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!

Friday, August 28, 2009

Social Skills Group Therapy

Caroline had her first social skills therapy group meeting last night. There are three or four boys in the group, and Caroline. She seems fine with that. All of the boys have Aspergers Disorder. She has two male cousins with Aspergers so this is not new to her. She is definitely the highest functioning in the group as far as being outgoing and chatty. The boys were pretty quiet, apparently, and to be expected really. Two of them seem pretty brilliant, one of the common characteristics of many with this disorder. I think Caroline will be helpful in drawing them out in conversation. She is mainly there to work on socially appropriate ways of relating. Making friends isn't an issue for her, it is the keeping of friends. School starts on Tuesday and we are all hoping for a great start.
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