Students with bipolar disorder
face tough challenges navigating
through the many pressures
of a typical school day. Their
neurologically-based mood disorder
affects emotion, behavior, cognitive
skills, and social interactions.
These students are very
vulnerable to stress that can easily
overwhelm their coping skills.
Therefore, it is paramount to their
success in the classroom to reduce
exposure to stressors and help them
build coping skills that they will
need throughout their lives. More
than anything else, these children
need structure and predictability
to frame the day, provided by
supportive and flexible teachers who
calmly help them stay in control
when any difficulties develop.
The most important factor in
these children’s success is the
way adults respond to and work
with them. The teachers who
work best with these students
are resourceful, caring, and calm,
and know how to work positively
with children’s shifting moods
and cognitive weaknesses. Praise,
encouragement, and key words elicit
positive behaviors, while negativity
helps the child spin out of control.
Experts recommend some praise
for all children at least once every 5
minutes, or 12 positive comments for
every negative statement.
Good communication between
home and school is essential.
Contact should be frequent, timely,
and focused on facts and solving
problems (rather than blame). The
school needs to inform parents
regularly about how the student
is performing. This can be done
via a notebook that goes back and
forth to school with the child, or
a daily chart or e-mail that records
successes, progress, difficulties, and
mood information. Parents can then
reinforce and support the teacher
and the child. Parents can also spot
trends in the child’s illness and
respond before problems reach a
crisis. They should inform teachers
of any unusual stressors at home and
changes in medication.
One of the challenges of working
with these children is that even
tried-and-true strategies may not
work consistently due to the
frequent mood shifts the students
experience. Being prepared with
a variety of approaches certainly
increases a teacher’s odds of dealing
successfully with their students’
challenges.