4 things you should know about bipolar children

Bi-polar children are my specialty - I have 3 of them out of my 15 children. This disorder is closely related to autism and dyslexia, and can affect reading ability.

But there is hope! Phonics is the best way to teach a child with a disorder to read, an important piece of become a functioning member of society.

                Want a survival guide for parents of bipolar children? Get The Ups and Downs of Raising a Bipolar Child, by Judith Lederman and Dr. Candida Fink, M.D. (Simon & Schuster, 2003).

                Like I tell my son, “Being bipolar is not your fault, but it IS your responsibility.” He can’t change his brain biology any more than a diabetic can change her pancreas biology. But she still has a responsibility to control her blood-glucose levels and eat right.

In the same way, he is aware of his inherited disease and is responsible to practice his anger-management techniques, get enough sleep, eat right, and take his meds regularly.

                True, good nutrition, keeping blood-sugar levels even, and adequate sleep help a bipolar child have more self-control. In fact, when s/he is hungry or tired s/he is completely unreasonable, just like many of the rest of us. But the rages are markedly, exponentially manifested, as are the control issues.

Omega-3 gummies help, as do high-fiber and fresh, unprocessed foods in their diet. But for bipolar children, nutrition is not enough. Check out the wonderful Child & Adolescent Bipolar Foundation website,http://www.bpkids.org/learn/education-issues.

Their Education Corner, under the Learn tab, has many helpful articles and resources. These children are emotionally fragile,which many parents and teachers need to understand in order to help them properly.

My son’s diagnosing psychiatrist, Dr. Doug Gray at the renowned University of Utah’s Child & Adolescent Center, suggested the BP Kids website, and it enlightened my understanding immeasurably!

If you can't find the website (i.e., its link has changed), then do an internet search for bpkids, and you'll find it.

http://thegodfreymethod.com

Healing the effects of trauma on reading skills

Effects of abuse and neglect on reading - Hope for children

                Sometimes the inability to learn easily stems from a deep-seated psychological disturbance that ‘blocks’ a child’s ability to learn. S/he is not unintelligent, just traumatized. Now, to add sight-reading to the mix is just throwing the child from the frying pan into the fire.

Abuse and neglect re-wire the brain in an unhealthy manner. Even so, these children can learn to read by direct-instruction phonics, giving them a sense of accomplishment. Such personal success can help their self-esteem and give them the tools to eventually improve their situation. I’ve seen it happen many times.

                One mom, Serenity, is healing her two, adopted-daughters' rough beginnings with The Godfrey Method. Their biological egg-donor (I can’t use the word, mom, with her) was a severe drug addict, very neglectful and abusive. The bonding and brain stimulation from A Merry Child Was Alpha Bettehas helped Serenity’s daughters develop from asocial, slow-learners into normal, engaging, bright children.

                Serenity is my daughter and I’m so proud of her! She is introducing The Godfrey Method to other foster moms in her area to help rebuild their foster children’s foundations for a better future.

                Several others have made me aware of children who had learning disabilities because of abuse and/or neglect. One man, Steve, couldn’t concentrate in first grade, so he kept falling further and further behind. The teacher told his parents that he had learning disabilities, which only worsened as he grew older.

                The truth is that this little boy couldn't concentrate in school because of what was happening at home. He was being regularly abused and molested by a relative, and his thoughts in class were distracted by things a first grader shouldn’t think about. The teachers and other students made him feel dumb at school, and he believed them.

                However, Steve wasn't dumb at all! As an adult, he put himself through college and worked hard to come up to speed. He is a successful business man. A show on Oprah about child abuse gave him the courage, decades later, to tell his mother what had happened to him as a child.

                This makes me realize that so many foster children, adopted children, and others who have a difficult childhood, can be helped with The Godfrey Method to realize they are not dumb, but capable. Their emotional trauma affects their learning by traditional methods.

And sight-reading does even more damage. Foster and adoptive parents would benefit from one-on-one time with these children while rebuilding their foundations with phonics the right way.

                Does this sound familiar? How many times as parents have we tried to help our kids with their homework or piano practice, only to have the whole thing end up in a fight? Your child screams, “That’s not the way my teacher did it!” You get frustrated when he won’t listen. Eventually one (or both) of you goes to your room and slams the door.

                The Godfrey Method insists that you de-fuse this scenario before it starts. One of the cardinal rules is to have no control issues or power struggles. Encourage, negotiate, but never force the child to respond or perform. Learning at home should be fun and joyous!

http://thegodfreymethod.com