Jerilyn - April Chapman

Category: Jerilyn

14
Feb
2018

Jerilyn Shares Her Story

You know those moments where you are so proud of your kid, you could just burst?! I was blessed enough to have one of those today. The Austin Center for Exceptional Students (ACES) is the school Jerilyn has attended since 6th grade. She has been in their autism program, Rising Stars, and their Jump Start Program. Jerilyn’s essay was chosen to be presented to a group of former and current ACES teachers. Today she presented it herself! I want to share it with you.

Since I’ve been going to The ACES, it has helped me improve a lot. When I was in 6^th grade, I had a lot of problems. I would refuse to go to school and when I was at school, I would refuse to do my work in class. I would either refocus for long periods of times or get put into holds for being aggressive towards staff. I also used to use a lot of profanity towards staff when I was upset. I acted that way until I was in about 8^th grade. Now, I am a lot better, but I’m still working on improving.

The ACES has helped me in a lot of ways since then. The ACES has helped me to learn self-control, how to communicate politely, and has helped me to treat others the way I want to be treated. I used to say that I hated The ACES, but that was only because I wasn’t getting my way. Now I say that I love The ACES because I’ve seen how much I’ve improved and how much the ACES has done for me. I am so thankful I came to The ACES now because I am in such a better place then when I first got here. I give all my thanks to this school, the staff, and the teachers. Thank you, ACES.

At The ACES we…

Accept responsibility

Communicate politely

Cooperate willingly

Act safely

Respect boundaries

And Achieve our Goals

The ACES….where every student is #1

We fought so hard to get her to this school, but it was worth it! To all the parents out there with special needs kids who are worn out from all the fights…keep it up…one battle at a time. You know what’s best for your kid. Keep fighting until you get it. Kids deserve to be in an environment where they can succeed. Find that environment and pray your way through every barrier you face getting there.

Plenty of people have told me Jerilyn could do well in a typical school with supports, and I’m sure she would have managed, but a special needs school was where I knew she needed to be to thrive. I truly believe if our kids feel like they are always failing compared to those around them, they will see themselves as failures and it will become a self-fulfilling prophecy. However, if we can place them in a school or program where they can be successful, they will believe in their abilities and then…the sky’s the limit! Watch out world…here comes Jerilyn!

13
Feb
2017

Best. Prom. Ever.

categories: Autism, Jerilyn

The Tim Tebow Foundation sponsors a prom night for Special Needs youth and adults. We had no idea what to expect, but it was better than Jerilyn or I would have dreamed. The entire atmosphere was so alive with love and encouragement.

Let’s start from the beginning…once you arrived you registered and received a “buddy” for the night. They had over 200 volunteers all dressed up in their best and ready to help their buddy through the night….which meant caregivers were actually given a break….and I will get to that in a minute.

Once the attendee received their buddy, the girls could go get their hair or makeup done, and the boys were offered a shoe shine. Each were given a corsage or boutonniere. Next, they were led to a limousine to catch a ride where they were delivered to the red carpet area.

Each person or couple were announced amidst cheers and proceeded to walk down the red carpet with the flash of cameras. They were ushered into the 29:11 Church, host for the event in Tempe, and could choose to go have a yummy Famous Dave’s dinner, pop into the activity room where they could sing karaoke or play games, or hit the hoppin’ dance floor.

Later in the evening, every single attendee was crowned King or Queen. You wouldn’t believe the smiles on their faces and how happy each one was! Then the base cranked up again and the dancing went into full swing again.

Meanwhile, the caregivers and parents were given a special treat as well. There was a respite room set up for us which included couches, movies, food, specialty coffees, and, drumroll please, massage therapists waiting to give you a massage. We were waited on and honored. What an unexpected gift!

My heart is full seeing how many people were blessed and humbled knowing how much the volunteers poured their effort into this event. Jerilyn couldn’t stop talking about how fun it was and how she just HAS to go again next year. She said it was the best night of her life. Wow! That does a momma’s heart good.

If they have one in your area, get involved! You will be blessed. Guaranteed.

29
Apr
2013

Ignite Phoenix

categories: April, Autism, Jerilyn

So much going on! This weekend I was able to present at Ignite Phoenix 14 on the topic “Parenting A Mentally Ill Child.” Ignite events are held all over the country and have become increasingly popular. Anyone can apply to be a speaker on a topic they are passionate about, but they only choose eighteen. The catch is you only have five minutes to speak, so your message needs to be focused and powerful.

There were a few reasons this event was so important for me. First, as many of you know, I have been a speaker for years on social media and mobile technology, but this was the first time God gave me a platform to speak on something from my personal life. I feel like it is God’s true calling on my life, with my big dream being to speak to women encouraging them in their faith, regardless of circumstances.

The second reason I was excited to speak at this event was because it is so far reaching. It was a sold out event, filling 850 seats plus it streams live to many more. After the show, they post everything on YouTube, which also get a lot of views. I felt like my message could really get out there. Don’t worry…I will be posting it here as soon as it is up on YouTube. (UPDATE: It’s already been posted. I’ve included it at the bottom of this post.)

The night of the event went really well. We had some crazy and funny topics being presented such as Chicken Personality Disorder and OMG Fighting Back Against Hyperbole. I was near the end of the event with one of the more serious topics. As much as I love to make an audience laugh, my topic was the one that made them cry.

After the event I had the privilege of meeting other families who have faced similar struggles. It’s encouraging to speak on a topic that seems to be “taboo” in our culture and yet find so many people that either relate or who are filled with compassion and an eagerness to help.

