In The News

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CONTACT:
Diane Marinelli, APR
dmarinelli@jbrf.org
678-413-3488

THE JUVENILE BIPOLAR RESEARCH FOUNDATION LAUNCHES EDUCATIONAL FORUM FOR PARENTS AND EDUCATORS

Pawling, NY (September 30, 2002) -- Beginning a new school year is exciting for most parents and children, but for families of children suffering from bipolar disorder, “back-to-school” time can be very stressful.

To help ease the stress for these families, the Juvenile Bipolar Research Foundation (JBRF) will launch a new Educational Forum on its web site today, September 30th. Parents will be able to post questions and have them answered quickly by a panel of experts. JBRF hopes that this forum will encourage a national dialogue to promote better understanding of the educational challenges that confront a student with bipolar disorder. A comprehensive monograph entitled “The Educational Issues of the Student With Bipolar Disorder” distills essential information for parents and educators and is a permanent part of the website.

“Parents are forced to go to multiple sources, do an incredible amount of research and piece together information to develop an education strategy for their child. Often, it takes so long, the child falls behind,” says JBRF president, Christina Fay. “We want to be a one-stop shop for complete, accurate, up-to-date information on educating the bipolar child.”

Bipolar disorder (manic-depression) affects more than 1 million children and adolescents in the United States. Abrupt swings of mood and energy that occur multiple times within a day, intense outbursts of temper, poor frustration tolerance, and oppositional, defiant behavior are common symptoms of early-onset bipolar disorder.

“Next to proper diagnosis and medical treatment, structuring an appropriate education is the most important thing we can do for these children,” says Sandra Norelli, co-director of the JBRF’s Education Team.

The following individuals will make up the expert panel.

Sandra Norelli is the mother of an 18-year-old bipolar son. She was the Educational Team Leader for the Child and Adolescent Bipolar Foundation where she advised parents across the country about the civil rights of their children in the educational arena. She is also an educational advocate in the school district in which she lives. In addition to being the co-director of the JBRF Educational Team, she is the coordinator of its Professional Listserv.

Mary Jane Hatton, co-director, has 20 years of teaching experience in the public schools and as a reading and language tutor. In private practice since 1993, she has created her own educational materials, based on her training in Orton-Gillingham, a phonetic approach to reading, writing and spelling. She also supports the children she tutors by serving as their advocate at IEP (individualized education plan) meetings in Michigan schools. She is a co-founder of the Child and Adolescent Bipolar Foundation.

Glad Curlee, LPC, LMFC, is the founder of America’s first school for Bipolar and ADHD children, the Austin Harvard School in Austin. She is a Marriage and Family Therapist in Austin, Texas, and the creator of the Communication And Relationship Encounter (C.A.R.E.) and Life Solutions. She is the mother of two bipolar/ADHD children.

Christine Garcia, M.Ed., is a high school special education teacher. She also has taught in elementary and middle schools in general and special education, (self-contained and resource classrooms). Garcia graduated from UCLA and holds 3 teaching credentials and has a Master’s degree in Education with a special education emphasis (from CSUS). She is also certified to teach ESL students. She has personal and professional experience advocating for students with many different learning disabilities.

Anne Marie Smith has a Master's Degree in Special Education and Family Relations. She has taught preschool through adult education in all types of settings (school based, home based and institutions). She taught the “Family to Family” Education Course of the National Association for the Mentally Ill for three years. Smith was a list moderator for the Child and Adolescent Bipolar Foundation and was a member of its Education Team. Currently, she works for the juvenile justice system doing judicial appointed investigations for care & protection matters and guardian ad litem work. She is the mother of three children, two with neurobiological brain-based disorders.

The Juvenile Bipolar Research Foundation raises and distributes funds for the most promising research into the causes, treatments and prevention of early-onset bipolar disorder. The JBRF is the first charitable foundation devoted solely to support research in childhood-onset bipolar disorder.

Visit the Juvenile Bipolar Research Foundation at http://www.jbrf.org and click on “Discussion Forums.”

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