Daycare and Medication | Autism PDD
This may seem like a silly question, but I need to ask it.
-Does a daycare owner have any say in the medication a child takes and if (s)he takes any?
-What could possibly happen to someone (other than a parent) who doesn't give an autistic child his/her medicine that a doctor prescribed?
-What could happen if the dosage is changed on the medicine by someone without the consent of a parent or doctor?
-Who would someone go to to turn this type of behavior in?
Thanks.
At the very least, I would think they could lose their license over this. I would contact the agency who issued their license to file a complaint. If they are not administering meds properly, I would not take my child back out of concern for their safety.
http://nrc.uchsc.edu/STATES/states.htm
Thank you for replying, I am going to check out the site you linked to.
Also, when a center looses its license what happens?
Is it shut down automatically, and all employees loose their jobs?
Are they given a notice of any sort?
I would hate for the center's employees to loose their jobs and parents be without care for their child which may result in them loosing jobs.
That I don't know. I wouldn't think that they would shut down a daycare automatically because a family feels medication is not being given properly. I would imagine they would need to investigate the matter first. I would call the licensing agency and pose these questions to them. They could tell you the protocol for the state in question.The child in question has not been getting his medication at all, and he is supposed to take it 2x a day while at daycare. The child's parents have no idea this is going on, but most of the staff knows about it. The child has been spending most of his time spinning and mumbling to him/herself since the medicine has been taken away. He had been making good eye contact, talking a lot, and having very good behavior.
Should the child's parents be contacted first, the licensing agency, both?
The dept of health and human services has a number I could call...
I am no expert on daycares- The parents need to know if this is going on. The medication was prescribed for a reason. The parents of this child are probably beside themselves trying to figure out what is wrong with their child. If you have knowledge about a child not being properly cared for, you need to come forward.
Many kids go to daycare in the private home of a daycare mom. At least around here on LI. For the most part, these daycare situations are not licensed, so there is NO recourse. If the daycare is an on-the-books sort of daycare center, suit is possible. In ANY event, I'd get that child OUT of that daycare situation ASAP. Medication is NOTHING to fool with.
[QUOTE=autismnoob]The child in question has not been getting his medication at all, and he is supposed to take it 2x a day while at daycare. The child's parents have no idea this is going on, but most of the staff knows about it. The child has been spending most of his time spinning and mumbling to him/herself since the medicine has been taken away. He had been making good eye contact, talking a lot, and having very good behavior.
Should the child's parents be contacted first, the licensing agency, both?
The dept of health and human services has a number I could call...
[/QUOTE]
Based on the changes in the child's behavior, as a parent I would want to know a.s.a.p. This is a serious situation. Please tell them.
I have yet to meet this child's mom, so I don't know if she is the type of person who would turn this in or if she would just withdrawal her child from care at this center.
What a mess.
If you turn them in, the parents will not have any say ... but they also would not be in any way culpable. I would consider that a HUGE relief, if I were the parent -- having a kid with autism, and having to find another placement for them, is stressful enough.
And, in the abstract, I feel if you are aware of noncompliant daycare staff, you have a moral obligation to report them. If not for this child, for the next one ... what if it were, say, anti-epilepsy meds, and a child had an injurious seizure, because someone "did not believe" the meds were needed? They are not in a position to decide that.
I am not saying that I know what I would do, I do not have enough details.
A daycare provider not giving an autistic child (or any child) their prescribed medication is a serious situation. Without question, the parents need to know.
Do you know the reason no one wants to get involved?
Confrontation with the daycare owner is what I am scared of.Reporting something like this shouldn't be so hard, no wonder so much stuff goes unreported.
The owner is in the wrong. You are not. The owner is the one who should be scared. Thank you :) autismnoob - I just wanted to add that I'm sorry you have found yourself in this situation. It's terrible that this is going on. However, sometimes in life we need to speak up, especially when a child is involved.What doesn't kill us will make us stronger, right?
My speaking up skills aren't to great, but this job of mine is helping a lot.
I want to thank those of you who have given me opinions and help. As things progress I will be sure to let you know what is going on. Who knows, this may make the news because I know they are breaking several other rules as well.
