About our Daughter

I am mother to four wonderful daughters, ages 17, 19, 21, and 23, and wife to the greatest husband on earth. God has given us a special child to raise one who was diagnosed with early-onset bipolar disorder at the age of seven, though she showed signs of it from the age of fifteen months. She also has ADHD, Sensory Integration Disorder (sensory seeking), Dyslexia, and Non-Verbal Learning Disorder-NOS, all typical comorbidities for a bipolar child. In spite of the trials, she enjoys lacrosse, running (finished her first marathon in October of 2014!), and reading and writing her own books. I will share with you the many joys and sorrows we have faced and will face in the future with the hope that you may find better understanding about this mental illness caused by both chemical and structural abnormalities in the brain. I desire that you will be encouraged by this blog if you are also dealing with a bipolar child. Thank you for reading and sharing in our journey.

How Did You Know She Was Bipolar So Young?

I wrote a long explanation of how we came to this bipolar diagnosis in a child so young under my post of March 19th of 2009. If your child or a child you know bears similarities, please seek out a good psychiatrist and don't wait for "things to get better." Often they will simply get worse, and the longer a child is unmedicated, the more damage their brain can accrue. Early diagnoses and treatment are key to providing these children with a chance at a successful life later as a teen and an adult.
Never change, start or stop a medication without the approval of your child's physician!

Summer Camps for BP Kids

Page to Follow Soon!

1 comment:

Ramapo for Children said...

Ramapo for Children works on behalf of children who face obstacles to learning, including children with special needs, enabling them to succeed in the classroom, at home, and in life.

Camp Ramapo, based on our 250-acre campus in Rhinebeck, New York, is a residential summer camp that serves children ages 6 to 16 who are affected by social, emotional, or learning challenges, including children affected by autism spectrum disorders and bipolar disorders.

Camp Ramapo provides a traditional summer camp experience for children who have difficulty building and maintaining healthy relationships with peers and adults and who would struggle in a less supportive setting. The program is carefully structured to help children with special needs learn to live within a group, form healthy friendships, make good choices, develop self-confidence, and experience success.

Kids learn, grow and have fun while they:

-Improve peer relationships
-Increase communication skills
-Feel more confident and self-reliant
-Become more independent
-Try new things and experience success

Contact us!
845.876.8403 or office@ramapoforchildren.org