Jacob Klompstra: “Looking back at my youth, I can see now that my father must have suffered
from the same condition as I have: ADHD. And in the family there were others with
ADHD too. With parents who encountered tremendous problems with me and a especially a
father who was so chaotic that he was incapable of dealing with the problems I caused. As a
result my childhood was indescribably difficult. At school I always fell behind in class and
‘bad grades’ was my middle name. Besides ADHD I also have difficulties reading (dyslexic)
and arithmetic (dyscalculia). Both were not recognised at that time. ‘You’ll never achieve
anything’, I was told constantly. Well, they should take a look at me now and see what I’ve
achieved despite all obstacles.”
How did Jacob manage to survive in a world that didn’t understand him? What kept him
going, learning, living, loving and becoming a father, not knowing why he was so different
from other people? How did his creative brain make him successful, finding solutions to problems
others didn’t even think about. What changed when he was finally diagnosed ADHD at
age 58? Read about it all in ‘Fireworks on the brain’.