I'm sure you'll do just fine. Best Wishes.they are scared.
I guess they think they will get fired or something, they all have kids and bills so they can't loose their job. I have no children and no bills, so if I loose my job I could care less.
Also, this kid is an awesome, intelligent child who is getting screwed over. I feel like I need to help him because this child won't tell on the person.
Scared? - Apathetic is more like it.
Start out by letting the parents know right away. This is a safety issue for this boy.
You are doing the right thing.
Oh my gosh! That is so unbelievable! I would let the parents know asap. If you can do it anonymously that would be nice. If not tell them not to reveal their source if you don't want to get into any confrontation with the daycare owner. But you are doing the right thing by finding a way to help this child you obviously care about his future. May we have more of you in daycares and schools.
Concernedpa.
Personally, I would go to the web site I posted for the National Resource Center for Health and Safety in Child Care and Early Education and click on the state you are in. A contact agency should come up. I would call them first and explain the situation. They could give further advise if necessary.
Best Wishes.
Health and Human Resources comes up on that, they have a form on their site to fill out on how to report a violation.It won't let me stay anonymous though, and I really wish I could. Do you think, if I asked them, they would keep my name private? I am a minor if that makes any difference.
Rather than fill out the form on the web site, call them and explain the situation and see what advise they have. Also, if you are a minor, talk to your parents about the situation.
Nobody else at the center wants to get involved either.
Tonight I am writing up a letter to send home to Payton's (I am from now on calling this child Payton) parents tomorrow. I will let Payton's parents know my opinion on the matter, Payton's behavior, and how long this has been going on. I'll tell them my plans are come Monday someone is being informed of this that can take necessary action, if they would prefer me not to turn it in because they want to , I will let them.
My question now is, who does this need to be turned in to?
-The licensing agency?
-Health and Human Resources?
-Social Services?
-Child Protection Services?
All staff think that Payton needs the medication, but the owner of the daycare says "No" and will not allow anyone to give the medicines to Payton. There are 5 people total that can give medicines in our building, and I am not one of them.
Good luck, autismnoob, and I commend you for recognizing the situation, its risks, and handling it ethically!
Please, PLEASE let us know what is going on and what happens!
Why would they not give the medication? I feel this is criminal. Were you able to let the parents know??? Any new news?Does anyone have any idea how this works though? I think I asked in here before.Once it is faxed what happens? Do they email me or call me? Will they just show up one day? Does it take a while before something actually happens?
I am a control freak, in a way. I like to know when things happen and how they happen.
I started to write a note home at nap time but then had to run an errand for a teacher. I am an aide, so I get to do all kinds of running around the buildings since teachers can't leave their rooms alone with me. I enjoy that though, I get to meet all of the kids. I brought it home and finished it.
A fax will arrive at the dept. of health and human services tomorrow about what has been going on because their website doesn't work.
Hopefully things will get rolling on Thursday. Silly 4th of July just had to happen in the middle of the week this year!
Payton didn't bring a book bag today, so I couldn't send the note home. Plus he was wearing basketball shorts, so no pockets.
Silly things are keeping this from happening and it is making me mad...and stressed.
I know that this can cause bad side effects with his body, but does anyone know what it might cause? Other than development and behavior. My dad's friend said it could cause blood problems.
Thats a tough thing to do, but it has to be done. I wish I knew the parents so I knew how to inform them.
autismnoob, You have done the right thing, and you should be proud of yourself. If my child was in this situtation I would want to know. Not giving this child medication without parents knowledge might have led to increased medication or a change in medication if the parents no longer thought it was working. A doctor prescribed this medication for a reason and a day care provider has no business not giving it to them. What you did could have saved a child from unnecessary medication changes or withdraw symptoms, or regression. Thank you for being a great caregiver to a disabled child. I am sure the parents of this child will be gratefull as well. Thank you Loki.
I just hope my report went through, I didn't get a conformation message or verification page. I'll probably just call it in on Monday as well.
I just hope something is done, often times people who are active members in the community just get a slap on the wrist. Another active community member in my area abused his 2 children physically, mentally and sexually. Instead of being thrown in jail his children were put in foster care for 6 months and got regular visitation to see their dad (the abuser). They never got a chance to see their mom though, who wanted custody and they now live back with their dad. Shows how messed up the system is.
