Calm Compass

The Welcome Booklet

Read this first.

Dr John Flett

Free · start here

Start with the booklet — read this first.

A free guide to your child’s ADHD at home, in plain language — and the one small thing to try tonight. Pop in your details below and we’ll email it straight to you.

First name(Required)

Email(Required)

Your consent(Required)

Yes — email me the booklet and occasional CALM Compass updates.

Your Child’s Starting Point

Calm Compass

Let’s find your child’s starting point.

This isn’t a test, and there are no wrong answers. About five minutes — and the most useful five in the whole programme, because everything after it is built on what you tell us here. If mornings are fine in your house, you’ll never get a word about mornings.

Step 1 of 16

Let’s find your child’s starting point. This isn’t a test, and there are no wrong answers. It takes about five minutes, and everything after it is built on what you tell us here. If mornings are fine in your house, you’ll never get a word about mornings.

Who this is for. CALM Compass is built for the child whose main story is ADHD. If there's also a significant autistic profile, a strong oppositional or defiant pattern, or frequently extreme behaviour, these techniques still help — but they belong alongside a health care provider's involvement, not in place of it. Please raise it at your review with Dr Flett.

About your child

Your child’s first name(Required)

How old are they?(Required)

What grade / year are they in?(Required)

Grade R–Grade 3 (Foundation)

Grade 4–Grade 6 (Intersen)

Grade 7

Grade 8–Grade 9

Grade 10–Grade 11

Grade 12 / Matric

Tertiary / Other

Are there other children at home?(Required)

Yes

Is more than one grown-up involved in day-to-day care?(Required)

Yes

Is your child currently on a medication plan with Dr Flett?(Required)

Yes

Not sure

We never change anything about medication here — that always stays in your review with Dr Flett.

The one that frames the rest

When your child finds something hard, which is closer to how it feels in the moment?(Required)

It often feels like they could if they wanted to — not bothered, digging their heels in

It feels like they truly can’t manage it yet, however much they’re trying

A bit of both, depending on the day

How the day goes — mornings & routines

How do school mornings usually go?(Required)

— mostly fine

We get there, but it’s a slog

Most mornings are a fight, or end in tears

Which of these is happening? (tick any)

Can’t get them out of bed

Getting dressed takes forever

Mornings end in shouting or meltdown

Won’t eat breakfast

The last few minutes at the door fall apart

I end up doing every step for them

Mornings (continued)

Getting everyone out at once is the problem

Homework & after-school

How does homework and after-school go?(Required)

— mostly fine

It happens, but there’s friction

Homework is a daily battle

Which of these is happening? (tick any)

They fall apart the moment they’re home

Homework never gets started

Can’t keep going unless I sit there

A worksheet turns into ‘I’m stupid’

Can’t sit still long enough to work

Evenings & sleep

How do bedtimes and nights go?(Required)

— mostly fine

Bedtime drags, but we manage

Nights are exhausting for all of us

Which of these is happening? (tick any)

Bedtime takes two hours

Their brain won’t switch off

Up in the night, or awake before dawn

Evenings (continued)

Bedtime only really works for one of us

Mealtimes

How are mealtimes?(Required)

— mostly fine

Some friction at the table

Every meal is a battle

Which of these is happening? (tick any)

Won’t sit — dinner’s a battle over the chair

Barely eats all day

Eats only a handful of foods; won’t try anything new

Exams

With exams coming up, how is studying going?

— mostly fine

It happens, but it’s a struggle

A daily battle, or not happening at all

Which of these is happening? (tick any)

The exam’s days away and nothing’s been done

Studying never gets started

The whole thing’s too big; they freeze

They study for hours but nothing sticks

Can’t sit and study for any length of time

They panic or blank in the exam itself

Not sure they’re getting the support they’re entitled to

How the day goes — school & home

How is the school side going — the teacher, the reports, the everyday support?

School's going well.

Mostly OK, but I'm often guessing what's going on.

School is a real worry — feedback, marks, or getting help.

The everyday school relationship — not exam-season studying (that's the exams section).

Which of these is happening? (tick any)

I never really know what's happening at school until the report lands.

I don't know how to ask the school for the everyday help they need.

Reports and parent–teacher meetings leave me stressed and none the wiser.

