Stephanie Fischer

Review of Dayton Children's Medical Cent...

I personally wouldn't give Dayton Children's a one...

I personally wouldn't give Dayton Children's a one star rating but was necessary to write the review. Let me start by WARNING other parents who have children with disabilities not to bother bringing your child here. I started by bringing my son here when he was 3, he was showing autistic behavior and his pediatrician put in a referral to their psychiatric dept. I met with a woman who had me fill out a questionnaire form then did some interacting with my son, she later determined he wasn't autistic. At this point I will give you a brief run down: My son is now 5 years old, he has been diagnosed with Childhood Apraxia Of Speech, which he has attended speech therapy (EVERY WEEK) for two years. It's still not helping, he attends at Dayton Children's Speech Therapy department, he still cannot say clear words or sentences, he babbles A LOT. Imagine being a mother and not being able to understand 95% of your child's speech. It's very rough. He also has behavioral issues, I have experienced withholding issues from him where Iv'e had to meet with an encopresis specialist for. The only reason iv'e come to this hospital for help is because I am a local Dayton resident, it's the closest place I know of. I don't know where else to go or where I can turn to!!!!!!!! My son needs help, it hurts me knowing that he could be a lot further along in his development to being able to communicate and play with other children if he had been receiving proper therapy for a diagnoses that he still yet hasn't received. Now I understand autism is serious, nor would I want my son diagnosed with it if I didn't think he had it or exhibited key signs of it. I feel doctors and medical professionals have over diagnosed autism and now they just make it really difficult to get a diagnoses. I've talked to parents that have autistic children in my sons class and they even feel he has it, they also expressed the difficulties of getting your child properly diagnosed and told me that I would have to fight for my son, that I would have to fight for it, and that I will. I will not continue to be pushed around by Dayton Children's, because MY SON IS THE ONE SUFFERING because of their carelessness. I've been researching other facilities that may help me with diagnosing him properly so we can get him into proper therapy.

I am so livid and angry with this facility because I am a single mother who is the one with ALL the responsibility to take my son to these appointments, I can't tell you the countless appointments I've had to just hear the same things over and over. It's taking time away from my job, which I don't get paid when I have to take off and do this, and I don't mind that at all IF we were actually getting somewhere and I was hearing new things and t he appointments didn't seem pointless. They haven't given me any new info on anything, or resources or advice on what I can do where I can go, it's extremely hard on my end. I am just one little person trying to do it all, It's even harder when your the parent to a child with multiple disabilities and receive no help. I work very hard to provide for my son, he means the world to me. At school he is bullied and secluded from activities, other kids don't understand him, they cannot communicate with him, he relates better to adults, he is the sweetest most caring child and I am his mother who is around him 24 hours a day 7 days a week, I know him BEST, DAYTON CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL ONLY GETS TO PEER INTO A SMALL WINDOW OF OUR LIVES! They don't live it. They don't know, nor have they showed they care! Gavin, my son has been practically dismissed of the true help he needs. I also am educated enough to understand that there is no "easy fix" for what's going on with him, and that a diagnoses isn't the full answer to a potential recovery for my child but it's a start.

I took the time to write this review, out of my day because I feel it's SO IMPORTANT for other parents, single mothers to be warned about DCH, we need to stick together and fight for our children because in the end we are really the only ones who do.