need advice from moms of bipolar kids
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| Thu, 12-08-2005 - 1:23pm |
Hi folks! I haven't been around much lately. Baby is pretty demanding, and DH Tim has a new job that is taking him out of town a lot right now. Anyway, all these transitions and stressors could certainly have had an impact on Cassian, but I am wondering if he could be showing childhood bipolar symptoms. I have looked at a couple of websites, but I'd like your opinions.
Cassian usually sleeps well, but about once or twice a week, he wakes in the early morning (1:00 a.m. to 5:00 a.m.). On these occasions, he is very fired up about a new book, seems wide awake and chatters a lot about his obsession. It takes me an hour or so to get him back to sleep. Often, he says he is awake because he has to use the bathroom, but he just seems very hyper to me on these occasions, so I suspect something else.
It is also increasingly difficult to get him to go to sleep at night. He tantrums and fights about this. His bedtime is appropriate for his age, maybe even a bit later than most 6 yr olds, but he does go to school later in the morning. We have a regular routine and do a lot of nighttime O.T. stuff with him. He eventually goes to sleep by about 9:30, although I begin preparing him 1 to 1.5 hrs before this. He awakes by about 7:00 a.m. in the morning and seems energetic and well-rested then.
The other symptom that looks like possible bipolar to me is that his tantrums always happen when he cannot get his way. We certainly do not spoil him and give in to these tantrums, and I have tried many different methods to help him resolve issues more peacefully. About a month ago, he started tantruming a lot more, however, and he seems much more volatile since then.
Of course, there has been another transition in his life, which is that his classroom has changed a bit. His favorite teacher, who did a great job of academically stimulating him, left, and they have a sub, who is very "ABA." Cassian isn't getting any academic stimulation at his correct level now because they only do things like sorting and identification tasks with him. He is supposed to be in Kindergarten, but according to his test scores, his academic level is more like 2nd or 3rd grade. Because of emotional volatility issues, he cannot be integrated into a regular class yet.
I should mention that Cassian is also very creative, even though he is autistic. He writes poetry, makes up tunes and lyrics, does a lot of dramatic play, and now that his fine motor skills are developing, he constantly has ideas for projects that he needs help with. He is just a very bright creative child, and if we can figure out his mood issues I really feel he will go far.
Anyway, I would love to hear what you all think as far as a co-morbid bipolar diagnosis goes. I have read a few websites, and that is it, so please feel free to recommend other resources.
Thanks,
Suzi

hi suzi. there are few similarities with our children, but i will tell you our situation for input.
matt is now 3 and has been diagnosed with a mood disorder, because of his age. but i suspect down the road it could be called bp.
when he was 2, last october he became completely disregulated. everything revolved around poor sleep basically. he would wake up multiple times each night very upset. i would stay with him and he would scream, pull my hair, act awful and took hours to get him back to sleep. at the worst, he would sleep about an hour and then be up again for another hour--all night long. then at one point he would scream and cry, then stop and start laughing. then 20 minutes later scream and lash out again. matt was off the wall with tantrums during the day and not able to function to even have therapy.
our psychologist sent us to a psychiatrist who listened and started him on risperdal which helped alot. eventually we added trileptal for mood stabilization. he has been a much happier child and is making slow and steady progress. he did have a little trouble when october came around this year, just like last. but it was much milder.
so, it seems as if he cycles every so often, especially in the fall.
in addition to the prescription stuff, i still use melatonin.
not sure if that helps you. but i can empathize on where your at right now, as i then had a little one i was getting up with plus matt. i was beyond exhausted and a zombie all the time.
valerie