“The hardest thing about ADHD is that it is invisible. ADHD is not a choice. Give yourself credit for what you’re doing right.”
Parenting a child with neurodiversity is just more…
More worry, more demands, more energy output, more struggle….
Having a child with ADHD can be extremely challenging and complex. It affects your concept of how you thought having children would be, your parenting style, your day to day life, future planning for yourself and your family, your relationship with your other neurotypical children, your partnership and even your friendships with other parents. More than likely your child might also have other co-morbidities such as learning or language challenges, anxiety, OCD, ODD or fine motor difficulties to name a few.
(Check out the Resources tab for more information on what is ADHD)
You might often feel like a failure for your continual loss of patience, lashing out with frustration and sheer overwhelm from parenting your spirited child.
Are there times when you struggle wether to push harder or pull back? Whether more consequences or more flexibility is required? And how much space can one small child really take up in a persons life? Can I really find ways to help them live a happy, healthy and successful life?
I know. I get it. It’s a lot.
But let’s pause for a second. Perhaps this can be an opportunity to shift our perspectives in ways around family, success, values and create lasting self awareness and compassion for you and your child.
We can work together to come from a research based solutions approached. This neurodiverstiy is also a superpower. If we reframe the concept of hyperactivity with boundless energy, and as Ned Hallowell says, “what is creativity but impulsivity gone right?” .
BA ECE, R.E.C.E, RYT
I came to my ADHD diagnosis late in life, like many women after my daughter had a diagnosis. It all started to make sense as I reflected back on my journey as a student, an entrepreneur, a partner and a parent. I had always done well in school when I cared about what I was learning. As you may already know ADHD brains are motivated by interest. We are LIT when exploring our most novel ideas and interests but when asked to focus on a task that seems daunting or banal the ADHD brain will quickly shutdown.
Since my early teens I gravitated toward holistic medicine and spiritual explorations which I felt were invaluable in supporting my self-awareness, stress management and executive functioning challenges. My hyper focused interest areas have always orbited around children, nature, yoga, holistic health, wellness and wondering. After years in early childhood education and working within a in a healing community I wanted to bring my love of nature and yoga to kids of all ages. In 2015 I created my business Rainbow Rhythm Kids, nature, music and yoga focused educational programs that ran at a variety of libraries, daycares, schools and community centres around the GTA.
In 2017 my partner and I also started Toronto Forest School, a land-based outdoor program for children to immerse in play and nature connection. After the birth of our second child and the hit of the pandemic in 2020, these two endeavours ended abruptly. I completed another yoga teacher training and was looking for a new outlet for my creative and service oriented self. Combining my years of self exploration; working with others in healing modalities such as reiki, shamanic medicine, as well as yoga and early childhood education- being an ADHD parent coach and guide for children is a synergy of my life’s work.
Education and Trainings:
Centre for Coaching Certification 2022 Calm And Connected ADHD Parent Coach Training 2021 Kundalini Foundation Teacher Training 2020 Awaken Love Yoga Teacher Training 2018 Graduated Ryerson University BA in Early Childhood Studies 2014 Whispering Song School of Energy Medicine 6 year Shamanic Apprentice and Mentorship 2012 Radiant Child Yoga Teacher Training 2011 Graduated Mothercraft R.E.C.E Diploma 2009 Natural Health Consultants Montreal 2003
Sarah Hawthorn
Why work with me?
As a person with ADHD and a parent of an ADHD child, I have an intimate understanding the vast challenges and exceptionalities of the ADHD brain. There are many differing ways ADHD presents for people and we all have different coping mechanisms. I like to know who I am working with and focus on a strengths based approach to meeting your goals as a parent and for your child.
I have a B.A in Early Childhood Studies, I am a certified Yoga teacher with a background of over 20 years in holistic medicine. I combine my life experiences and work with of all these modalities into a deeply compassionate and unique way to working with and understanding your child and family. I create a safe and welcoming environment for you to be seen, heard and respected for who you are, where you are at in this moment on the journey.
That is why I chose the name Compassionately ADHD. Compassion promotes meaningful connections, facilitates problem solving and is only possible when we set aside judgement and listen deeply. And in ADHD Coaching we share a common passion to find solutions together. I pride myself on being a creative problem solver- when my daughter started to develop an aversion to writing on paper I took a pair of mini mitts cut off the fingers and gave her what we call now, her writing glove. We might need to come up with quick fix and long term solutions to make your life and your child’s life easier to manage in a moment. It’s my hyper focus!
From this foundation of compassion we will work to find the best supports for you and your child-mentally, emotionally, physically and spiritually.
My work is based in over 25 years of early childhood education and development; vibrational medicine; yoga; HeartMath; neuroscience, EFT.