Anyone know what will be done, is this something that will be acted upon right away or will it take weeks? I don't know if I can handle weeks, this child is going to hurt himself or someone else. It's horrible watching him regress.
Hopefully I will hear from someone by Monday.
Hi autismnoob - good to hear from you. Did you also let the parents know what has been happening?
No I did not.I was going to today, but his file was locked (funny how it was only the file drawer with his file in it that was locked) so I couldn't get any info. I am going to try again on Monday, if it's still locked I'll write a note home. My cousin just got her schedule changed, so she closes now and will give it to him mom, since he is one of the last ones to be picked up.
Glad to hear you are trying. Just out of curiosity, do you know why the daycare has not been giving this boy his meds?The director of the center believes the meds make him act like a zombie and not a child. This is really frightening. I'm so glad you sent that fax, & I hope this case
will be handled properly as far as the owners & the law go. It's so scary, to
think that the people you entrust w/ your child's care would do this.
Thankfully you spoke up! For our dd, her medication is for seizures but is
also rx'd for behavior sometimes for kids w/ PDD. If I picked her up & found
her to be acting differently in the evening, her doc may up the dosage
(missing 1 dose per day would alter her blood levels too). Scary, because on
the weekends, she'd be getting overdosed. Let us know how what happens.I still haven't heard anything.
My dad told me to keep an eye out for people coming in for "interviews". Nobody here got interviewed. When I got my job, I walked in, she asked me what kind of hours I wanted and if I would work during the summer, and then she said she would call me with the day I started. A week later I got a call with my 2 week schedule.
Crazyyyy.
I don't know exactly which one it is, but it is a type of psychotropic medication. Since you don't know specifically what medication this child is on, I will tell you what my sons medication says about his. He is on Risperdal, it is an psychiatric (antipsychotic-type). This medication can help you think more clearly and function in daily life. That works helping restore the balance of certain natural substances in the brain (neurotransmitters). Do not stop this medication without your Doctors approval. Use this medication regularly in order to get the most benefit from it. Remember to use it the same times each day as perscribed. It does not say why you should not stop it without approval. The person who is not giving this medication to this child is really messing with the thinking process of this child, This should be against the law and the parents need to know what is going on. To me it is abuse. My child would not even be able to go to school without his medication. He was non-functioning without it. Maybe a pharmacist would be able to tell you more.
Thanks Loki!
I just know for a fact right now that cutting out half of your medication 5 days a week screws you up.
I sent the fax in yesterday, so now we just need to wait and see when I hear something.
I wish you luck, This really,really makes me mad! Thank you Linda.
I still haven't heard anything. A girl came in today to see about getting a job, but I know her, and she's younger than me.
Would this problem cause him to be extremely exhausted? The past three days he's gotten done lunch and then grabbed my hand and told me he wants his blanket. He looks tired all the time, falls asleep extremely fast, and stays asleep for the whole nap.
Usually (I am told from his past teachers at the center) he takes forever to falls asleep, is the first one up and is restless when he is asleep. I am not doing anything different from what they did.
Crazy, indeed.
fingers crossed for ya!!!
How about calling Child Protective services. I know you can make anonymous calls to them??? Just a thought. Brainstorming.I really want to try to avoid calling if I can.I get nervous and talk super fast on the phone, even if I am talking to my grandparents or ordering pizza. I end up forgetting what I want to say, and that wouldn't be good in this situation.
If nothing is done by next week after I fax this new letter, that's what I will do. Or I will fax one to CPS and The Dept. Of Health and Human Resources.
Still no new news.
I couldn't be with him today, because someone called in sick for another classroom. He had a terrible day, he cried for most of it, and didn't nap at naptime very well. I did write this down in his behavior log. Have I mentioned I have been keeping track of his behavior since his first medicine-less day?
Can you catch a glimse of the actual medicine bottle to find out the prescribing Dr? Maybe write them a letter. Also, what is the Daycare doing with the medicine? Tossing it? Don't the parents notice a full bottle??? Are you still unable to get to his file???
