Jan Assheton RGN RSCN is an Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) Coach and Learning Mentor and the mother of a child with ADHD. She will be sharing the benefits of her personal and professional experience twice a month.

INTRODUCTION

Part One

“I live and work with ADHD – partly through choice, partly through circumstances.”

LATEST ENTRY

Part Nineteen

“Once we had determined that what Noah wanted was some more additions to his ‘male grooming kit’ we progressed to make, colour, consistency and volume of stuff required.”

EARLIER ENTRIES

Part Eighteen: Bye Bye Bully

“Most of the children where we live are ‘nice’ - what I mean by nice is that they don’t fight (usually), they share their sweets (usually) and generally get on well with one another. All of them that is except CONNOR.”

Part Seventeen: Water Worlds

“The perfectly tanned bodies were peering incredulously over their very-expensive sunglasses at Noah. Who couldn’t have looked more out of place if he tried.”

Part Sixteen: The Trampoline

“Four hours later, I was woken by moaning and sobbing; Noah was in the bathroom with a pair of scissors in his mouth trying to remove the wires from his teeth!”

Part Fifteen

“In the end he just couldn’t do it – say goodbye to a Grandpa who he loved dearly...who never questioned his diagnosis of ADHD and never criticised his behaviour once.”

Part Fourteen

“He has the acceptance of a child which only a grandparent can have, no judging, no questioning, just acceptance.”

Part Thirteen: Summertime, Summertime

“‘Summer’ for me arrives when my ADHD son spends more time out of the house than in, when the screams of “Mum he’s spitting at me from the top of the stairs again” from my seven year-old daughter become just a distant memory and I can actually spend time pondering.”

Part Twelve: Acting Up

“Not being the most even-tempered of people first thing, and noticing my tight schedule remorselessly ticking away, I quickly reverted to Plan B. I lost it.”

Part Eleven: The Whole Child

“It's not that we don't adore our son, it's just that he is SUCH HARD WORK!!”

Part Ten: Disability Living Allowance: A Day at the Tribunal

“I should have known our case was doomed when the blue-rinsed granny enquired as to whether I had ever tried simply asking Noah to get out of bed before he had his tablets!”

Part Nine: The Morning Routine

“On school days we give him his medication before he even gets out of bed. Yes, it’s horrendous I know, but the alternative is not a pretty sight.”

Part Eight: Boy Racer

“‘But I don’t need to go to ski school, I can ski already!!’ This coming from the veteran of one-and-a-half hours on the local dry ski slope....The galling thing was that he was probably right!”

Part Seven: On the Piste

“Long after the average 12 year old would have given up on “no darling it is too expensive” they are still looking for ways for “no” to be turned into “yes” and “too expensive” into “well, alright then I’ll think about it” out of pure parental exasperation.”

Part Six: Challenging Schools

“Schools have a huge part to play in the support of our children and I’m sorry to say that at the moment the majority are failing miserably.”

Part Five: A Big Step Forward

“When Noah comes in from school he always likes to stick to the same routine....So, you can imagine my amazement when he announced that he was going to join the local football club that night after school.”

Part Four: ADHD & Medication

“So much of the publicity surrounding ADHD has been negative. Sure it is headline grabbing and makes for good reading, but what really lies behind the headlines - could parents be drugging their kids just because they won’t do as they are told?”

Part Three: Back to School

“Noah ‘volunteered’ to help find the missing object and somehow mobilised the rest of the class in a frantic attempt to locate it. The lesson ended just the way he had planned – in total uproar!”

Part Two: Christmas

“Christmas arrived early in our house – at precisely three minutes past twelve! No, it wasn’t that Santa got stuck up the chimney - my darling son was unable to sleep. In fact he slept for precisely thirty-seven minutes between 11pm and 12am...”