22/07/2022
School can be a difficult journey for kids with ADHD, and their families. Kids do well if they can (Dr Greene’s wise words). And when they can’t, they can really benefit from adults who understand what is happening for them.
Resources that might help you and your child:
Ask your school to read or re-read Ross Greene's "The Explosive Child" Dr Greene’s view is very much that all children do their best, and if a child is not meeting expectations, it is up to the adults to look connect with the child, and use their skills to dive into what is happening for the child and then problem solve that specific unsolved problem together. I just did a great course on this and I am going to do the trainer course in collaborative problem solving with the child.
Have a look at Web Site resources-
Www.livesinthebalance.org
This is Ross Greene’s site and there are amazing free resources on this site for you and school
https://www.additudemag.com - you will find links to the podcast recordings here and lots of resources. Lots of very helpful things to give the teacher, and to give you parental guidance.
Lou Brown's web site has great recources, fact sheets and useful info - https://thrivingwithadhd.com.au/
Lou is a West Australian who started as a nurse and became an expert in ADHD and she is currently doing her PhD in a compassionate parenting guide for parents of kids with ADHD
Sue Larkey is an expert on Autism and she has some great info on her web site too. https://suelarkey.com.au/
It is important that your child is not shamed or humiliated for something that they cannot control -their capacity is their capacity - and punishing them for not having capacity to meet expectations only damages their self esteem. It will not build the child's capacity.
We need to help school leave behaviourist teaching/discipline behind (reward and punishment) and move into an empathetic space where the child's difficulties are recognised. I really like Ross Greene's program - it is all about collaborative problem solving - and by using this program of collaborative problem solving, we teach the children to develop the skills that are frequently lagging for them - reasoning, emotion regulation, planning, problem solving.
Teaching a child with ADHD and Autism can be overwhelming and very tricky. The more support and knowledge and information you have - the better you will all manage.
Edit - Medication is definitely one of the important tools in our tool box. It is is something our son gets great benefit from, especially at school. We constantly monitor and adapt the meds as our son grows. But it is not a fix-all.
Courses and resources to help you teach children on the autism spectrum and make a difference in their lives and those who support them.
