Attention All Therapists: An Ethical Question. Please vote.

by Kimberly on June 11, 2009 · 5 comments

Imagine the following scenario:

You are working with a 10-year-old boy with special needs. This boy is verbal, is labeled as “high functioning” and has a particular interest in typical “girl” activities: Barbies, Disney princesses, and dressing up. He likes to talk about these things…a lot.

Part of the initial therapy goals are to come up with topics that are appropriate to talk about with boys and topics appropriate to talk about with girls. The family agrees to these goals.

After a couple months of treatment, the family suddenly informs you they do not want the boy to talk about these “girl” topics anymore. Ever. Not even in therapy.

[SURVEYS 1]

Please vote. I am very interested in your feedback. I will post the results next week.

Thank you.

{ 4 comments… read them below or add one }

TheCrazyMusicLady June 11, 2009 at 8:08 pm

Just wanted to say hello to another MT blogger. Although mine takes a different approach than yours, I’m glad to see more of us putting ourselves out there!

Roia June 16, 2009 at 6:53 pm

Wow, Kimberly. If you’re dealing with this, this is really a tough one! I’ve had a tough time with family members who don’t want their adult son/daughter with a severe disability to be told of the death of a parent (I work in an institution). That gets hairy as well. Good luck!

Kimberly June 16, 2009 at 8:08 pm

Thank you. This is the stuff that’s hard to teach in schools, isn’t it? It’s also the reason why it’s SO important for us to have mentors and peers to help with these types of questions and consultations.

Kimberly June 16, 2009 at 8:15 pm

I checked yours out…so funny! I will be adding you to my reader. I’m looking forward to many funny stories:D

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