Team 5: What to do with Tom?

Description

Background: Tom is a six-year-old boy with autism studying in Happy primary school. Tom is cared for by his single mother with a full-time job on the Ontario Disability Support Program (ODSP), is heavily in debt, lives within the poverty line and does not own a car. While in school, Tom saw Peter holding a toy he liked, and he just forcefully grabbed it from Peter because he did not know how to ask. Peter defended himself, and a fight started. As a result, Peter broke his left forearm while Tom got struck on the head, passed out for a bit, and was hospitalized for a concussion. The school's social worker (SSW), who handled the case, wishes to transfer Tom to another school, citing concerns about the lack of support to care for Tom in school and that Tom poses a risk to other children due to his violent behaviors. Yet, Happy primary school is the only school Tom's mother can reach without a car. Tom's mother simply can't afford a car or have extra time to take Tom to another school by public transit daily due to her full-time job. If Tom is transferred, it would also be hard for her to manage Tom's school-related things like parents' and teacher meetings. Tom's mother can't even afford to take time off to stay home if Tom gets suspended because taking time off would mean not having a meal on the table for the next week or the rent next month. Tom's mother asked Tom’s early childhood educator (ECE), who is Tom’s teacher, to step in to talk to the SSW to ask for a better resolution. She hopes the ECE will have some power to influence the SSW. Unfortunately, the SSW refused to accommodate, citing concerns for other kids' safety and a lack of resources to care for Tom in the school again and again like a recorder. It feels like to the ECE that the SSW does not like Tom. Personally, the ECE thinks the SSW does not care, and the SSW is trying to pass Tom along with the system so she does not have to deal with Tom based on the SSW's body language and tone. The ECE was mildly angry, felt powerless, and asked the Community Social Worker (CSW) to cooperate with her to keep Tom in the school because she believes that Tom will be more aggressive if he transferred to the new environment. She believed that unexpected changes are often the most difficult to deal with for autistic children. The ECE also told the CSW about what she thinks about the SSW. The CSW agreed with the ECE. In addition, the CSW is also worried about Tom’s mom who was alone and didn’t have anyone to help her and take care of Tom at home if Tom is suspended. The CSW met Tom’s primary nurse at the hospital to consult with her, hoping that she could leverage the hospital's power to force the SSW to do the 'right' thing. Tom’s primary nurse accompanied by the hospital social worker (HSW) mediates the negotiation to see if there is a way to keep Tom in a Happy primary school or provide a better solution. The SSW, CSW, ECE, HSW, and Tom’s nurse joined the mediation.