And Why This Year Can Be Different
Dear Parents and Teachers,
The school bags are packed. The uniform is pressed. And somewhere in your chest, there’s that familiar knot of hope mixed with worry.
Will this be the year it finally clicks? Will the homework battles ease? Will the morning chaos become manageable? Will the teacher feedback be different this time?
I want to share something with you that might change how you approach the year ahead. Over the past five years, I’ve been quietly analysing patterns from my practice—not just individual cases, but the bigger picture of what actually predicts school success and struggle for children with ADHD.
The findings surprised me. And I think they’ll help you.
What 5,807 Conversations Revealed
Here’s what we did: we analysed 1,509 first assessments, 2,702 parent follow-up consultations, and 1,596 teacher observation forms. That’s nearly six thousand data points from real South African families navigating ADHD.
The single biggest finding? Parents don’t come to me because their child is ‘a bit distracted.’
They come because life doesn’t run. Routines don’t launch. Homework doesn’t finish. Writing doesn’t show what the child actually knows. And the school feedback feels relentless.
When I looked at the numbers, clear patterns emerged—patterns that explain why certain strategies work and others don’t, and why some children thrive while others struggle despite everyone’s best efforts.
The Four Battlegrounds (And Why They Matter)
Here’s what teachers report as the biggest classroom challenges:
Assignment completion: 61% rated it problematic. This isn’t about laziness. It’s about a brain that struggles to sustain effort across time, especially when the task isn’t immediately interesting.
Following directions: 58% struggle here. Not because they’re defiant, but because working memory—the brain’s ‘school bag’—has holes in it. Instructions fall out before they can be acted upon.
Organisational skills: 56% need constant support. The brain’s pause button isn’t working fast enough to help them stop, think, and plan.
Written expression: 52% find this a major bottleneck. This was the surprise. Your child may know the work, but their output system can’t deliver it. Writing requires holding ideas in mind while simultaneously planning sentences, forming letters, and managing spelling—all at once.
Notice what’s missing from this list? ‘Not caring’ isn’t on it. ‘Laziness’ isn’t on it. The problem isn’t motivation. It’s execution.
What’s Actually Happening at Home
The parent follow-up data told an equally important story. These are the challenges that persist even after diagnosis and treatment begins:
57% report ongoing sleep difficulties. Sleep isn’t a ‘lifestyle extra’—it’s an upstream driver of everything else. A tired ADHD brain is a brain that cannot regulate, focus, or cope.
48% need constant supervision for organisational tasks. Your child isn’t being deliberately helpless. Remember the 30% rule: a ten-year-old with ADHD often has the executive function of a seven-year-old.
34% have problematic morning routines. If mornings in your house feel like a daily emergency, you’re not alone—and it’s not because you’re failing as a parent.
And here’s the finding that should give you hope: 67% of children with ADHD have a family member with the condition. If you recognise yourself in your child’s struggles, you’re not imagining it. And it means you can understand what they’re going through in a way others can’t.
What Medication Can (and Can’t) Do
The teacher data revealed something crucial that every parent needs to understand. When we compared classroom behaviour on versus off medication, we saw dramatic improvements in following directions, staying on task, and completing work.
But here’s what didn’t change much: reading ability, maths skills, and—importantly—written expression.
Think of medication as brain glasses. It helps the brain see clearly, which creates the opportunity for learning. But it doesn’t automatically install the skills that may have been missed during years of struggling to focus. If your child has been wearing ‘foggy glasses’ for years, there may be gaps in foundational skills that need direct teaching.
This explains why some parents feel disappointed despite good medication response. If academic struggles persist, it’s not proof the medication isn’t working—it’s proof that medication alone isn’t enough.
What This Means for Your Year Ahead
Based on five years of data, here’s what actually predicts school success:
Systems, not motivation. Your child doesn’t need another lecture about trying harder. They need routines, visual schedules, and external structures that compensate for the brain’s internal organisation challenges.
Output support, not just attention support. If writing is a bottleneck, address it directly. Consider typing, speech-to-text, reduced copying, or scaffolded paragraph frames. Help your child show what they know.
Sleep as a non-negotiable. Protect bedtime like your child’s school success depends on it—because it does. A well-rested brain can compensate for much. An exhausted one cannot.
Homework timing that matches biology. If medication wears off before homework time, you’re fighting biology. Discuss coverage timing with your prescriber. A small afternoon booster might transform your evenings.
Teacher partnership built on specifics. Go beyond ‘please help my child.’ Share exactly what works at home, and ask for specific feedback about what’s working in class.
Something New Is Coming
This research has shaped everything I’ve been working on. I’m developing a comprehensive ADHD School Success programme—both a book and an online course—that translates these findings into practical, week-by-week guidance.
The programme targets the exact challenges our data identifies: morning routines, homework completion, teacher communication, medication optimisation, and the writing bottleneck that holds so many children back.
I’ll be sharing more details in the coming weeks. For now, know that everything in this programme comes from listening to thousands of families—learning what actually works, what doesn’t, and why.
Quick Win Tonight
1. Set a consistent bedtime for the school week (15 minutes). Work backwards from wake-up time. Your child needs 9–11 hours depending on age.
2. Prepare the morning the night before (10 minutes). Uniform out, bag packed, shoes by the door. Remove every decision that doesn’t need to happen at 6am.
3. Have one honest conversation (5 minutes). Ask your child: ‘What’s the hardest part of school for you?’ Listen without fixing. Their answer will tell you where to focus your energy.
Remember This
Your child’s brain isn’t broken—it’s wired differently. The struggles you see aren’t character flaws or parenting failures. They’re the predictable result of a brain that processes the world in its own way. Understanding this changes everything. When you stop fighting against your child’s neurology and start working with it, transformation becomes possible.
You’re not failing. You’re learning. And so is your child.
Here’s to a 2026 built on understanding, not frustration.
Warm regards,
Dr John Flett
Contact Dr John Flett
8 Village Road, Kloof, Durban
031 1000 474
Zoom consultations available for schools and educators
Dr Flett is a neurodevelopmental paediatrician who is here to help.Disclaimer: The information provided is not intended nor implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. All content and information contained in this newsletter is for general information purposes only and does not replace a consultation with your own doctor or health professional. Information about mental health topics and treatments can change rapidly