Me, Being Wrong.

Relax my children and let me tell you a tale of a conversation that took place while I was at work yesterday.

Key points to know:

I have two awesomely retarded kids. My daughter, the infamous Doods, is 3.5 years old and autistic. My son, the king of spazz himself, is 5 years old and going through the evaluation process for ADHD. They are great kids - full of energy and humor with personalities that couldn't be more different than oil and water.

I've worked tremendously hard to ensure that my kids are in school, participating in therapies, and getting the benefits they deserve in order to reach their fullest potential.

I work in retail, so I am constantly interacting with a wide variety of clientele. More often than not, I have tremendously positive and helpful interactions with both my co-workers and customers and I pride myself on that. My goal is to help others. It's what I do.

Now.

A lady came in, I'd say late 50s with an aire of Neiman Marcus about her with a long sleeve Lauren top and full length black skirt on. Her hair was over quaffed and she had not one, but TWO briefcases hanging from her side. Wandering along behind her was a boy, about 16, carrying Mardi Gras beads and a few other choices items, singing to himself and exploring the area. He was clearly Autistic. As I walked over to her, I noticed the terror on my associates faces. Good thing I was there, otherwise this woman would've been wandering for who knows how long.

She asked for a few specific items that we didn't carry in the store. She kept after her son, giving me the apologetic look and I said, "hey, don't worry about it. I've got an Autistic daughter and son who's almost classic ADHD." She introduces herself as a Pediatric Psychiatrist who specializes in this particular area in that it is near and dear to heart. We talked for a few seconds and she asks, "Is your son on medication?"
Me: No, he's only five and...
Her: (vehemently interrupts) You're doing it wrong.
Me: (very calmly) Well, he's come a long way simply by being in school and through therapies so I'd rather...
Her: (interrupts again) No no no. You're doing it wrong. (puts hand up to stop me from talking) You're doing him a great disservice by not medicating. Now listen, there's a real chemical imbalance there and he will not succeed. In school, the others with go right past him and he will learn nothing. You're doing it wrong. Here's my card, feel free to call me whenever you're ready.
Me: (calmly) Well, what you're looking for could be found either at, possibly, Talbot's in the Mall, Nordstrom's located in Oakbrook, or Neiman Marcus downtown. Sorry I couldn't help you further today, good luck!

aannnd scene.

The sheer audacity of a professional to straight out tell someone "You are doing it wrong" over a controversial issue such as medicating young children was abhorrent. You know, if I ignored the fact that my children had special needs I'd be doing it wrong. If I fed them nothing but fast food and soda, I'd be doing it wrong. If I smoke or drank while I was pregnant, took them with me to see R-rated movies at eleven o'clock at night, or grocery shopping at midnight - THEN you could tell me I'm doing it wrong. If getting them in school, getting them evaluated, getting them in to therapy, providing them with the tools for success and deciding to wait until most of the hormonal changes are done to think about medication is wrong? Then, baby, I don't want to be right.

Sadly, her business card went through the wash so I don't have her name any more. However, thankfully for the interwebs I was able to track her down. Interestingly, Dr. Faranza Khan is the President (and as far as I can find only employee) of Illiana Psychiatric Associates, Inc. located 9128 Columbia Ave # A, Munster, IN 46321-2547 has only a 1.5 out of 5 star rating on HealthGrades.com. I scowered and couldn't locate any credentials. Also, on MerchantCircle she advertises:

Hello! Illiana Psychiatric Assoc Inc is in business in East Chicago, IN, and is interested in doing business with you. Contact Illiana Psychiatric Assoc Inc to request a deal, get a coupon or to do business. 


Surprise? Not to me. The focus on "doing business" versus helping speaks volumes. Who's heard of Counseling Coupons? I wonder if you're schizophrenic if she'll give you a two for one deal.


If you want people who are serious about what they do, go to where people matter. Comer's Children's Hospital at the University of Chicago is a fantastic place. They really take care of your kids and encourage you every step of the way. They've got a great team of doctors in every department that will educate you and provide you with tools for your children to grow and succeed. In a few weeks we will be headed to the Alexian Brothers campus for my son's evaluation so I can let you know how that goes.

Morals of the Story: Be aware of who you are and who you are talking to. Always do your research. Be nice. And sometimes, it's okay to be wrong.