Westchester Institute for Human Development - Valhalla, NY

Nancy

As a mother of a disabled child, I WOULD NOT recommend WIHD to anyone. For checkups and general medicine they only have nurse practitioners, no actual doctors, and they don’t stay long term either. They keep hiring people that have no knowledge of the autistic spectrum. I could go on with negative stories about this place, but I’m going to get to my last straw. My nonverbal autistic son had a very scary episode over the weekend and I had to call the ambulance for him, after he was discharged I was told he had to follow up with his primary physician. I called the office and they told me to bring him in that afternoon. I get him to the office, gave the girls in the front desk his name and even signed his name on the sheet. They told me they were a little behind due to an incident that happened earlier (ok no problem that’s understandable). The problem this day was that an hour later the one girl from the front desk that did not leave because obviously there was still a patient in the waiting room right in front of her, decided to get off her personal cell phone (which she was on since we got there) and go check what was going on just to come and tell me that the nurse practitioner had left…..really!! She went to tell the outpatient supervisor which was getting ready to leave for the day because it was 4:30 and I heard him say I’ll call them tomorrow, got his stuff together and got in the elevator without saying a word to us (again, really!) I did go off on her and I had EVERY right to! Now I have to go find new doctors and specialists because this place WIHD, the place where disabled people go for care and treatment is completely unreliable. God bless these poor disabled people and there parents or givers because these agencies and the system and the government really does not give much of a care for them, which is truly sad and scary.

candy Q.

WIHD CHILD WELFARE DEPT led by RAO TRUPTI and a manipulative case worker GABRIELLA PENA from the Yonkers branch of the Dss together with her supervisor ERICA SHULTZ and the manager of the child welfare dept at the dss in yonkers SUZANE BURGER whos only interest was to break up my family and beg the county for more money so that westchester county tax payers could pay the foster care parents hundreds of dollars week after week.Keep in mind i have been employed for over 10 years no criminal record two cars an apartment filled with all the necessary things to raise a child. Etc etc (long story short i have everything for my daughter) plus a cousins 3 family home in bed sty.

What ended up happening was i was introduced to a " RAO TRUPTI" who over the time frame of 3 years would bring along a " student" (someone who was doing a post fellowship) and because WIHD has a contract with the Dss westchester as the only SOLE PROVIDER OF PARENTING CLASSSES WITH A CHILD AND PARENT WHERE CHILD IS IN FOSTER CARE PARENT GETS TO VISIT AND DEMONSTRATE ABILITY TO PARENT WITH CHILD and they depend on this contract and steady supply of customers to pay there bills every report that this so called DR RAO TRUPTI (INDIAN WOMAN FROM INDIA) -(NOT MEANT TO DISCRIMINATE AGAINST BY STATING country of origin but i just wanted to set the stage as to this ladys interpretation style of parenting and give you an idea of what i observed.

Every report ironically was full of lies,misinformation, fabrications and just was completely against me. It doesnt matter what you do or bring to a parenting session which is set up like this

1 hour visit then
RAO TRUPTI AND TRAINEE
GAWKS AT YOU AND CHILD FOR 1 HOUR
ROOM IS ABOUT 10X10
SOMETIMES WITH WINDOWS SOMETIMES NOT
ROOM HAS FEW CHILD AGE APPROPRIATE TOYS AND BOOKS
PARENTS ARE ENCOURAGE TO BRING ACTIVITIES TO INTERACT WITH CHILD
NO VIDEO TAPING OR RECORDING IS ALLOWED
NO OBSCENE LANGUAGE
AND YOU HAVE TO BASICALLY INTERACT WITH CHILD BRING FOOD CHANGE DIAPER AND GET CHILD READY ON TIME TO BE TRANSPORTED BACK TO FOSTER CARE PARENTS HOME.
PARENTING IS USUALLY ONCE A WEEK
FROM LIKE 10 TO 11.

I would do everything now keep in mind if you have a regular 9 to 5 your probably going to get fired because the amount of services you have to do in a week is overwelming for anyone who has a 9 to 5.

I had a visit on
mondays visit 10.30 to 12
Tuesdays parenting 10 to 11
Wednesday therapy 1.45 to 2.45 $100 cash
Thursday's court appointed social worker 10 to 11.

Then in between you have to go to your childs doctors appointments .unfortunately for me dss case worker GABRIELLA PENA would allow me to go maybe twice a year and i would be begging for info about daughter.

So unless your rich or donald trump or i fell into this small category i am am independent contractor (they were pissed i could always make time for daughter) your screwed because if you were to miss one visit they would run and tell the judge he/she is an or irresponsible parent he/she doesn't have time etc etc

So i would show up at WIHD on a Tuesday with the basic stuff to like take care of a child .
It didnt matter what i did or how great of a time my daughter and i had RAO TRUPTI WROTE LIES BASED ON HEARSAY FROM LIEING CASE WORKER.

DONT TRUST WIHD!!!!
THEY ARE LIARS IF THE DSS TELLS THEM TO NOT WRITE A GOOD REPORT THEY WILL AND DO.

THEY ARE A PUPPET FOR THE DSS AND SUPPORT ONLY THERE PROFITS NOT parents or the best interest of children. MY child would show up with
STITCHES ,BRUISES, BUMPS,INCORRECT CLOTHING (oversized) HONESTLY HAVE (PICS OF STITCHES BLOOD!!!!)!!! and RAO TRUPTI FROM WIHD would make excuse for foster parent "oh these things are normal"

They should be shut down.
Residents BEWARE YOU ARE WARNED!

Ana V.

All staff very professional

Judy A.

Excellent Care !

Stephanie, M. B.

Brendan K.

Nick M.

Karen L.