As a parent of special needs children and the president of the Autism Parents Association of Trinidad & Tobago (APATT), I receive a lot of positive feedback from parents about the Child Guidance Clinic South. It is reviewed as a clinic with hard-working professionals who are able to diagnose children in a timely manner and get them the appropriate help.
So, one wonders why the Child Guidance North Clinic, located at Pembroke Street, Port-of-Spain, does not share the same reviews. Indeed it is quite the opposite.Clinics that cater for people with special needs should be empathetic, understanding and most of all, professional.My family and I had the most outrageous experience at this clinic on February 18.
For the past seven months, we have been trying to get one of our children to see a psychologist.We explained clearly to one of the staff members at the clinic back in August, 2015, that it was an urgent case.The person in question said they will call back to see if a psychologist could see him within the next two months.
They casually contacted us in September, 2015, to give an appointment for January, 2016.Later that month, they called back to cancel said appointment because someone on staff had a family situation.
Another call was received that month to state that an appointment was given for February 18 to see one of the children that we don't have an emergency about. We were beyond confused as to what was really going on. Unfortunately, the nightmare does not end there.
We reached on time to our appointment on February 18. They were late and did not start until an hour later.
We met a social worker and an aide who spent between 20 to 30 minutes to decide what they were doing, talking about trivial things, cracking jokes, singing (yes, singing), and so forth, that were not related to our case even though we clearly expressed that we had children with special needs waiting outside.
They started with questions previously asked and for reports that have been already being submitted. The person we talked to from the start did not pass on the information from the screening.They did not have the reports and did not know where they were or who had them. Welcome to the Child Guidance North Clinic.
The interview lasted for four hours and it is certainly not the most upsetting issue of the whole experience.At one point, when they decided to meet our children privately, they said a few things that got one of our special needs children very anxious and upset.
How is it even possible that these people are working with children with special needs? Since when are social workers and aides qualified to act as if they were psychologists?
Since when are social workers and aides allowed to assume and provide personal opinion to children knowing the impact it will have on them?
When our distressed son told us right there at the office what he was told and we asked the social worker and the aide about it, the writing aide became very agitated, loud and started shouting at my husband while moving his body in a threatening way like if he wanted to be physical.
Yes, all of this happening at the clinic and just because a question was asked. At that point, we just walked out of the office.We did not go there to be verbally abused, we went to get assistance for our son and we left without it.In the very end they clearly stated that they will have a conference and choose if they want to see our children again.
Since when do you go to a public health facility to receive help and they tell you that they will contact you if they want to see you?I don't know who is running this clinic, but it certainly looks like it is Mickey Mouse.
I want to urgently plead to the Minister of Health, Mr Terrence Deyalsingh, to please address this matter in the shortest time possible and proper action can be taken so special needs parents do not have to endure the horrific and traumatising experience my family and I had to go through at that clinic.
Maria Borde
President, Autism Parents
Association of Trinidad & Tobago (APATT)
http://www.TTAutism.com
