Just your thoughts and opinion on things.

[Hear Again]

that works for normal kids with normal tantrum but not for kids with mental illness. i'm speaking out of line because i don't have any experience dealing with kids but I'm just speaking from my logical assumptions.

jiro,

you are correct in your assumptions. i can only speak in regards to bipolar (from my own personal experience). if a child has bipolar, that means they have a chemical imbalance. juvenile bipolar tends to be very difficult to treat since children with this disorder tend to have mood swings that shift rapidly (similar to what an adult like me experiences when rapid cycling). in most cases, no amount of positive reinforcement is going to change their behavior. only meds can help, but even they don't prevent symptoms from occurring due to "bleed through" effects.

 

[Jiro]

That is why we have professionals, to screen children in the pre schools in our area. We as teachers are not allowed to diagnose children.

Then we set up an program for that child.

Observation and screening is all we can do and report. Then it goes from there.

I wish all schools do that. I mean - in many schools, mental illness such as bipolar/ADD/etc. are not that easy to detect especially in little kids... which is why so many of them are left undiagnosed/untreated. It's easily passed off as "oh just typical tantrum.. you know how kids are.... "

I know that lot of teachers are ill-trained to look out for signs. You know how it is in America - overworked, underfunded.

 

[Hear Again]

I wish all schools do that. I mean - in many schools, mental illness such as bipolar/ADD/etc. are not that easy to detect especially in little kids... which is why so many of them are left undiagnosed/untreated. It's easily passed off as "oh just typical tantrum.. you know how kids are.... "

I know that lot of teachers are ill-trained to look out for signs. You know how it is in America - overworked, underfunded.

true.

in fact, the diagnosis of juvenile biplar tends to be very controversial. there are even some psychiatrists who do not believe that the disorder exists.

 

[Jiro]

IMO... That is just GROSS! I would use a leaf before I use my left hand! :rofl2:

there's no leaf in Middle East so...... My college roomie did that. He carried a flower watering can with him to bathroom. of course he washed his hands afterward but still.... that's disgusting to me. my dad used strips of newspapers in his youth. it was just a hole in the ground

 

[Babyblue]

good question, jiro. in that case, a child who acts out should be referred to a pediatric psychiatrist for further diagnosis.

fortunately, many teachers already do this nowadays since more is known about mental illness compared to 20 years ago.

Also nowadays Parents already suspect something is going on with their child before they are even enrolled.

Sometimes not. It is not always the case.

But Pre School is pretty much a stage where they find out. Before they start Elementary schools.

My parents did not learn of my hearing loss til I started pre school..

One of the Reasons why I love the V.P.K. program we have. Kindergarten readiness program. VPK stands for Volunteer Pre Kindergarten. We help children with readiness of school. Prepairing them for school.

Obervation and screening. Majority of issues are brought up by parents or teachers before the child is actually diagnose with a disorder.

 

[Babyblue]

there's no leaf in Middle East so...... My college roomie did that. He carried a flower watering can with him to bathroom. of course he washed his hands afterward but still.... that's disgusting to me. my dad used strips of newspapers in his youth. it was just a hole in the ground

I will make sure I email my brother tonight. He will be going to Iraq from Kuwait on Jan 1st. To bring a roll of toilet paper.

 

[Hear Again]

Obervation and screening. Majority of issues are brought up by parents or teachers before the child is actually diagnose with a disorder.

exactly. this is also why many school districts have a pediatric psychiatrist on staff or a counselor who can evaluate the child and refer them to the proper medical professional. they sure didn't have that when i went to school. heck, we never even received counseling after a traumatic event occurred (such as a death of a classmate). when i was in 4th grade, a very good friend of mine who used to ride the bus with me to school got killed by a train after (stupidly) trying to outrun it on his bike. we never received counseling for that, but we survived. it still would have been nice to talk to someone though because even my parents didn't understand the grief i felt.

 

[Babyblue]

I wish all schools do that. I mean - in many schools, mental illness such as bipolar/ADD/etc. are not that easy to detect especially in little kids... which is why so many of them are left undiagnosed/untreated. It's easily passed off as "oh just typical tantrum.. you know how kids are.... "

I know that lot of teachers are ill-trained to look out for signs. You know how it is in America - overworked, underfunded.

It is something that the school district and professionals are working on.

but you also have to remember. Tantrums are totally different from being Bi Polar.

A lot of children (speaking of pre schoolers) Pitch a fit. It is considered of being a normal and healthy attitude.

so it is hard to diagnose someone of a disorder til they are older.

If a child did not pitch a fit or tantrum at times. Then some professionals do not consider that as normal.

