21st August 2006
InsaneMom,
I have a 15yo son who has ADD/bi-polar combined. He was first diagnosed with ADD inattentive early and then found the bi-polar at about 11yo. Teachers didn't complain with him until he had tons of work missing.Like your child he was not disturbing class so no one said much. His teacher thought he was stubborn also and that he chose not to do the work;therefore offered little assistance. It frustrated him and me very much. He felt like they did not like him. As far as meds you may need to change them. We had to several times to get what was best for him. I never heard of taking your child off of the meds on the weekend. My childs dr puts him back on a week before school starts. He does go off the meds for summer. He is also immature/ not responsible and that is what led to him getting the bi-polar diagnosis along with being quiet, not sociable, and getting upset over little things(low lithium levels). He's not the "stereo typical" what people think of Bp. He is not outrageous,cruel,crazy the way people believe. He gets upset but is the quiet bi-polar most of the time. He said that his meds didn't help but they were, he just didn't want to take them. I had to get him a 504 plan at school to insure he received help. I eventually had to get IDEA for him. If your daughter struggles please get her a plan. She may not be bi-polar, but the inattentive ADD is what causes his school troubles. Does her teacher seem to help her or be passive? Do they seem to blame her for missed work/incomplete assignments or offer to help? Some teachers are great to help and go beyond their call while others will allow your child to fail. I hope this helps. I've been dealing with things for years and school time is always more hectic than summer. Good Luck!
I have a 15yo son who has ADD/bi-polar combined. He was first diagnosed with ADD inattentive early and then found the bi-polar at about 11yo. Teachers didn't complain with him until he had tons of work missing.Like your child he was not disturbing class so no one said much. His teacher thought he was stubborn also and that he chose not to do the work;therefore offered little assistance. It frustrated him and me very much. He felt like they did not like him. As far as meds you may need to change them. We had to several times to get what was best for him. I never heard of taking your child off of the meds on the weekend. My childs dr puts him back on a week before school starts. He does go off the meds for summer. He is also immature/ not responsible and that is what led to him getting the bi-polar diagnosis along with being quiet, not sociable, and getting upset over little things(low lithium levels). He's not the "stereo typical" what people think of Bp. He is not outrageous,cruel,crazy the way people believe. He gets upset but is the quiet bi-polar most of the time. He said that his meds didn't help but they were, he just didn't want to take them. I had to get him a 504 plan at school to insure he received help. I eventually had to get IDEA for him. If your daughter struggles please get her a plan. She may not be bi-polar, but the inattentive ADD is what causes his school troubles. Does her teacher seem to help her or be passive? Do they seem to blame her for missed work/incomplete assignments or offer to help? Some teachers are great to help and go beyond their call while others will allow your child to fail. I hope this helps. I've been dealing with things for years and school time is always more hectic than summer. Good Luck!