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Special Needs
HORRIBLE experience with EI provider
Hi Everyone,
I normally love Early Intervention, but I just dealt with the most insane occupational therapist. . .I just need to vent. (I'd love advice or hearing if anyone else has been in a similar situation).
We've been with EI for over 1 year now, and my daughter already qualifies for speech and PT. Everything is going great. I love all of our providers and our service coordinator.
Today, a new OT was supposed to come do an evaluation. I am a single mom, and I work full-time as a high school teacher, so I have an amazing nanny during the day who is often the care-giver at home when Mia receives her services.
So I get home today, and the nanny says, "We were here all day and she never came." So I call the OT to find out what happened. Apparently, she had the wrong address for our house. So, when she showed up, obviously nobody was there.
She had called my cell, but I didn't hear it because I was teaching. So she waited a while and then left. Now, I would have been understanding about all of this and even apologize for not leaving the nanny's cell phone number, but, immediately, she starts accusing ME of being at fault for not answering my phone and for not being the one at home with my daughter. I explained that I was at work and just couldn't get to my phone. And anyway, how does that explain her having the wrong address? She was like, "How else am I supposed to find a person's house?" I'm like, "Um, GPS? Ask at the cafe across the street?" And, if she had called EI, they could have made sure she had the address right. I said, "Don't you dare make this sound like it's my fault!"
So then she informed me that, for all she knew, I had left my child UNATTENDED all day and that she had not been able to assess the condition of my home which, for all she knew was unfit. WHAT???? Then I totally freaked out and yelled that I couldn't believe she was accusing me of neglecting my child.
She told me that it was a "federal offense" to insult her on the phone.
I said, "Oh really? Because I have a law degree, and I'm pretty sure it's not."
Then she accused me of LYING about my educational background and profession. She's like, "Oh really? Now you're a lawyer? I thought you were a teacher!" (I currently work as a teacher, but I do have a law degree from a rather well-known university)
Anyway, I told her, "Our service coordinator has been to our home many times, and we've never had a problem."
She's like, "I don't know who your service coordinator is!"
I'm so infuriated!!!! As a teacher, I deal with upset parents all the time. I understand that situations with one's children can get stressful, and, in my professional capacity, I always work to always de-escalate a situation. This woman was so horribly insulting and on the offensive from the first minute. She made everything much worse.
Also, how could she be so unfamiliar with our file/background. We've already been with the program for so long. Shouldn't she already have reviewed the file and know my profession and educational background and Mia's home situation?
UGHHHH!
This discussion has been closed.
Re: HORRIBLE experience with EI provider
The bolded would have me going bsc on her. I can't believe she had the nerve to even go there, considering she knew nothing about the state of your child or home. Time to find a new OT. I would file a complaint with your caseworker. The way EI runs in my state is we get to choose from several therapists just by assessing their profile. We lucked out that we had awesome ones each time.
Even if you called her a Bi#$% on the phone, I doubt it's a federal offense.
Agreed. That's ridiculous!
Wow, I believe she may actually be insane.
A bit unhinged to be sure. You don't answer the phone so you're an unfit mother who leaves her child unattended in her unfit home? That's a huge leap to make.
You're right - this chick lives in crazy town and needs to be reported ASAP.
I'm pretty sure I couldn't even speak calmly to her ever again, much less let her service my child. I'd tell your service coordinator and go above, like other people said. You could also report to the board who serves her OT license.
That is just..so ridiculous! I'm dumbfounded.
You don't happen to live in RI do you? We canned our OT from EI because she was just as rude and belittling. I went and talked to our service coordinator and asked for some one else.
Who is she to say what degrees you have? I had a high school teacher who was both a teacher and a lawyer. So, it's not unheard of.
Good luck,
I just started lurling on the bump but i had to reply to this
Honestly as an OT I want to apologize on behalf of this therapist. What she did was unprofessional and gives a bad name to a profession dedicated to helping children. What she did was uncalled for and unprofessional. I do want to say where I am unfortunately sometimes you could get the wrong information from agencies/coordinators and not have all the information about th Echols before staring but that is no excuses for saying the things that were said.
As for the future I would make sure to contact your service coordinator and the agency the therapist was from to let them know what occurred, in my area most agencies are large companies who unfortunately do not care about these negative actions and only want a therapist to take on cases so they can make money! It is unfortunate. I always advice parents to make sure they share their experience with anyone they know so someone else doesn't get stuck with a poor therapist and ask around for recommendations when looking for a therapist to service your child there are plenty of therapists dedicated to this profession.