Identifying Learning Disabilities and Working the System For Your Bipolar Child

Sometimes I feel that the only positive trait that I have is persistence. Anyone that knows me well, is aware that I lack patience. Apparently, you need tons of persistence and patience to be a good advocate for your bipolar child.

From what I have been reading, bipolar is a central nervous system disorder, as are ADHD, sensory processing, and learning disabilities (i.e. dyslexia, and dysgraphia, etc.). Sometimes, with a bipolar diagnosis, will come a whole host of other problems, like with my daughter, Ms. M. She did NOT win the genetic lottery and therefore she has a whole kit and caboodle of problems, which has made her severely learning disabled and this, has further impacted her education.

Ms. M is in the above-average intelligence range and is a third grader, but, she performs on a pre-school level. In other words, she can barely read and has problems doing simple math problems, i.e. 2+3=5. So I know that Ms. M has a learning disability and it is just a matter of identifying and treating the problem. Sounds simple right, but its not, because our school system does not have the solutions.

Now if you are as naive as me, then you would believe that you could have your BP child tested and identified for learning disabilities and presto, the school would put in place this beautiful Individual Educational Plan (IEP), tailored for your BP child. I hate to burst your bubble, abso-freakin-lutely NOT!

If you have a BP kid with learning disabilities, your first goal should be to identify that they have a learning disability. If your child is in the local public school system, then you must convince the school to do the necessary testing, which is called, Psychological testing (IQ), and Educational Testing.

If the school has offered to do the testing, then you are already ahead of the majority of parents. In Ms. M’s case, I had to convince the school to do the testing, because the school blamed Ms. M’s poor performance on her behavior, which was complete bull hockey.

The school is legally obligated to test your child, under the IDEA law. You have to prove to the school that your child has a medical diagnosis. This means that you must supply the school with your child’s written diagnosis and requested testing. I had Ms. M’s psychiatrist write on a prescription pad, her diagnosis of BP, ADHD, and separation anxiety, and a request for testing. I accompanied this prescription pad diagnosis from the doctor, with a letter from myself, asking the school to test Ms. M. I hand carried all of these documents to the principal.

You would think that would be the end of it, but no. The school has to setup a meeting with you and get your written permission to test your child, which involves signing a bunch of forms. I know, I know, you are thinking, that you are the one that asked for the bleeping testing in the first place. What can I say, it’s a bureaucracy.

The school has 90 days to test the child. You will be required to fill out more paperwork for the parental portion of the psychological testing. The questions are uncomfortable and contain a lot of personal questions, but do try and remember that all of this is for your child. Be honest on the form, so that the school cannot come back to you at a later date, and say that you willingly withheld information. One day it might make a difference if you ever have to fight for your child’s education.

When all of the testing has been completed, the school will setup another meeting to go over all of the information with both parents. If your child has a learning disability, then there should be a discrepancy between the child’s IQ, which is the child’s intellectual ability and their performance level, which is the educational testing portion. In theory, but not always in practice, the higher the child’s discrepancy between intelligence and performance, then the more special education services your child will be entitled to.

There is one caveat. If you child is practically a genius, but is only performing on grade level, then the school does not have to give your child any special education services. This is the case with my son, he is in the top 2% for intelligence, but only performs at grade level. This is a clear indicator that he has a learning disability, but since he performs on grade level, it is not a concern to the school.

Ms. M’s testing was originally done in first grade. The school redoes the testing every three years, unless you provide a written reason why you child should be retested earlier, which typically involves no educational progression on your child’s part. As I stated before, Ms M has above average intelligence, but still performs on a pre-school level, which identifies her with learning disabilities. Now the school identifies that the child has a learning disability, but the school does not diagnose the child’s specific learning disabilities. You must go to an outside office/hospital that deals with neuro-psychology for a further in depth identification for your child’s learning disabilities.

This is at the point where Ms. M and I are at, further identifying her specific learning disabilities, since she still has problems, even with an IEP and special education.

Now, I have a friend, with a son that is dyslexic and it was no problem for him to get a solid diagnosis. Not because he had an easily identified learning disability, but because my friend could afford to have her son privately tested at Blue Ridge Behavioral Health Center, (http://www.brbh.org/), which identified his different learning disabilities. The private testing runs in the range of $2,500.

To put it simply, I don’t have that kind of money. I have to go the harder and more painfully complicated route. Persistence comes into play here, through my sometimes misguided and occasional errors. I have identified some local resources in Maryland, in which you can obtain neuro-psychological testing for your child that doesn’t cost as much money, and might be free, with the right type of insurance.

I must be living under a rock, but I hadn’t heard of Kennedy Krieger Institute located in Baltimore, Maryland, http://www.kennedykrieger.org/, but it can take a year to two years to get the testing done.

More recently I found out that John Hopkins Children’s Center in Baltimore, Maryland, http://www.hopkinschildrens.org/tpl_news.aspx?id=4832, has a neuro-psychology department, with a much reduced waiting period for testing. I recently emailed them, and had an appointment in a month’s time for Ms. M’s testing. I have to say, its about freakin time. I will keep you posted on the experience and the results.