With great sadness, anguish, and disappointment, my daughter Talia, who has severe autism, will be transferring to a residential placement soon. The first time a residential placement occurred to me was in November while driving home from her dentist visit. The day before Talia was banging and hitting herself in the head. She was then bleeding from her nose and mouth. The next day I took her to the dentist who informed me she broke her frenum and used enough force that she could have fractured her teeth. When I drove home, I thought that if a parent came into my office and told me they had a child who was similar to Talia and was engaging in such dangerous behaviors, I would have advised a residential educational placement for the child’s safety with a consistent applied behavior analysis program. I then thought that I could not treat myself and my child differently than I would advise a parent of a patient. Although I often second guessed myself, wondering if I was doing it for myself or for Talia, maybe doing it because subconsciously I wanted a life and to stop having to watch every nickel and dime while paying for autism school tuition and home therapies, tired of the stress of litigation with the Department of Education, I now realize, a residential applied behavior analysis program is the best for Talia where she can be safe and learn. I will miss her and worry about her not understanding what is going on, that she will not understand I will be visiting often or even if I will see her again. Yet I know I cannot keep her safe all the time at home, and safety must always come first.