Fictional ADHD book hopes to clear myths and help those with the condition

With one in 20 children in SA suffering from ADHD (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder), and an estimated one million South African adults, the book All of These Things Are Important to Me, is the first fictional book launched in SA about the condition.

It aims to create awareness to help early detection and intervention.

The book, illustrated by David Griessel, is co-written by Professor Renata Schoeman, a psychiatrist and co-author of a South African management guideline for ADHD, and celebrated author, Refiloe Moahloli.

The book explores the adventurous life of Zee in a short and colourful narrative in English, Afrikaans, Xhosa, Zulu and Sesotho, and through its captivating storytelling, explains how a child with ADHD perceives and lives in the world.

The second part of the book offers a simple, but accurate explanation of ADHD: what it is, how it is diagnosed and how it is managed. It also offers valuable advice for parents, educators and health care professionals in understanding and managing ADHD.

Schoeman says ADHD is a condition often misdiagnosed, and plagued by myths and misunderstanding, particularly with regard to treatment.

“When undiagnosed or not effectively treated, ADHD often sees children being unfairly labelled as naughty, delinquent, unteachable, and as adults, as lazy or incompetent. It’s important to talk about ADHD and how it hampers educational performance, self-esteem, relationships and productivity,” Schoeman said.

“We also need to create awareness about other mental health conditions such as anxiety, depression and substance abuse, which can sometimes surface when ADHD is either mistreated or goes undetected.”

Schoeman said the playful narrative of the book was intentional, to ensure that children were entertained while parents use the scientific content as a resource to answer their child (ren) or even their own, questions about ADHD.

“We wanted to create a resource that would be accessible to as many South Africans as possible in native languages and in the voice of a child with which both children, parents and teachers, could resonate.”

“The manner in which ADHD is talked about with a child can have an enormous impact on their perception of their value in the world. The right books can help and in SA there are no resources available to guide parents, teachers and carers,” Schoeman said.

“Parenting a child with ADHD can be challenging if one is not equipped but if you seek the right knowledge, you can tap the potential of your child (ren) and help them to better cope with their symptoms.”

Proceeds from the book will be donated to the Goldilocks and the Bear Foundation, founded by Schoeman and athlete Nic de Beer in 2017, which funds and manages the screening of children in underprivileged areas, not only for the early detection and intervention of ADHD but also other mental health conditions and learning difficulties which are barriers to education.

The Foundation trains teachers and caregivers and upskills NGOs in the early detection of ADHD and other mental health disorders.

To date they have offered free mental health services to 21,781 children in the Western Cape and opened an ADHD screening centre at the Tygerberg Hospital earlier this year.

The book is available for R100 from the Foundation (info@gb4adhd.co.za)