Your unconditional love, compassionate understanding and unwavering support
is everything to your child with ADHD. 

Parenting a child with ADHD can be challenging, but it can also be a rich and rewarding experience, especially if we learn to proactively parent our children with a strong understanding of their ADHD reality.

Parenting in this manner requires an in-depth understanding of ADHD. It enables us to accurately identify the underlying reasons behind our children’s struggles, as well as the parenting approach and personalised support they require to navigate life successfully, develop in a healthy manner and thrive.

Unfortunately, without an accurate understanding of what is really going on for our children with ADHD we can fall into the trap of misinterpreting their behaviour. For example, when they are struggling we may jump to the conclusion they are being naughty, manipulative or lazy. This predisposes us to using punitive measures in an attempt to control their behaviour. However, punishing our children for behaviour that is symptomatic of their developmental delay and lagging self-regulation skills will do nothing but crush their self-esteem and self-worth, foster shame and exacerbate their challenges. It can also contribute to them becoming oppositional and defiant.

Presentation & workshop goals

This session is designed to help you really understand ADHD and the many ways it manifests in your child’s life, both in their unique gifts and in their individual challenges. It will also teach you to:

• protect your child’s self-esteem and sense of self-worth as well as their ability to be successful by ensuring the expectations you place upon them are appropriate for their abilities and executive function age
  
• apply scaffolding which supports your child’s delayed skills and helps to bridge the gap between their executive function age and their chronological age
  
• use a strength-based approach, harnessing your child’s interests and providing in-the-moment positive reinforcement
  
• advocate successfully for your child at school
  
• build a solid foundation and cultivate open communication between you and your child using The Five Cs Parenting Framework. This framework will help you to open up ‘teachable moments’ in which you can gently foster self-awareness, self-acceptance and self-compassion in your child. It will also show you how to collaborate with your child to help them slowly develop the skills they will require to one day manage their ADHD independently.

Research shows that although parenting style does not cause ADHD, it can work to either exacerbate or diminish our children’s ADHD symptoms. It can affect our children’s long-term outcomes. It also has a huge influence on the quality of child-parent and sibling relationships, and on the level of personal satisfaction one experiences from being a parent.

About Lou Brown

Lou Brown is an ADHD Coach, Consultant, Educator & Advocate. She is also the author of ADHD in Primary School: a comprehensive guide to understanding and supporting students with ADHD in the classroom and the blog Thriving with ADHD.

Prior to becoming a coach, Lou worked as a registered nurse for more than seventeen years. She worked in a wide variety of specialities and held 3 senior nursing roles. When she and her son were both diagnosed with ADHD in 2016, Lou made the decision to fondly farewell her nursing career and launch into her ultimate passion – improving the lives and outcomes of individuals with ADHD.

Lou now works one-on-one with parents of children who have ADHD, as well as with adults who are affected by the disorder. With a unique insight into both the symptoms of ADHD and what it feels like to experience them, Lou also provides ADHD education and workshops for parents, adults and teachers. As a tireless ADHD advocate, she frequently collaborates with ADHD Australia, Parents for ADHD Advocacy Australia, and the ADHD Foundation Australia and has appeared in multiple television interviews and in online and print publications, sharing her lived experience with the aim of fostering understanding and awareness around ADHD.

About the ADHD Foundation

The ADHD foundation is a not for profit organisation whose mission is to improve the outcomes of individuals with ADHD through collaboration, advocacy and policy reform, so that all children and adults with ADHD receive the evidence based treatment and support they require to:

• develop in a healthy manner and reach their full potential
• experience optimal health and wellbeing
• live a full and rewarding life
• feel good about themselves and about their future.

You can follow the ADHD Foundation on Facebook here

Workshop Feedback

“ Lou exceeds expectations in her ADHD parenting workshop. She is honest and open with her own personal journey, is straight talking but with the empathy and compassion of someone who truly understands parenting a child with ADHD, as well as has lived experience. Lou is extremely knowledgeable, her sessions are full of valuable information, and they are interactive and collaborative. It is clear that she loves what’s she’s doing as her energy is infectious. There was laughter and tears on the day and you certainly leave feeling full of hope, confident you can deal with any challenges and be a positive parent and strong advocate for your child.”
Lydia Roberts, Perth.

"I thoroughly enjoyed Lou's parenting workshop. As an ADHD parent, we often feel bewildered and stressed; the worry can be overwhelming. Lou understands this and provides empathy, support and reassurance which leaves you feeling capable as a parent and positive about the future. Lou's key strength is her lived experience. Combined with the evidence and well researched information she provides, Lou puts perspective around our children's struggles. She also provides practical and effective strategies that we can use to help our children succeed and feel good about themselves both at home and in the school 'environment. Thank you Lou, I have learned so much about myself as a parent as well as what life is like for my son from you and this has helped our family greatly." 
Lou Kuchel, Sydney.

"We enjoyed your workshop greatly. More importantly my wife and I walked into the workshop feeling a little helpless but walked out feeling more empowered to help our child. We got more out of your workshop than 2 years in the hospital system which involved seeing every professional you can imagine once or twice a week. You connected with the audience because you have something important and meaningful to share. Your real, honest and know your stuff."
Justin Sheriden, Sydney

"One of the most insightful and supportive workshops I have ever attended. Real parenting advise with explicit assistance. This workshop helps parents actually be or become the parents they want to be for their children with ADHD and to impact on their lives positively."
Brooke Vines, Sydney.

"Lou Brown is a gift to the ADHD community. Her knowledge in this space is amazing for both parents of ADHD children and adults with ADHD. Her clinical background and personal experience gives her the ability to offer evidence-based and experiential knowledge which is expressed with empathy and warmth."
Sarah Foster, Sydney.

"Lou thank you for an amazing and informative session. To hear your message, knowing that it comes from someone with ADHD, who has a child with ADHD is priceless. It clearly comes from a place of love and compassion, and I can't wait to head home and put those strategies into place."
Annmarie Henriks, Sydney.

"I feel so blessed to have attended this workshop very soon after my son's diagnosis. I feel way more empowered to harness his strengths and to guide and help him thrive."
Care Griffith, Sydney.

"Lou Brown speaks with empathy and knowledge, based on her clinical background and lived experience, and provides a terrific practical approach. She is inspirational and makes us feel collectively we can make positive changes."
Deb Grimes, Sydney.

"An excellent seminar for parents struggling to understand and support their children with ADHD."
Karen (Surname withheld), Sydney.

"This was a really good workshop that gave me a better understanding of ADHD and helped me understand the WHY behind my child's behaviour, which I hope will change my reaction and help me to think outside the box when it comes to supporting him." "I left feeling encouraged to go home and love my ADHD child better, reminded of ideas which have worked in the past and equiped with new strategies to try as well." 
Bronwen & Byron Westbury, Sydney.