hi everyone!  my 3 year old grandaughter was just diagnosed with adhd and possible bipolar disorder.  i take her monday for her physical so they can determine what kind of medication to put her on.  i have custody of her, so this is really new to me.  she was just diagnosed on wednesday of this week.  i knew there was something going on with her, but i didnt know if it was because im 47 and trying to take care of her and work, or if there was something medical going on.  there is a history of adhd, and bipolar in our family, so i thought getting her checked out wouldnt be a bad idea.  she really can run me ragged some times!!!!

im looking forward to this forum in the hopes it will give me some understanding from other people in this situation and some ideas and just general support.  i really welcome any help/suggestions from anyone and everyone!!!  

so sorry i didnt post  a reply sooner .

some threads get more attention than others .  i post alot  around here, but im just a member . i have add-i  which means im inattentive rather than hyper.

there arent enough grand parents here  

 please look around for something that intrests you .   usually we only here about grandparents that are unsympathetic or abusive.

 its such a breath of fresh air to hear from a grandparent that wants to be involved and help.  

how much do you understand about adhd?

hmmm

 are you the guardian?

3 is very early age for diagnosis i though bi polar had to be diagnosed after ten years of incedents to be treated?

so glad you posted   . this is a board just like others that as time goes by the threads become less replied too.  so you have to post alot if you need help  and help post get alot of attention

 some feel that meds are the way to go others think therapy  some even say routine  . i thinks its all of the above .

 isolation   is the worst way  for child to learn, change ,grow  yet peers can trigger outburst that can escalate into rages  which can lead to isolation. even more difficult is seeing a childs self frustration boil up all day and have an out burst from a small trigger and feel clueless as to why they say outrageous statements in response to petty situations . 

im nuts well nearly     so dont ever think im not.

 or trust my advice is complete

but i have learned to cope

i have many lived through many aspects of add     its a life long struggle without cure.

as long as you have trust   it will be easier to gett through behaviors

your grand child is lucky that you are taking steps to help her deal with issues intrinsically .   yet as this age of development you may have to practice the feelings therapys 6-7 times a day  for it make a differeence for the rest of her life   of which the other 7-9 year olds dont even have that option 

that she is so young and im not sure where you live nor do you have to say . i suggest you read this other post feel free to pm  any time 

you have my respect  just for seeking support  and putting her needs at a high priority.  mean while   learn your non verbal communication skills as this can help keep some correction incedents from escalating  because of voice stimuluses.  things like planned ignore and nodding , and use of hands and arms

also i have a post about making a home less stimulating at night  and motion alarms for when there moving around in the middle of night undetected    common with adhd multi's they seek stimulus's like food  and wake up    very moody   its a cycle that if aware of can help make decisions about staying with others rather than at school or at home . we all make mistakes      dont beat yourself up over mistakes    just look at them as opprotunities to learn change grow

find god parents and set up will that addresses her needs , change them out from time to time as this gets more people involved and the she deals with others the more chance she has to listen during times where she's nearly unreachable by jusy one or two family members.   all girls go through the  persona changes in thier late teens  and learn early not too destroy thier core family   while thier destroying thier relationships so they emerge  reinvneted  . when men do this in thier 40s its called a mid life crisis    .

its my personal view  that bi polars tend to do this   fequently throughout thier lives  hence the      relationship destroying behaviors    people who understand this are the towers of strength , which benehit them immencly  ------- still being there for them after months of defiance  being some one they can count on to alway be there.     thin is    some day you wont be    -        im sorry  -     i dont want my life to end and leave the ones i love behind either  - that why its important to have the god parents and     many of them  available   - if you can bait them in with   god parenting   and then later as thier needs change    they can be a mentor role that aids in interventions that are seldom needed necessary

im add-i  my  unmed

mother is adhd  unmed

brother adhd  unmed

sister in law bi-polar and phyco   med after 40

 niece that is possibly bipolar    7

cousin that had terets     18

im married          ;           ;  7

daughter is possibly add-i but i wont know till shes 10          4

i work with teens in a facilty that uses therapy on kids that would otherwise be in juvenile or boys/girls school  1 year

while i dont have credentials to advise  anything formally  i can share my experinces.

 it seems like the feeling thereapies keep emotional development in check physical development

i hope im not the only one to welcome you the board  , because there are alot of great people here that deal with theses issues too, and its when we reach out to others that are coping right along with us that we ourselves dont feel isolated.

sometimes i have to reply more often just offer support which im actually seeking support myself too.

journaling seems to be a big aid at snipping things in the bud and picking battles.

so im working on a journal template  from this community   as a community project  . i havent started it yet    some use charts others use text entires . i think it could be a helpful tool . the parents that use them seem to be on thier game if you know what i mean

i hear something about a 504 plan at school  which puts the childs rights in the classroom  just like a wheel chair ramp is also a right to have in school so that important to consider now that many cities are adopting  magnet schools and some are adopying adhd curiculms.

adhd is usually not an only disorder which means theres usually something else going on too.