You Want Me To Call It What?

Today we had our first appointment with the Doodle's new Behaviorist. But the paranoia in me kept me thinking he was taking notes on ME and not really getting what I was saying about the Doodle.

He was nice enough; although, I'm seeing a pattern with these people we go to for help and guidance dealing with autism and it's aftermath. Why do these specialists feel the need to take up the majority of the appointment with how freaking awesome they are? Why the sales pitch? What I wanted to say was, "Look buddy, you already have the job you're in my house remember? Now stop talking about yourself for five minutes and help us. I don't need to hear about all of the families with completely different situations and issues that you have helped since you first decided to become a Behaviorist in 1975."

Those of you who read my blog or know me, know me as being a little oh, I don't know, confrontational...but I kept most of my debating to a minimum. The only thing he said that I really did not understand or agree with was my using the term TIME OUT.

When the Doodle acts up and is in one of his freak outs or purposely throws something on the floor, he gets a time out in the baby swing he barely fits into. But it is a place that he understands and can't get up from. It serves it's purpose because it calms him. So we had a little discussion on what I call it.

He told me not to call it a time out but when I asked him he couldn't exactly tell me why. He said it was to redirect and not punish and I said no, it's a punishment with some redirection sprinkled in there. It was supposed to be a consequence when he did something unacceptable. i.e.: You do THIS, you get THAT.

So he told me I should call it something else, anything else. He said it didn't even need to make sense, it could be silly. I thought to myself, you mean, silly like this conversation I'm having with you?

So I said, "How about BANANA?" And he said, "That would be fine." And then I said but if it's OK to call the "consequence" anything at all like your suggesting, what's wrong with TIME OUT? He already knows that one. I said, "I'm going to feel a little foolish trying to tell him to go have a banana when he throws a tantrum and I know that he knows what a banana really is. And, he knows that I know that he knows what a banana is."

He gave me a puzzled look.

So I finished my thought with, "I don't know that I will feel very good confusing my already confused autistic child. We have bigger things to figure out besides what to call a time out."

He just looked at me for a minute and then asked me for another cup of coffee.