Patient Stories: Billy

Billy, age 10 - 13

Billy was an engaging young man who had many challenges interacting with others. He often had violent eruptions. He also had difficulty understanding and completing his school work. His mother was not able to understand or handle him within her family unit. Thus, Billy came to live with us.

His needs:

• Medical and psychiatric examination and testing to discover any medical reasons for his condition.
• A loving home that could provide structure via a consistent daily routine.
• Someone who would formally request school testing and on-going counseling from the school system.
• Someone, namely a parent or guardian, who would meet with the other members of and be Billy's advocate within his CARE Conference. This consists of a group of school specialists who share and evaluate test results for the purpose of collectively developing an appropriate IEP, Individual Education Plan, for a student (Billy).

What we provided:

• We ordered a series of diagnostic tests for Billy. It is very challenging to correctly diagnose a child. We went through a series of diagnoses; some were correct and some were incorrect. Unfortunately, through a misdiagnosis of a medication, Billy erupted very violently and was placed in a psychiatric hospital. The bright light in this hospitalization, however, was that we finally received a correct diagnosis of Bi-polar disease complicated by hyperactivity.
• Regarding Billy's need for structure and daily routine:
  1. We got him involved in the following group activities that would build his character:
     • Boy Scouts: weekly meetings & occasional hiking/camping trips
     • School Sports: wrestling and baseball
     • Youth Activities at the YMCA
  2. We provided consistent homework support so that he wouldn't get behind in his learning and would have more confidence.
  3. We taught him how to make a daily checklist and reference that list. He was rewarded based on what he completed on his list and he learned the value of hard work.
• We filled out all the paperwork and formally requested school testing to identify any other learning issues. We also supported on-going conferences with his guidance counselor.
• Three times a year we participated in the Care Conference as Billy's advocate.

After 3 years, Billy was able to return home to live with his mother.

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