I'm catching up on last night's debacle and I just...can't get over the ankle thing. I cannot believe how they basically laughed off a swollen, bruised ankle that's causing her to limp!!
There wasn't a word said about the things reasonable parents would do in this situation. They didn't call the pediatrician's after-hours nurse line/on-call for guidance on whether she should be seen immediately? They didn't make plans to get her an appointment ASAP? I mean, an ankle that looks that bad would mean an urgent care or ER trip in my house, or in the house of literally every parent I know, but at least a plan for the next 24-48 hours to get some medical eyes on a potential broken bone? Something? Anything?
And yeah, ERs suck for autistic kids.
Believe me, I know full well. We're in them enough.
Thing is, though, that you can mitigate some of the stress and for what you can't mitigate - your child is injured! If she has a broken bone, ligament damage, or even just a really bad sprain that can lead to pain and mobility problems down the line! And regardless, she's in pain now! Yeah, the ER trip will suck but you fucking do it because that's your child and she can't handle the problem on her own.
Call the pediatrician's after-hours number and have them call ahead to the ER. The ER can be better prepared with distractions from Child Life, a sedation plan, staff who have experience with autistic patients - there are a number of things that can be done in a medical environment. It's amazing what can be done without the need for restraint or sedation!
But apparently Asshat didn't want anything to get in the way of his Father's Day drinking & feasting.
I'm disgusted and angry. I can't fathom choosing to ignore such an obvious injury in either of my children, let alone filming a broken looking ankle and half-laughing about the whole thing for the internet.
Autism awareness would have been a discussion about how to manage injuries in autistic children, how to navigate health care in an urgent situation, how to advocate for a child who cannot communicate. That would have been content in line with what they claim to stand for, and it would have been somewhat helpful content.
But, y'know.
Whiskey and spherical ice.