised someone would tell me that they must wait for their DH to come home 1st so she can come to us. After she left she called the agency and called me back and she told me she was approved and would start next week. She will be told about "being on time". Meanwhile, I talked to DH and some of your answers and YES, I am going to ask for someone else. I just feel it's just too much to worry about right now. We are starting with 5 sessions of ABA and soon go to 10 sessions per weeks. With OT twice a week and Speech/feeding twice a week also, I need to have consistency. I can't have people coming late. As far as "it's hard to find people during this time"... as a mom... that's really not my problem. If you cannot do the job, let me know and I will go to an agency that can.

Message edited 2/11/2009 10:10:09 AM.

Re: Off on the wrong track with EI scheduling - VENT!

Wow that sounds so frustrating, sorry to hear things aren't going so smoothly for you. Just to give you some inside info I'm a therapist and its probably not so much that the agency isn't doing their job as much as it is really difficult to find therapists this time of year, in general. Unfortunately, alot of therapists schedules fill up by now and the agencies are left to call around to see who has any availability. I alone have gotten 4 phone calls this week to pick up additional clients and I just don't have the room. But there is a light at the end of the tunnel, You probably won't have any difficulty getting another speech therapist to cover for your current slp in May b/c alot of therapists schedules open up again for the summer. So scheduling won't be so difficult in the near future its just this particular time of year that seems to be hard. HTH

Re: Off on the wrong track with EI scheduling - VENT!

That is extremely frustrating.

DS's old speech therapist was weird like that. She would be late everyday... I mean like 5-10 minutes late, and DS was her first case in the morning, AND she lived about 10-15 minutes away from me. She would have the "oh there is construction/traffic" excuse every morning. It would annoy me to no end. Her personality bugged me, and DS as well, and I was very close to switching to someone else, but DS quickly switched into a school setting before that happened.

So annoying!!

Re: Off on the wrong track with EI scheduling - VENT!

Can I ask what agency your using? I find this odd. We had our eval and started services within 3 and 1/2 weeks. We met everyone and it started promptly.

Is the team leader the same as a service coordinator? Is your coordinator through your agency or through the State?



Honestly? I would ask for another Speech therapist. I wouldnt start with her based on what you know...her PG, her maybe being late. Doesnt sound like your gonna get off on the right foot IMO.

Re: Off on the wrong track with EI scheduling - VENT!

Posted by dm24angel

Can I ask what agency your using? I find this odd. We had our eval and started services within 3 and 1/2 weeks. We met everyone and it started promptly.

Is the team leader the same as a service coordinator? Is your coordinator through your agency or through the State?



Honestly? I would ask for another Speech therapist. I wouldnt start with her based on what you know...her PG, her maybe being late. Doesnt sound like your gonna get off on the right foot IMO.

Re: Off on the wrong track with EI scheduling - VENT!

I'm sorry Sophie, how frustrating! I would def. ask for another speech therapist. EJ might take a bit to warm up to her and then if she is leaving you will have to start all over again with someone new.

Re: Off on the wrong track with EI scheduling - VENT!

my friend had tons of therapy for her son. it is hard to schedule. and its true, this late in the year, alot of schedules are already booked, so they are looking to fill in spots. if you're getting ABA be prepared for a lot of turn over, and rotation, and diffrerent people on different days. once things get rolling, it will all settle down.

Re: Off on the wrong track with EI scheduling - VENT!

Posted by dm24angel

Can I ask what agency your using? I find this odd. We had our eval and started services within 3 and 1/2 weeks. We met everyone and it started promptly.

Is the team leader the same as a service coordinator? Is your coordinator through your agency or through the State?



Honestly? I would ask for another Speech therapist. I wouldnt start with her based on what you know...her PG, her maybe being late. Doesnt sound like your gonna get off on the right foot IMO.

Message edited 2/11/2009 7:01:24 AM.

Re: Off on the wrong track with EI scheduling - VENT!

ITA agree with the others that said to call the agency director. This is not how this works. Let them know what you want and when you want it. You may have to bend a bit and compromise, but having to deal with a lack of scheduling and then someone new in 3 months...not so much. You also have every right to call your service coordinator and tell them you'd like to go with another agency if this one is not giving you a professional experience. There are quite a few agencies out there and you shouldn't have to deal with nonsense.

Feel free to FM for the agency I work with, they've been great.

Re: Off on the wrong track with EI scheduling - VENT! UPDATE

Sorry, I am in EI hell myself. This process is not working for us.

Re: Off on the wrong track with EI scheduling - VENT! UPDATE

Just wanted to offer

We had a bit of the same problem with scheduling last year since my ds started late in the year. I did have to make myself annoying a bit and it all ended up working out. We're all here for you so vent away!

Re: Off on the wrong track with EI scheduling - VENT! UPDATE