 

[Hear Again]

in regards to bipolar, it's a tricky diagnosis to make. most people with bipolar aren't diagnosed accurately for 10 years after they display the first symptoms of the disorder. instead, they are misdiagnosed with other disorders like mdd (major depressive disorder). my therapist and psychiatrist think i may have had bipolar in my early 20s given my symptomatology even though i wasn't officially diagnosed until i was 35. as for children, many of them are lucky if they even get diagnosed with juveline bipolar because more often than not, they aren't.

 

[Hear Again]

but you also have to remember. Tantrums are totally different from being Bi Polar.

not necessarily. when a child is manic (towards the end of a manic state) or depressed, many of them have outbursts of anger which can look exactly like a tantrum. the only way for these children to be diagnosed accurately is to see a pediatric psychiatrist who can evaluate their behavior. outbursts due to bipolar tend to be more cyclical and severe in nature, but they are still oftentimes overlooked as being "typical" childhood tantrums.

 

[Babyblue]

exactly. this is also why many school districts have a pediatric psychiatrist on staff or a counselor who can evaluate the child and refer them to the proper medical professional. they sure didn't have that when i went to school. heck, we never even received counseling after a traumatic event occurred (such as a death of a classmate). when i was in 4th grade, a very good friend of mine who used to ride the bus with me to school got killed by a train after (stupidly) trying to outrun it on his bike. we never received counseling for that, but we survived. it still would have been nice to talk to someone though because even my parents didn't understand the grief i felt.

Grief counseling is much provided nowadays with a lot of issues. Which I do agree it is a good thing. compared to the past.

 

[Hear Again]

to babyblue...i hope i'm not straying off-topic by discussing bipolar. if i am, my apologies.

 

[Jiro]

A fresh restart - I'm repulsed and disgusted and chagrined by the sight of youths wearing their pants too low. I don't know how the pants stay on.

 

[Hear Again]

A fresh restart - I'm repulsed and disgusted and chagrined by the sight of youths wearing their pants too low. I don't know how the pants stay on.

i'm glad i can't see that. i also used to hate the "grunge" look from the early 90s courtesy of nirvana and kurt cobain.

 

[Babyblue]

not necessarily. when a child is manic (towards the end of a manic state) or depressed, many of them have outbursts of anger which can look exactly like a tantrum. the only way for these children to be diagnosed accurately is to see a pediatric psychiatrist who can evaluate their behavior. outbursts due to bipolar tend to be more cyclical and severe in nature, but they are still oftentimes overlooked as being "typical" childhood tantrums.

In an two or three year old. It is usually a tantrum.

Hear Again.

It may be a misdiagnoses. Sadly. but Bi Polar usually is.

I am trained to understand the differences. due to knowing the background and what kind of lifestyle the child lives in and I am with these kids more than their parents are in their awakening hours.

I have seen a lot, and teachers can only point the parents to the right direction. Even if we suspect something is wrong and refer the child. It is not up to us. It is up to the parents to do the decision making.

We can only do so much but we do not have the right to impose or diagnose a child.

 

[Hear Again]

i'm also repulsed, disgusted and chagrined by the total lack of respect some teenegers show their parents nowadays. we weren't "perfect" teens back in the day either, but i sure didn't talk to my parents the way some teens do today.

 

[Babyblue]

IMO Teachers are over worked and underpaid!

 

[Hear Again]

We can only do so much but we do not have the right to impose or diagnose a child.

...nor do i think it's right that a teacher diagnose a child. having said that, i'm glad teachers are more aware of mental illness and take the steps necessary to have a child diagnosed correctly. i think it's sad when parents refuse to follow-up with treatment or to give their child psychiatric meds when they need them, but like anything else, i guess that's up to the parents. i know i'll come across that as a social worker or therapist, but will have to learn how to deal with my emotions when i'm confronted by such situations.

 

[Hear Again]

I am trained to understand the differences. due to knowing the background and what kind of lifestyle the child lives in and I am with these kids more than their parents are in their awakening hours.

with all due respect, the only person who is fully qualified to make a diagnosis is a pediatric psychiatrist. even i as a person who has personal experience with bipolar cannot make a diagnosis (even though i can spot the signs immediately) until i have a medical degree in psychiatry.

 

[Babyblue]

to babyblue...i hope i'm not straying off-topic by discussing bipolar. if i am, my apologies.

Oh no!

you are fine. This thread is open to ANY opinions!


Bi Polar is very misunderstood. so I'm sure a lot of people have opinions on it.

some that you may even not like.

that is the purpose of this thread

to see what others think without links, just what they think!