I also want to update you all on how Jerilyn is doing in Texas. Fabulous! She got to use the Rope Course last week and, of course, impressed everyone with her ability to climb absolutely anything. Most days I talk to her she sounds stable and she really enjoys the school there. She is still having her ups and downs and hasn’t been able to hold on to a roommate, usually because she ends up getting upset at them. I know she still isn’t participating in group therapy sessions either. However, she is doing better overall, which is the goal. Baby steps, baby steps. Thank you again for all your prayers.

I want to end this post the same way I ended my speech: “Let’s stop the silence. Let’s start talking about mental illness. My daughter needs this conversation to start. Don’t let it end here.”

please install flash

09
Apr
2013

Jerilyn’s In Texas

categories: Jerilyn

It’s been an extremely stressful week and it’s time to unload it here. I was told about two weeks ago that Jerilyn was approved to head over to the San Marcos Treatment Center in Texas. We were just waiting on one last local residential treatment facility to deny her before we could proceed with the final details with San Marcos.

Then, about a week ago, we got the final denial, which ironically opened all the doors we needed opened. She was going to San Marcos! Transportation was worked on and late Wednesday night I found out I would be flying Jerilyn into Austin on Friday.

As soon as we made it to the campus, I knew this was the right place for her. It is tucked away in a wooded area. Jerilyn saw two deer as soon as we arrived. The campus is set up like a camp with buildings all over and walkways connecting them. There are two female dorms and two male dorms, children are placed based on age and diagnosis into the best fit for them. There is also a cafeteria, doctor’s offices, therapists, and a ropes course. The ropes course is huge and is used multiple times a week by the therapists with the children, teaching trust, among other things. The therapist I met while doing the intake told Jerilyn they could take walks outside together while they talked.

They spend a lot of time outdoors and try to discourage dependence upon electronics, many of which they don’t even allow. I think this will be the perfect place for Jerilyn. Fighting to get Jerilyn the help that she needs has been a difficult, exhausting process, but I feel it has all paid off. Every time a door was shut in my face, or I was pushed off to someone else, while Jerilyn was only struggling more and more was because we needed to get to this solution. Without the failures or continual denials, we wouldn’t even have this option. God had a better plan all along. Thank you God that you are El Roi, the God Who Sees. You see what our family is going through, you see, not only the Jerilyn of today, but the Jerilyn of tomorrow and you know the best way to meet her needs.

Let me encourage you today…if it looks like every door is being slammed in your face, remember it’s because you haven’t made it to the door where God plans to show you a miracle yet. Just keep knocking.

17
Mar
2013

Still Hospitalized

categories: Autism, Jerilyn

Jerilyn is still inpatient at the behavioral health hospital. Today makes three weeks. There are a lot of agencies and people involved in her care, and I’m encouraged to know they are sending representatives out to check in on Jerilyn. The inpatient psychiatrist decided after the first week, and after taking Jerilyn off all of her meds, that he was then going to release her.

You may interpret this as good news. It was not. His very limited view of Jerilyn consisted of two meetings with her, one in which she refused to even speak to him. His future outlook for us was bleak, stating she would be in and out of psychosis throughout her life and that we would need to accept she would require 24-hour care.

It is extremely frustrating to me that a psychiatrist can have such an arrogant attitude when he has had such limited interaction with a patient. Not all psychiatrists are like this, but those who aren’t, are in the minority, at least in my experience.

Once he told me they were releasing her without any med to regulate her mood disorder, I made a couple calls and apparently all the different agencies, including DDD and Magellan, came down hard on the hospital. All of a sudden, they stopped talking about releasing her and instead we got approved to start a new medicine.

The thing about Jerilyn is when she is in a new environment she has a “honeymoon” period where her behaviors are better than normal and she stays fairly compliant. Unless a hospital is willing to wait it out, they won’t see what we see regularly. After two weeks in, the “honeymoon” was over and she became non-compliant, refused to take meds, and ended up having a major meltdown where she kicked a few holes in their walls. Yep. Honeymoon over. Reality has hit.

We have another big CFT meeting on Tuesday that will be held at the hospital itself. Jerilyn has been approved for a RTC (Residential Treatment Center) by Magellan and this next week will probably consist of meeting with any of the four RTC’s in the area willing to consider taking on Jerilyn. I’ve been told, by others involved, the likelihood of any of them accepting Jerilyn is very slim, based on her high level of need. If this turns out to be true, we may be looking at out-of-state options.

Although Jerilyn has said once or twice that she wants to come home, she most often is saying she wants to live in a hospital. I struggle to understand why anyone would want to live in a hospital but my best guess for Jerilyn is it is where she feels safe. She needs the intense structure a hospital with a constant 24 hour rotating staff can provide. Also, the “real world” has a ton of moving components all the time, which can be tough for anyone to handle, but Jerilyn’s capabilities are limited and there are too many uncontrollable factors out here. Those uncontrollable factors such as a

rainy day,

sisters who aren’t perfect,

the need to wait her turn, or

the desire to be treated like a teenager even though she is mentally and emotionally a small child still.

Either myself, or my sister, Kim, have been visiting with Jerilyn at least every other day. It’s challenging since this hospital won’t allow anyone under 13 to visit, or even sit in the waiting room, which means that I have to have someone here watching Ainsley and Daisy so I can go see Jerilyn. Visiting hours are only from 6:30 – 7:30 pm, but with travel time it takes about two hours. Both my brother and sister have dogs/cats so I can’t drop Daisy off there. Sometimes, I really wish I was still in Florida with my awesome supportive friends I could always count on. I feel like an island out here in Arizona. Ironic isn’t it….I actually lived in Fleming Island, Florida….but this Arizona desert is my island since I so often feel alone. I especially want to get out there to see Jerilyn as frequently as I can since we don’t know if the next chapter for us includes an out-of-state placement.

I’m going to ask you to please keep praying for the right placement for Jerilyn. One that can handle both her physical and behavioral health issues with love and compassion.