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Dear Soon to be ex-Case Manager,<\/p>\n
The call from you came yesterday with that bland generic \u201cmy sons\u2019 public school district\u2019s\u201d phone number popping up, and as always, I held my breath.<\/p>\n
Is Zach sick?<\/p>\n
Did I forget to send in his lunch (again)?<\/p>\n
Is Justin\u2019s placement in jeopardy (Dear God no, it\u2019s too early for wine).<\/p>\n
Fortunately it was none of the above, just you dear case manager, calling to tell me after about eleven years of almost continuous service for our boy, you\u2019ve been reassigned.<\/p>\n
Cue adrenaline, and deep deep regret.<\/p>\n
I\u2019ll have Justin\u2019s public school administrators know that this was not in the Kim McCafferty lifetime plan, the one where we had you for the next seven years, inappropriately invite you to his high school graduation, and bask in our mutual understanding of one another. We\u2019ve had two other case managers over the years and they were lovely, but neither lasted that long so I didn\u2019t become attached.<\/p>\n
Yes, I know I have an issue.<\/p>\n
I easily recall the day you let us know you\u2019d been reassigned once more to our family. It involved my 6\u20194\u201d husband almost dancing (yes, I said dancing) across the front lawn holding out the phone to me as I waited for Justin, crowing with delight the words that filled our hearts- \u201cShe\u2019s back! She\u2019s back!\u201d as I skipped (yup!) across our grass to grab the phone to hear it for myself.<\/p>\n
Pathetic? Maybe. But I guarantee any parent of an autistic child reading this gets it.<\/p>\n
The thing is, you \u201cget\u201d us, and you \u201cget\u201d Justin, and that\u2019s absolutely priceless. I remember meeting you eleven years ago after we\u2019d just moved to NJ from Washington, DC, and frankly, I was still in a bit of shock (and unbeknownst to me at the time about to get pregnant again, trust me, an even bigger shock). You calmly walked a very stressed out mom through all our options for Justin at that first meeting, and when things didn\u2019t go as planned, helped us come up with viable alternatives.<\/p>\n
You truly listened to us. As a former educator, I knew it was a gift.<\/p>\n
The thing is, you\u2019ve watched him grow up. You\u2019ve seen him through three different communication systems, just as many placements, and you never balked when we came to the difficult decision that perhaps a public school placement wasn\u2019t the right thing for him anymore. You (almost literally) held my hand as we looked at different options, scouted out others on your own, and led me away from places you told me you\u2019d never send your own kids.<\/p>\n
I can\u2019t tell you how much I appreciated your honesty.<\/p>\n
You always returned my calls, even in the early days when the sheer volume of my queries would have driven anyone to quit. You supported our choice of placement, rejoiced when he got accepted. When his iPad eventually broke (twice) you moved mountains to get it fixed so my boy wouldn\u2019t be without his words.<\/p>\n
In my words, I\u2019m so grateful that you cared.<\/p>\n
You see, the thing is dear case manager, I was hoping if this family kept our heads down the powers that be wouldn\u2019t notice you\u2019d been with us almost a decade, but I guess a little reorganization is in order, and it\u2019s time to share the wealth of you. Before you go I want you to know how much your concern for our family, your organizational skills, and your knowledge base helped us. You were one less thing I had to worry about, and trust me, especially in those days where I had two autistic kids under the age of four, I needed one less thing to worry about.<\/p>\n
I know that\u2019s not in your job description, but thanks anyway.<\/p>\n
You really were magnificent, and trust me, I\u2019m a former teacher from a family of them, I know what\u2019s out there. You will forever be a part of \u201cTeam Justin,\u201d and have made a major contribution to my productive, kind, and happy child. Please take that knowledge with you when you go, and know how lucky those future families are (yes, I\u2019m jealous). And know that if you ever come back, skipping and dancing will again ensue.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s a promise.<\/p>\n
Thank you.<\/p>\n
For more on my family visit my blog at autismmommytherapist.wordpress.com<\/em><\/p>\n Follow me on Facebook at Autism Mommy-Therapist<\/em><\/p>\n