Empowering neurodivergent people through understanding and conversation
Q. My daughter has been diagnosed with ADHD and is on [medication] daily. This has helped with a lot of aspects of her ADHD but she is still very disorganised and untidy. We have tried habit trackers and reward charts and bribery but nothing works. How do I force her to follow some routines? – dad of daughter, aged 8-11 A. Long story short, you don’t force anything. Ever. I think the vast majority of[…]...
School Can’t is still generally known as School Refusal in political, medical, and educational circles, unfortunately. However the understanding is that children who experience this are not refusing to go to school, or refusing to try. They simply can’t. Your child can’t do it easily. They can’t even try without immense effort. And often they can’t go at all. What is School Can’t? School refusal is a type of school attendance problem characterised by a[…]...
When people speak of the true spirit of generosity, they talk about selflessness and the act of giving without expecting anything in return. That’s the moral high ground, right? It’s what we teach our kids. It’s what we praise and aspire to. So why is it that so many adults harshly judge children who open gifts at Christmas or on birthdays, and don’t respond in a particular way? Why are neurodivergent kids with traits such[…]...
There are two important things to remember when it comes to Christmas lunch and neurodivergent kids. Firstly, it is a social construct, not a necessity. Secondly, you and your neurodivergent child do not owe conformity to anyone. Not even the people you love most. In fact, especially not the people you love most. If your child finds eating Christmas lunch at a family gathering difficult, that is okay. If this situation remains difficult, that is[…]...
Developing a sense of security can prevent or repair so much of what people feel is difficult about neurodivergence. There are a number of traits of neurodivergencies that are tough – for the neurodivergent person, and sometimes for the people around them too. But so many of the trickier aspects of many neurodivergences are not traits of the neurotype itself, but an expression of distress. We have talked about this so many times in articles[…]...
For even the most neuroaffirming family unit, Christmas celebrations with extended family can be incredibly difficult for families with neurodivergent members. Some find this is down to the lack of accommodations. For others it is due to blatant judgement. Some children are dysregulated by particular family members. Parents can be frustrated by their usually-regulated child having a “bad day” in the presence of so many family members. Obviously these potential “bad days” are absolutely understandable,[…]...
Trigger warning: mentions of suicide. Movember began in Australia in 2003, when two men were talking in a pub in Melbourne. The first year was simply a challenge to see if they could convince other friends to grow a moustache. 30 Mo Bros grew their facial hair; it was not a fundraising exercise. A year later it involved almost 480 people, and raised around $54,000. Within 10 years they’d raised over $685 million for men’s[…]...
A lot is said about “impulse control” particularly in relation to neurodivergencies such as ADHD. Strategies for improving the ability to control reflex reactions and impulsive behaviours are taught, and hopefully implemented. Methods for pausing, urge surfing, and breathing through feelings are taught. CBT and DBT are learned. But what happens when you’re early in your journey and haven’t reached the step of being guided on this yet? When your child hasn’t found the approach[…]...
Empowering neurodivergent people through understanding and conversation
