Bipolar classification
- Thread starter klmno
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klmno
Active Member
Yeah, Sheila- the sd's must have standard lines that are used in all schools, such as "we don't do that here", "we don't think he/she needs that because he/she could do it if he/she wanted to", etc. I even had an asst principal tell me once, and I quote exactly, "difficult child couldn't have a mental health issue....he is smart".
We have less than four years left of this....TG!
We have less than four years left of this....TG!
totoro
Mom? What's a difficult child?
When we initially asked for OHI over ED they said possibly and Advocate asked for a certification letter to start the process.
Here is what we had, and with our Advocate with us, we basically "demanded in a nice way" an OHI classification and said she just did not qualify for ED and this is why.-
Our psychiatrist wrote on the School supplied document that said-
"Medical Certification for Other Health Impairment"
*Medical diagnosis: Bipolar
*Medical Prognosis: Chronic condition with waxing and waning course
* Please describe how the medical condition may negatively impact the student's educational performance: May have intermittent absences or need a shortened school day at times. May experience intermittent neuro-cognitive impairments in processing. Difficulty managing classroom stress or unstructured settings.
(The nuero-cognitive impairment in processing is one of the keys)
Also there is a list of boxes under severity of impairment
and she checked
* Alertness- Moderate
* Viltality - Moderate
And then wrote for both of them- Mood instability and variable energy levels.
Down further it asks-
*Any special abilities or limitations which should be considered for activities: Trouble handling sensory intensive activities.
*Effects of any medications or seizure problem on ability to learn: Medication will improve processing but may produce some sedation.
*Effects of medication on student behavior: Increase impulse control and mood stability.
**************************************************************************
For us the SD really had no room to argue. The fact of the matter is that it is proven and you can bring printouts that, sensory issues, medications, etc DO cause most of our kids issues or help our kids by decreasing the sensory stimuli or giving medications. The fact that this is a Neuro-cognitive impairment is huge!
The fact that she put down it is a chronic condition is also key.
Our psychiatrist has diagnosis K as BiPolar (BP), she feels it is accurate at this time. Maybe you can get a BiPolar (BP) diagnosis put down even just for School? I don't know if he is still considered Mood- Disorder?
Good luck
this whole thing is just such a stupid game of words and a waste of time.
Here is what we had, and with our Advocate with us, we basically "demanded in a nice way" an OHI classification and said she just did not qualify for ED and this is why.-
Our psychiatrist wrote on the School supplied document that said-
"Medical Certification for Other Health Impairment"
*Medical diagnosis: Bipolar
*Medical Prognosis: Chronic condition with waxing and waning course
* Please describe how the medical condition may negatively impact the student's educational performance: May have intermittent absences or need a shortened school day at times. May experience intermittent neuro-cognitive impairments in processing. Difficulty managing classroom stress or unstructured settings.
(The nuero-cognitive impairment in processing is one of the keys)
Also there is a list of boxes under severity of impairment
and she checked
* Alertness- Moderate
* Viltality - Moderate
And then wrote for both of them- Mood instability and variable energy levels.
Down further it asks-
*Any special abilities or limitations which should be considered for activities: Trouble handling sensory intensive activities.
*Effects of any medications or seizure problem on ability to learn: Medication will improve processing but may produce some sedation.
*Effects of medication on student behavior: Increase impulse control and mood stability.
**************************************************************************
For us the SD really had no room to argue. The fact of the matter is that it is proven and you can bring printouts that, sensory issues, medications, etc DO cause most of our kids issues or help our kids by decreasing the sensory stimuli or giving medications. The fact that this is a Neuro-cognitive impairment is huge!
The fact that she put down it is a chronic condition is also key.
Our psychiatrist has diagnosis K as BiPolar (BP), she feels it is accurate at this time. Maybe you can get a BiPolar (BP) diagnosis put down even just for School? I don't know if he is still considered Mood- Disorder?
Good luck
this whole thing is just such a stupid game of words and a waste of time.
LittleDudesMom
Well-Known Member
k,
i just had a discussion about this with difficult child's therapist today. We were discussing, among other things, high schools in the city and what options I should look into. It then got us into a discussion regarding making sure the IEP "looks" favorable in regards to behavior when submitting that IEP as part of the admission process (since we are talking the same district but different zones in my case).
She said, in referring to the public military school I am looking at, that they don't take kids with real discipline problems like stealing, fighting, history of suspentions, etc., and that those things don't apply to difficult child. True, I said, but a big part of his IEP is behavorial. She commented that she believes many of difficult children behavior issues stem from either anxiety or frustration with learning disabilities - knowing the work, just not how to get from point A to point B to complete it to the academic standard.
It's kinda like what you are talking about here. My difficult child does well academically, always has been honor or scholar roll - but he has done so with a set of good accoms/mods and IEP goals in place for both behavior and academics. Of course they don't always work.........
Most of time they go hand in hand.
Shaorn
i just had a discussion about this with difficult child's therapist today. We were discussing, among other things, high schools in the city and what options I should look into. It then got us into a discussion regarding making sure the IEP "looks" favorable in regards to behavior when submitting that IEP as part of the admission process (since we are talking the same district but different zones in my case).
She said, in referring to the public military school I am looking at, that they don't take kids with real discipline problems like stealing, fighting, history of suspentions, etc., and that those things don't apply to difficult child. True, I said, but a big part of his IEP is behavorial. She commented that she believes many of difficult children behavior issues stem from either anxiety or frustration with learning disabilities - knowing the work, just not how to get from point A to point B to complete it to the academic standard.
It's kinda like what you are talking about here. My difficult child does well academically, always has been honor or scholar roll - but he has done so with a set of good accoms/mods and IEP goals in place for both behavior and academics. Of course they don't always work.........
Most of time they go hand in hand.
Shaorn
It's important to note that IDEA doesn't really recognize any clinical diagnosis (with the exception of Schizophrenia) as needing special education services. Even OHI does not technically recognize any specific illness, even Tourette's. Within the Federal Register, those listed conditions are merely examples. The important part of the FIE process is determining how a student's education is being affected to the point that he/she requires specialized instruction above and beyond the general education curriculum. Obviously, this makes Bipolar Disorder problematic at best.
Ultimately, Bipolar Disorder can fall under ED or OHI depending on how it's manifesting within the school setting with regard to educational need. Is the student's primary problem limited alertness in the classroom? If yes then we're looking at OHI. Is the problem due to inappropriate types of behavior or feelings under normal circumstances? If yes, then we're looking at ED. As you can see, it's a bit more complicated than merely saying, "Bipolar is a health problem," or "Bipolar is a behavior problem." It's really both. Therefore, either ED or OHI (or both!) could be appropriate depending on the educational need. Hopefully, you get an evaluator who understands the criteria and doesn't merely look at the diagnosis.
Gpsych - Licensed Specialist in School Psychology
Ultimately, Bipolar Disorder can fall under ED or OHI depending on how it's manifesting within the school setting with regard to educational need. Is the student's primary problem limited alertness in the classroom? If yes then we're looking at OHI. Is the problem due to inappropriate types of behavior or feelings under normal circumstances? If yes, then we're looking at ED. As you can see, it's a bit more complicated than merely saying, "Bipolar is a health problem," or "Bipolar is a behavior problem." It's really both. Therefore, either ED or OHI (or both!) could be appropriate depending on the educational need. Hopefully, you get an evaluator who understands the criteria and doesn't merely look at the diagnosis.
Gpsych - Licensed Specialist in School Psychology
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