Respect for that courage.

Relationship really is everything here, right? Tell him that you know he's a fantastic person, and that he's competent to find help if he needs it in the future. Show him you believe that. Love him and respect him. You're a great mom. You can do this.

If it's any comfort, public high schools do this all.the.time. Your ds would qualify for an IEP if he were in ps. Accommodations are made.

A developmental point comes when kids need to set their own goals. He may keep on gaining lots of ground, but it needs to be on his terms now. He's not finished learning, but he is done having his education directed by mom. Best not to stand in the way of that.

You could be talking about a kid I know. Some things are never going to be retained; some things will be learned on a different schedule. Here, the decision is that the relationship is more important than any of that. Supporting the young adult in front of you eventually takes the place of teaching the kid in front of you.

From experience, you'll need more than one person. You'll get to the point where you need more hours, more patience, and more stamina than one person can offer. You'll need a backup, even if you don't need many hours right now. And, you'll be lucky if the first people you hire are still working for you at the end of this road. It's a stressful job. Personally, right now I'd try to hire both, if possible. If not... whoever you hire is unlikely to be the last person you hire. I might start with the man, but keep the nurse's number, and be ready to keep interviewing others. Or start with the nurse, and push through your father's objections at the start instead of later. Being able to get through this process with *only* male caregivers isn't likely, so you're going to have to do that at some point. Sending best wishes and hugs. It's hard.

This is me, too.

I'm so sorry. Holding you all in my thoughts.

No Facebook here. Every once in a while I wish I could use it for some reason, like the free cycle groups I hear about, or keeping in loose touch with old friends. Never wanted it enough to sign up, though, and generally I'm glad not to be involved.

That's such good news! So glad she can talk, even if it's just a bit at first.

Maybe Surviving the Island of Grace, by Leslie Leyland Fields? A Google search turns up several books about or by women in Alaska, but since you said "off the coast," an island setting seems like a possibility. If this is the right book, she's written a number of others.

I'm so very sorry.

Thinking of you.

Is there a union, of any sort? I knew of a similar situation once which was resolved by having the principal removed after teachers sought union assistance (and this was in a state which doesn't allow actual teachers' unions, but there seemed to be a group which functioned similarly). I don't know much, but heard the story after the fact from one of the teachers who was very relieved by the changes.

The confused emoji doing heavy lifting here again, when what we need is something clearly aghast. This reaction against vaccines is going to haunt us beyond the pandemic, I'm afraid.

This has been true here.

Thinking of you all.

Oh, well. Cats. 😁

Is she...of a certain age?

Same here.

Hope you feel better soon!

Holding her, and your whole family, in my thoughts.

Did the psychologist see your ds, or was this a phone conversation? I'm having several thoughts. Certainly no one should diagnose ADHD or ASD without a thorough evaluation, which, at least for ASD, would involve hours of testing and interaction, plus a detailed case history. The pandemic might make me hesitant to ascribe social difficulties to ASD quickly (on the presumption that the child has been unusually isolated), though it sounds like your ds is getting a good bit of social activity. But the problem you're describing isn't a social deficit, it's an emotional regulation deficit (which can be a huge part of ADHD or ASD). So, how would the pandemic be the cause? Maybe just by increasing overall stress in the family? I could see that. But I don't see it as an issue caused by a friend moving, or cured by more friend time. Next, from personal experience I can say that psychologists and therapists don't always recognize what's in front of them. They're trained professionals, but they're also humans who miss things, have preconceptions about what kids with _____ look like, were trained before current thinking was current, etc. That doesn't mean your ds has anything diagnosable; just don't assume one person has all the answers. Try her suggestions, by all means. But if the problem persists, don't think all the questions have been answered because of what this person said.

So much tragedy. Holding her in my thoughts.

Sending good thoughts and hugs. I hope she's at the new hospital by now and getting the care she needs.