Tracto – Helping Neurodivergent Children Thrive

By: Dr Pieter Fourie

I am confronted with child and adolescent patients on a daily basis where it is clear that the parents have lost control of the situation, be it a case of ADHD, anxiety, depression, Tourette Syndrome, or autism. The family dynamics are often disrupted and even volatile which then culminate in a total chaotic situation where the children rule the household. They refuse to do their homework, often refuse to attend classes, refuse to perform any home chores, and spend long hours playing video or computer games.

Psychological support is effective to a point but can be expensive in the long run. More often than not, these children are referred for some form of pharmaceutical interventions which form part of the management of the underlying disorder. Despite this, the impact of the daily disruptive behaviour continues to have a negative impact on the family, the siblings, as well as the relationship between the parents.

My plea is that there should be a return to a well structured family home program where each member has a specific role to play, responsibilities are understood by each individual, and the parents accept responsibility for the physical and psychological well-being of the family. This could imply a total move away from the classical “come home, grab a snack, sit and watch TV till late, and rush through the homework before slumping off to bed” style to a more structured week plan that includes going for a walk with the children and dogs, NO TV after 18h00, sitting at a table for supper and talking about the experiences of each member whereafter the chores such as washing the dishes etc. are well understood and accepted. Rewards do not have to be attached to daily chores which are part of the weekly family program, but rather to some additional activities such as mowing the lawn or helping to paint a wall. It will be interesting to hear how one could organize families in a close community to decide on a specific program in order to avoid children comparing and using the differences to avoid their obligations. Of course, this will also bring about some additional responsibilities where parents in such a community agree to adhere to the rules laid down by the broader or extended “family”.

I am part of a group that have started to tackle some of these critical issues and have developed an app that will assist parents with neurodiverse children to manage them more effectively.

Please have a look at Tracto that can be downloaded for free.
Download Tracto Application