Bipolar disorder, a neurologically-based mood disorder in a child not only affects his school life, but also is a way of life for the individual. It takes a collaborative team effort on the part of all the adults in the bipolar child's life to help him cope with the daily challenges of life. Here are a few ways we can help in the classroom.
Instructions
1. Choose your battles. As the adult working with a bipolar student, it becomes necessary for you to remain calm during difficult situations. Due to circumstances beyond the child's control, negative behaviors may ensue. Ignore minor incidences and find ways to encourage good behavioral choices. This may take a little trial and error, but it's well worth the effort.
2. Be consistent. Consistency and scheduling are two important factors when teaching bipolar children. Therefore, throughout the day, the child needs to know what to expect. Allow time for him to get used to schedule changes.. Later, gradually add unplanned activities to help him get accustomed to accepting occasional deviation from the schedule. Inform the entire class of an unexpected assembly or schedule changes beforehand. This helps to build coping skills for the bipolar child.
3. Give positive praise. As with any child, praise is essential. For every one negative comment made to a child, there needs to be 12 positive comments to counteract the negative one. Praise helps to reassure the child that his good behavior or hard work makes you happy.
4. Become well-prepared. When teaching bipolar children, there are no hard fast rules to follow. Prepare different strategies to use. The unpredictable mood shifts of the child may call for an abrupt change to calm down a situation. Therefore, it becomes necessary for you to be prepared with different strategies to get things back under control.
5. Encourage them to focus. Focusing on the task at hand may become difficult for bipolar children sometimes. When giving out assignments, give shorter amounts of problems that examine their level of understanding. Check in or have an assistant frequently check in with the child. Asking if he is doing alright is usually enough to quickly get the child to refocus.
6. Use the child's name often. While teaching, take the opportunity to use the child's name when writing out math problems or in sentences. The natural instinct for a bipolar child is bossiness. Combat this by giving him responsibilities such as collecting papers or placing him in a leadership role. Alternate this role among the children so that resentment does not come into play.
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