Transforming Struggles into Community Strength
Rahayu Ahmad Asi is an educator, coach, and co-founder of Ibu Sepanjang Hayat, a charity supporting mothers and families. With a background in writing lesson packages for primary science curriculum and guiding parents through coaching and NLP, she blends professional expertise with lived experience of ADHD. Rahayu embraces difference as a strength, empowering her family and community while championing the unique contributions of individuals with ADHD
Quotes
“It is ok to be different. There are many ways to contribute. We can contribute to society even when we are different”
“We are people with ‘superpowers’, with strengths that, when identified, can be a great contributor to society.”
First Awareness of ADHD
I became aware of ADHD when I was told that my daughter showed symptoms of ADHD, and possibly ASD. Someone who had been diagnosed with ADHD alerted me to the fact that the condition is hereditary and suggested checking to see if my husband or I have it.
Reading up–as well as taking online diagnostic quizzes–on it, confirmed for me that it is highly likely that I have ADHD. Upon reflection, the struggles I’d had all along in life further confirmed it. Things like time blindness, completing others’ sentences, difficulty remembering what I read yet remembering numbers and patterns very well, anxiety, emotional regulation, procrastination, and waiting until the last minute to complete projects…
Key Challenges and Turning Points
I often had difficulty remembering my way around or even remembering what I had read. I would rewrite my notes when I studied which helped me to remember better. My husband taught me to remember landmarks so that I could find my way around, especially when a place was new to me. I learnt to give myself extra time to get ready before appointments so that I didn’t end up late. As for procrastination, I learnt to start even with just a title or the main points for a project so that when I do get down to it, I won’t have to start from zero.
Strategies for Peak Performance
I have a daily and weekly to-do list, for work and for managing the house. On top of that, I use calendars and alarms so that I do not forget things. I journal a lot nowadays which I find helpful. As the thoughts come, I jot them down. It not only helps me to remember things, it also helps me clear out brain fog or, rather, make my thoughts visible so that I can manage them better.
Proudest Achievement
I am proud that I can manage many things at once: My own coaching work, volunteer work and my family. The one key strength that I have as an ADHDer is the ability to hyperfocus. This has helped me a lot in achieving what I have achieved thus far, even in the midst of managing a big family.
In the last 10 years, I completed four assessment books, four teachers’ guidebooks in science (Grades 3-6) and wrote the science curriculum for two tuition centres – one for lower secondary and another for primary-school level. I also gained my International Coaching Federation (ICF) Professional Coaching Certification (PCC). Recently, I completed the ICF marker/assessor training. I am also the co-founder and main facilitator of Ibu Sepanjang Hayat, a charity which focuses on supporting mums to empower their families, and an active member and facilitator with SafeSpace@Sgfamilies.
Advice for Your Younger Self
It’s ok to be different. You don’t need to fit in for as long as you are contributing positively to your community.
Where are you in your life today?
Apart from obtaining further professional qualifications in my field and managing myself better, I’ve also been able to support my daughter in her struggles with social anxiety disorder, hypermobility, and possibly ASD and ADHD.
Your Wish for the World to See People with ADHD
That we are people with “superpowers”, with strengths that, when identified, can be a great contributor to society.
Support the ADHD Community
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