From our September 2025 Newsletter
Externalise, Don’t Internalise!
Back to school season always arrives with glossy promises of fresh starts, tidy routines, and perfectly packed bags.
Not so much if you have ADHD, and wider neurodivergence is part of your family.
But why is that?
ADHD people struggle to hold everything in their heads. That’s what we call ‘executive function’ at work – planning, organising, remembering, switching gears – and it’s exactly where things can get tricky. It’s not about laziness. It’s not about willpower. It’s about the way the brain is wired.
So the trick is to accept this and externalise as much of it as you can.
That means making the invisible visible, so no one has to rely on memory alone.
It might look like:
– A checklist on the fridge instead of endless verbal reminders.
– A “leave the house song” programmed into Alexa, so music does the timekeeping (and nagging!) for you.
– A box by the door where shoes and bags live, ready for the morning rush.
Remember, we’re not looking for perfect. Perfect isn’t real. We’re looking for better. Fewer meltdowns. Less stress. A moment of calm amidst the madness.
So this September, hold onto that. Better is possible.
You’ve got this.
And if you haven’t… if your child is one of the increasing number who aren’t even crossing the school threshold right now… we know how complicated that is too. More on that another time.
