He’s Not Naughty
Raising my son with ADHD. A mother’s honest story of love, worry and discovery.
Ihsana Mohamed tells fourteen years of raising her son, from the newborn who would not sleep to the boy who now stands in goal and reads the Qur’an in his own voice. Beside every chapter of the story, she explains what she understands now, what the research says, and what a parent can do next.
PDF ebook, 85 pages. Published by HikmaDaily.
“Is this just how little boys are, or is it something more?”
That is the question this book begins with. Ihsana was a first-time mother in a big, busy family home, and also a teacher who watched children for a living. She saw things in her own son long before anyone named them, and for years she was not ready to look closely.
She did not set out to write about ADHD. She set out to remember: the sleepless nights, the classroom doorway where her two worlds met, the doctor’s office across the sea, the exam-season evenings. This book is what those memories became.
Noticing is not betrayal. Noticing is love with its eyes open.
From the introduction
If you are living this, you know the days
Many parents of children with ADHD go years without a name for what they are seeing. In the meantime they hear plenty of other names for their child.
- A baby who will not settle, night after night.
- A preschooler who cannot hold a pencil, however many times you try.
- A child who knows the answer out loud and loses it on the exam paper.
- Relatives who say he just needs a firmer hand.
- Evenings when your patience breaks, and the guilt that follows.
Understand the child before judging the behaviour
ADHD is a difference in how the brain develops, and it is not caused by parenting. The book is just as clear on the other side: ADHD explains behaviour, but it does not remove the need for boundaries.
The approach this family was given by their doctor is clear expectations, calm and consistent consequences, and warm connection, all three together. In the book’s words, what changes with ADHD is the method, not the standard.
What’s inside
Thirteen chapters in three parts. Read it straight through as a story, or open the chapter that matches where you are now.
Part One: Noticing
The early years, and the signs a mother sees first
- Every Child Is a Blessing
- The Circus Act
- Spotting the Odds
- The Teacher’s Eye
- The Uphill Battle with Letters
Part Two: Understanding
The diagnosis, the medication decision and the slow climb
- The Answer We Needed
- The Hidden Struggle of the Page
- The Heart of a Leader
- The Rising Tide of Secondary School
Part Three: Going Deeper
The science in plain words, the big questions, and the road ahead
- What ADHD Really Is
- Medication and Other Big Questions
- Faith, Patience, and Resilience
- Looking Towards the Future
At the back: a plain-language glossary, answers to the questions parents ask most, and recommended books and organisations.
One mother’s road
The book follows one family through each stage, in order.
- The early yearsA newborn who never slept, in a big, loving and noisy family home.
- The teacher’s eyeSeeing her own son with a professional’s eyes, and finding it hard to accept what she saw.
- The open doorWhen pencil and paper failed, letters painted on walls and written in beach sand, and the Qur’an learned by listening.
- The answerA psychiatrist across the sea, a diagnosis, and a hard decision about medication.
- The paperExam-hall heartbreak in primary school, and a school that chose to measure what he knew.
- The climbStudent Leader, marks rising from the 40s to the 60s in secondary school, and a goalkeeper at his football academy.
Who it is for
- Parents who sense something is different in their child but have no name for it yet.
- Parents who have just heard the word ADHD and are frightened by it.
- Parents preparing for an assessment, or for a conversation about medication with their doctor.
- Grandparents and relatives who share in raising a child.
- Preschool and primary teachers who want to see the home side of the story.
- Muslim families looking for a story where faith and patience sit beside the practical help.
A memoir and a handbook
Every story chapter follows the same rhythm, so the honest memory and the practical help sit side by side. Her own experience and the general information are kept clearly apart.
- The Story: what happened, honestly told.
- What I Understand Now: the ADHD insight behind it, in plain language.
- Expert Perspective: what research and specialists say.
- Reflection: questions to sit with.
- Practical Strategies: what to actually do at this stage.
- Lesson Learned, Key Takeaways and a Parent Action Checklist.
- A Word of Encouragement.
About Ihsana Mohamed
Ihsana has taught young children for more than fourteen years, as a private tutor and a senior preschool supervisor. In that time she has worked one-to-one with hundreds of children, some diagnosed with neurodivergent needs and many never diagnosed at all.
Then her own son was diagnosed with ADHD, and the teacher became the parent across the desk. She writes as an educator and a mother, not a doctor, and says so plainly in the book.
Book details
| Format | PDF ebook |
|---|---|
| Length | 85 pages, 13 chapters in three parts |
| Also includes | Glossary, frequently asked questions, recommended resources |
| Author | Ihsana Mohamed |
| Publisher | HikmaDaily, first edition 2026 |
| Language | English |
Questions about the book
Is this medical advice?
No. It shares one family’s experience alongside general information, and keeps the two apart. Decisions about assessment, treatment or medication belong with professionals who know your child.
Does my child need a diagnosis for this book to help?
No. Part One is written for parents who are still noticing, and explains why writing down what you see matters before any appointment.
Does it tell me whether to use medication?
No. Chapter 11 shares the questions this family asked and how they reached their decision with their doctor. It does not recommend for or against.
Is it only for Muslim families?
The author’s faith runs through her story, most of all in Chapter 12. The practical guidance is written for any parent.
How do I receive the book?
Straight after payment you get a link to download the PDF, and Payhip emails you a receipt with the same download link so you can return to it later.
Read the mother’s journey
He’s Not Naughty, PDF ebook, 85 pages. The current price is shown at checkout.
Get your copySecure checkout through Payhip. Pay by card or PayPal.
Also from HikmaDaily
What I Noticed
A free observation journal for parents, built on the book’s most useful habit: writing down what you see. Coming soon.
Medical and educational disclaimer. This book shares one family’s personal experience alongside general educational information about ADHD. It is not medical, psychological or educational advice and does not replace qualified professionals. Every child is different. Decisions about assessment, diagnosis, treatment, medication or schooling should be made with clinicians and educators who know your child.