10yr old, Bi-polar behavioral problems (schools, hormones, mental, evaluation)

[koala.bear1978]

My 10yr old son was diagnosed as Bi-polar and [URL="http://www.google.com/url?url=http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMH0001925/&rct=j&sa=X&ei=lBm-T-SbMOf46QGMssWbCg&ved=0CIYBEOMSMAA&q=scizophjrenia& usg=AFQjCNFqjZ-eikuioKEM7ji3Yum1NXhVHQ"]Schizophrenia[/URL]. He has been in a regular public school through 5th grade, but no that his hormones are changing his fantasy land is becoming more dominate that his reality world. I have been looking into alternative schools. Unfortunately, I live in a small town in North Carolina and our school does not have anything. Does anyone know of any resident schools in north Carolina?

[Oobie119]

Doesn't your son have an IEP for his diagnosis? If he does, he certainly should be getting accomodations in a public school. They should be setting reasonable academic and behavioral goals for each quarter, and he should also have a Behavioral Intervention Plan. If he has an IEP, you should speak to the head of special education at your school and express your concerns. He is entitled to this..has he been evaluated by a school psychologist or was this done independently? If it was done independently, the school may want to re-evaluate him.
I'm going to assume he has one, however if he doesn't he should. He is entitled to accommodations-- time outs, isolation if he desires, he should be given opportunity to express his "fantasy land" with obvious limitations. He has a disability, he needs accommodations in order to succeed in a regular class. You will need a formal pscho-educational evaluation to give the school in order to create his plan. Ive been a special Ed teacher for 11 years, I currently teach students with Bipolar and such in Sarasota..

[Madeline2121]

It is not possible to be diagnosed with Bipolar and Schizophrenia at the same time. It is either one or the other. It could be Schizoaffective Disorder which is Schizophrenia with a mood component. I think your first step would be to find a qualified mental health professional who could assist you in a proper diagnosis and education on the diagnosis. Good luck.

[Oobie119]

You actually can be diagnosed with both as one is a mood disorder and the other is a psychotic disorder. Schitzoaffective disorder is a difficult diagnosis to make usually, and is used when an individual does not fit diagnostic standards for either schizophrenia or "affective" (mood) disorders such as depression and bipolar disorder (manic depression).

[Madeline2121]

I'm not sure which DSM you are working out of, but I'm a therapist that diagnoses these illnesses daily. You absolutely cannot be both schizophrenic and bipolar at the same time. It is just not a valid diagnosis, period. The closest that you can get would be schizoaffective which as I stated in my earlier post is basically schizophrenia with a mood component. I see that you are a Special Ed teacher, and I just hope you are not one of those that put ideas into parents heads about what their kids may be diagnosed with when you have absolutely no qualifications to do so. The psychiatrist that I work with absolutely hates when parents come in telling them what their teacher has diagnosed their kid with. Stick to teaching.

[Oobie119]

Yes, I am in fact a special Ed teacher with a degree in Special Education and Nueropsychology. I am not diagnosing anyone or putting ideas into anyone's head, nor did i claim to be working from the DSM. While my knowledge may not be comparable to yours I have some frame of reference. In my field, I see paperwork coming in everyday with a child's diagnosis listed as both individually. Now, if this isn't correct by the book then fine. But someone with BiPolar can exhibit symptoms of schizophrenia and vice versa. Perhaps the diagnosis isn't there officially...but the symptoms can be there.

[Madeline2121]

It could very well be that they were diagnosed by two different doctors with two different things. Unfortuantely that happens a lot and then you are left with professionals all having different opinions. I apologize for my rude post. Thank you for the service that you provide to children.

[Lizita]

Originally Posted by koala.bear1978

My 10yr old son was diagnosed as Bi-polar and Schizophrenia. He has been in a regular public school through 5th grade, but no that his hormones are changing his fantasy land is becoming more dominate that his reality world. I have been looking into alternative schools. Unfortunately, I live in a small town in North Carolina and our school does not have anything. Does anyone know of any resident schools in north Carolina?

I'm not familiar with any residential schools in NC but I would recommend checking with this Yahoo group to see if someone there knows. It's for parents of children with mental illness: parental-support : parent support