We only send the parts that match. Anything on a formal assessment, exam concessions, or medication timing is for your review with Dr Flett — never an automated answer.

The basics underneath

Have any of these everyday basics been slipping lately? (tick any — or ‘all good’)

Not getting enough sleep / always overtired

Skipping meals / running on empty / barely eating

Barely moving — wired, restless, no outlet

Hardly drinks any water

Home doesn’t feel calm — nowhere safe to fall apart

All good, none of these

A few patterns we keep an eye on

Rules and routines feel like a fight, or I worry I’m being too strict / our routine has slipped.

Often

Sometimes

Rarely or never

Running late, ‘five more minutes’, no real sense of how long things take.

Often

Sometimes

Rarely or never

Screens or gaming are a daily battle — especially turning them off.

Often

Sometimes

Rarely or never

My child puts themselves down — ‘I’m stupid’, ‘I’m the bad one’ — when something’s hard.

Often

Sometimes

Rarely or never

Clothes, textures or noise cause big reactions — or they don’t notice cold, hunger, and need to crash and spin.

Often

Sometimes

Rarely or never

How the family’s coping

How is the family coping around all this?(Required)

— mostly fine

It’s straining us in places

It’s pulling us apart

Which of these is happening? (tick any)

I’m running on empty / burnt out

Family (continued — grown-ups)

The grown-ups aren’t on the same page

Family (continued — siblings)

The brothers or sisters are struggling with it

Where shall we start?

If we could begin with just one thing, where would you most like to start?

Mornings

Homework & after-school

Evenings & sleep

Mealtimes

The family

Exams

School & home

Wherever you think best

Things that sometimes travel alongside

A few things that often come along with ADHD. Tick any you’ve noticed — this isn’t a diagnosis, and ticking one doesn’t mean your child has anything. It just tells us what’s worth raising gently at your review.

Tick any you’ve noticed (or ‘none of these’):

Worries a lot; anxious or clingy

Throat-clearing, blinking, or repeated movements

Reading, writing or maths is much harder than it should be

Coordination is clumsy, or speech / being understood seems harder than expected

Sleep has been a real, ongoing problem

Very rigid; big reactions to small changes; or finds social things hard

None of these

Staying in touch — your call

How often would you like a gentle check-in email?

Weekly

Monthly

Both

No emails, I’ll come back on my own

These are tiny nudges, not homework — a one-line prompt and a button, so there’s a track record to look at together at your next visit. You can change this anytime, or unsubscribe from any email.

What school sees (optional)

Do you have any input from your child’s teacher?

Yes

Only if you have it to hand — a note home, a comment at a parents’ evening, anything the teacher has mentioned. It’s never required.

In a sentence or two, what does your child’s teacher notice at school? (optional)

In your own words — whatever the teacher has shared with you.

From what the teacher has said, tick anything that sounds true at school — optional, and not a diagnosis:

Finds it hard to focus or finish work in class

Hard to get started, or avoids tasks that need effort

Restless, fidgety, or out of their seat a lot

Blurts out, interrupts, or can’t wait their turn

Reading, writing or maths is harder than you’d expect for their age

Seems worried or anxious, or puts themselves down

Finds getting on with other children hard

Tick what the teacher has described — this is the same picture as at home, just from the classroom. It’s a note for your review, never a diagnosis.

This is just what you’ve picked up from the teacher — there’s no need to send them anything. It helps Dr Flett see whether the picture at home shows up at school too.

Before we finish — the things that go to a person, not a programme

Tick anything that’s true right now (or ‘none of these’):

Something about their medication is worrying me — a side-effect, or a question about dose or timing

A low mood that won’t lift, or something they’ve said about themselves that frightens me

They seem to be going backwards — skills that were steady are slipping

I’m just worried, and it won’t keep until next week

None of these right now

If you are ever frightened for your child’s safety right now, this isn’t a form to fill in — please seek help immediately — your primary health care provider, or the nearest hospital emergency department — the same as anything else that frightened you that much. And contact Dr Flett’s rooms as soon as possible.

Heading toward a major exam year where they might be entitled to extra support or concessions (extra time, a separate venue, a reader/scribe)?

Yes

Not sure