Social Worker Invovlement??

[ER]

Been awhile since I posted but I have a question regarding my ex, social worker, and I with our son. This may be long so bear with me. I contacted a social worker for my son through is school due to his developmental problems. It was for assitance in services and anything else for his well being. At the time I opened a case, I had temp custody and the mother had visitations. Because my son has an autistic spectrum disorder the SW right away wanted to have a psychological evaulation done to see about suggesting medication. I opposed this and refused any invovlement due to the previous doctor's recommendation that he felt medication was not necessary. All was quiet and after a hellasih cusotdy battle, the GAL and those invovled gave us shared-parenting with me being the residential/custodial parent. This evening the SW came over to give me papers to sign. One of the papers was a request was by my ex to have my son psychologically evaulated. The SW told me the mother now has the right to do this since we have "joint-cusotdy" but she needs to check with her supervisor just to be sure since I was the one who origanlly opened the file.

First and foremost our parenting plan states "The parent who has physical custody of the child shall be responsible for making non-emergency medical decisions regarding the child" Does this mean she has the right to request this evaluation when she has my son? Her visitations are only one day a week, EOW, and every other Monday. Or, since I have primary custody and physical custody is it my right to make the deceison?

I am only challenging this because my ex has the intentions of medicated my son, not for good purposes but becasue she cannot handle him when he is with her at times. The SW involved beleives a second opinion is fine and would not hurt. This is the same person that requested it in the beginning and I refused after finding out about medicating.  My belief is that if I protest, even siting witnessess and documentation of his therapy and development without medication that she will use it all agaisnt me as neglect of the child. She has been hell bent since she walkd out with out her son since and losing her fight for custody.

Truly I have been told all around that if my son can fucntion without meds than that is the best way. And he does well with me but no good with his mom becasue she does not involved herself with his therapy or time. What can I do to fight for my son's rights. I do not want a zombie for a son because the mother say so. BTW the mother is also a SW which does not help me at all.

[Troubledmom]

If you are opposed to medication treatment you need to arm yourself with information about the medications that might be prescribed. First thought that comes to my mind, is that the "primary" line of medications used in Autism are anti depressants and anti psychotics. Many of these drugs have serious side effects and long term effects. MOST of those drugs have NOT been approved for use in children some are actually counter indicated for children.

In addition to this, find as much information as you can on the treatments that you are using, the success rates that they have etc.

If the Social Worker is really bent on a second opinion, get one. But do not use the doctor she or your Ex wants. Call around and find one who is open and receptive to non medication treatments. It may take a bit of research but I bet you canlocate one with a little effort.

I wish you luck. I have a child with some serious psychological issues. I wish I had fought harder over the medication issues. We discovered too late that the medication they prescribed for my son created psychotic episodes that he will now live with the rest of his life and now HAS to be medicated to function at a normal level. No one warned me that was a potiental side effect of the medication they prescribed for his disruptive behavior.

TM