Expert: Norm Bishop - 5/18/2009

Question
I am a mother of a 17 year old boy who has been diagnosed with persuasive developmental disorder around the age of 10. He has been in special education classes ever since kindergarten. He has IEP's every year and also he qualified for AB2627. He also lived in a facility for a couple of years when he was 11 and 12 years old due to his behavior. He seemed to be doing better and he came home to live with his father. All the same issues we were dealing with before were happening again and we just did our best to try to manage him along with the school system.. After repeated IEP'S and him being moved from school to school we noticed he was getting worse so again we started the AB2627 and he was placed in another living program. He was in this program for about 6 months and his father decided to bring him back home to live.. Since he has been back he has spiraled out of control he doesn't listen to his father he takes off all the time he leaves for days weeks at a time and doesn't shower he has been caught numerous times shoplifting and panhandling. Whenever we find him and bring him back home he just takes off again. I drug tested him last time we found him and he was positive for ecstasy and meth and pot. Just last week he was jumped by a bunch of homeboys gangsters and he is black and blue all over.. We don't know what to do and I am afraid he is going to end up dead or in custody. He just stopped going to school and when we make him go he just takes off.. What can we do to help him because nothing has worked so far???????  

Answer
Sounds like you have your hands very full.

My biggest concern is that at age 17 this young man is only a few months from turning 18 and becoming a legal adult.  Then any controls are lost.

In some states they have a court petition usually titled "youth at risk" where the state can take custody and implement interventions.  If you and his father can agree, then find out what can be done...this may be an alternative.  

The random test with three different drugs present is alarming.  This indicates that he is pretty deeply involved in chemical self treatment.  I highly suspect that the random beating by the gangsters were involved with drug use.  I would be most concerned about Meth use, the most addictive drug on the planet.  I share your concerns for his safety.  

Also find out from your local Mental Health department if there is anything else you can do, hospitalization, chemical abuse treatment (either in-patient or out-patient), come to mind.

Unfortunately, I have little else to offer you, in that this is really outside of our normal special education processes.