Any sugestions

[Guest guest]

Hi, my husband & I are new to GA. We received guardianship of his daughter 1

1/2 yrs ago when her mom had a stroke. When she moved in she couldn't speak,

hold a cup, feed herself, and we thought she may have some hearing loss. Her

mother had no insurance on the little girl & not taken her to a dr since she was

8 mths old. The child had been bounced around to different care givers & when

anyone said there was a problem with the child, her mom would find a new care

giver.

Today the little girl is talking, singing, jumping, reading basic sight

words and is in the process of being officially diagnosed with Autism. She has

been in PT, OT, ST, and early childhood development. The other kids in the home

challenge her physically, mentally, & socially on a daily basis & as a family we

have visual prompts, picture boards & schedules to assist with her independence

& comprehension of the world around her. She is amazing & surprises me each day!

To get to the end here mom has decided now that she is ready for her

daughter to come home & has filed for custody because the child's father is in

the military & was reassigned to GA and could face deployment. Both my husband &

I are concerned for the child's welfare. We have never wanted to discount her

mother's place but we feel that she will only regress. The child is now 5 yrs

old and is functioning between 2 & 3. She has so many challenges ahead & we

don't know what to do. Does anyone have any ideas on how to truly keep the

child's best interest in the courts while paying attention to parental rights.

Thanks!

[Guest guest]

It should not be diffiecult to prove her neglect by the child not receiving a diagnosis or any services while with her. I would also bring the mother's medical condition into play since the daughter would have no care taker if her mother suffered another stroke and the daughter would not be able to call 911.

Marilyn Pyles

Manassas, VA

Subject: Any sugestionsTo: autism-georgia Date: Wednesday, October 21, 2009, 9:09 AM

Hi, my husband & I are new to GA. We received guardianship of his daughter 1 1/2 yrs ago when her mom had a stroke. When she moved in she couldn't speak, hold a cup, feed herself, and we thought she may have some hearing loss. Her mother had no insurance on the little girl & not taken her to a dr since she was 8 mths old. The child had been bounced around to different care givers & when anyone said there was a problem with the child, her mom would find a new care giver.Today the little girl is talking, singing, jumping, reading basic sight words and is in the process of being officially diagnosed with Autism. She has been in PT, OT, ST, and early childhood development. The other kids in the home challenge her physically, mentally, & socially on a daily basis & as a family we have visual prompts, picture boards & schedules to assist with her independence & comprehension of the world around her. She is amazing &

surprises me each day!To get to the end here mom has decided now that she is ready for her daughter to come home & has filed for custody because the child's father is in the military & was reassigned to GA and could face deployment. Both my husband & I are concerned for the child's welfare. We have never wanted to discount her mother's place but we feel that she will only regress. The child is now 5 yrs old and is functioning between 2 & 3. She has so many challenges ahead & we don't know what to do. Does anyone have any ideas on how to truly keep the child's best interest in the courts while paying attention to parental rights. Thanks!