All medicines are kept in a locked cabinet inside of the directors office, so I haven't seen the medicine bottle.As for what they are doing with the medicine I have no clue. It could be just sitting in the cabinet, they could be tossing it, selling it, the director could be taking it, I have no clue.
It'll be a month next week that he hasn't had it, so his mom should be bringing in some more medicine. They will probably just take the new bottle from her, and act like nothing is wrong. Or dump the old bottle and give it back, I have no idea.
I still have not been able to get to his file. By law I am not even supposed to see his file, but I have been trying. I checked in her office again, and it wasn't where it was the day she told me to come get it if I wanted it. I cabinet where the rest of his classes is is still locked.
I just wrote up a longer letter and tried to email it to them but it wouldn't work. I think this letter sounds more "you better do it or I will keep pestering you". I am leaving in the morning for two days, so I won't be able to fax or call them until Thursday.
Did you get a note home to the parents? I feel like there should be a way to find them in the phone book or internet and send them an anonymous letter if you have too.I am really going to start pestering them. Maybe they received it, but have to investigate or something before they can contact me.
I just want to know what is going on.
No I haven't been able to. He has been wearing basketball shorts every day and no longer brings a bag with him. I tried looking them up in the phone book, but they are unlisted. I've tried searching on the internet (and myspace and facebook) with no luck.
I really hope I hear from the dept. of health and human services soon...I am growing impatient.
You could write a script, practice it several times and then read it when you call if you feel you'll be too nervous. It's worked for me in the past.
Just typed up my newest letter to them. It'll be sent out in the morning.
If I don't hear anything by Wednesday, I am going to the local office to tell them in person. I'll have to miss work to do it oh well.
Good Luck autismnoob. I don't want to be kept updated on every thing that goes on, but I would like to know that something is being done.
The inspector was at the daycare the other day just checking out the kitchen and some things that she has remodeled. I was talking to a coworker when they were in the office talking and she was saying about how there is so much that goes on that nobody knows about. I was like, "Yeah, like the whole medicine thing?". Then she started saying about how our boss would find a way to blame it on everyone who is with Payton and who can give medicine.
Wouldn't surprise me if she did.
She's always given him his medicine in the past though, hopefully that's in his book.
I doubt she would update it everyday, she either did it in advance (in which case she probably marked the few days he was absent) or will do it when she gets a call she's going to be inspected (hopefully they come as a surprise).
I no longer work with Payton. Everyone got new schedules today, and my hours were cut back a lot and I am in a different class now.
I have no idea why.
Perhaps she got a phone call or something?
Hmmm, Interresting - Have you made a follow-up call to verify your fax was received?No, I haven't done that.
My dad got the newest fax sent on the 26th, which is a lot later than I hoped but he hadn't been in the office.
Payton had a horrible week this week, I don't know what is up with that. It was the worst week that I have seen since I had been with him.
parent's must know now! Report the owner now to all places! No staff has a right not to give meds. School staff can't even mention meds. for education either against the law.
I don't expect they would keep you personally updated on their investigation, but keep pestering them! If that were my son, I would want to know. A lot of the meds these kids get put on it is necessary to have every dose. For my son it could be dangerous to not give him his meds. And I'm not a drug expert but probably the psychotropic drugs are addictive and need to be taken on schedule. Please let the parents know for the health and safety of the boy. I would stake out the center until the parents came and tell them if there is no other way. Maybe slip a note on the windshield when they go in to get him letting them know how long he's not been getting meds. Please hurry. It makes me so angry that the people paid to take care of our children can get away with something like that. And sad to say but it would probably take a while for them to start an investigation. Also sad to say that the director could mark that he was given the meds and that would be the end of the investigation. I know at school they keep a record every time a med is administered and I would hope the same standards apply to daycare centers. The parents have to know NOW. I am proud of you for trying to help this kid when no one else will. Thank you and stay strong.
I still haven't heard anything. If I don't hear anything by Wednesday night I am sending a new fax on Thursday morning with more details and telling them I want to know as soon as they receive it.I am going to be gone 2 days this week, so I don't know how things will be. He'll be in with the 3-4 years olds all day with no one on one time and no quite time.
Hi! - Make sure you follow-up with phone calls. Verify they received the information and then pester them.
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