Learning Thai language with ADHD (help!)(

[notrub]

I have adhd which interferes with working memory, apparently making the journey from 'just now' into long term remembering difficult/impossible. I have always accepted that this inability, along with other characteristics such as laziness, were a personality disorder that I should be ashamed of.  This led to a feeling of inadequacy and low self esteem.  I have been living with this for my entire life, in spite of the fact that I have worked hard and been a self made (muti)millionaire 2 times (in € and £) and have had it stolen from me 2 times (I must have deserved it; said his anxiety ridden self at the time).   

 

I only learned of this condition fairly recently and now am just finding out how it affects those who have it.  Me, one among many millions, for a start.  There are many who applaud the 'thinking outside the box' elements of this condition (see above), which is a biological neurological condition, not mental illness.  It affects the stupid and the bright without distinction, apparently.  There seems to be a stigma attached to this condition as can be demonstrated by the often used; "He/she are off there meds" spoken in the most denigrating way.

 

That I have Adhd was unknown to me during all my life including over 30 years in France.  Despite my sincere efforts to learn the language, I can only (almost) converse easily about only a number of limited subjects such as construction, skiing, cars, machinery repair, holidays and general conversation, for example.  I can barely read French even though we share a common alphabet and many words are common.  I could never discuss philosophy or the physiological, neurological conditions such as the one that I am blessed with.

 

I like language and very much enjoy writing, reading and speaking correctly.  

 

Here in Thailand my lack of success learning a language (this time Thai) continued is spite of the fact that I have been sincerely trying here for ~10 years.  I am motivated and frustrated by my failure to speak Thai in spite of these efforts.  I took classes last year for months and months filling notebooks and translations with little success.  I live in a rural community and am immersed in Thai every day all day but it is just not happening.  Admittedly the language in my village is a patois of Thai Laos but that is just a complication and not the root cause.

 

The words and phrases are hiding there in my mind somewhere and when I do manage to speak, others (Thai), comment that my pronunciation is good.  Some say with a big smile "oh, so you can speak Thai, why do you say that you cannot"?  Well, I cannot and I am ashamed.  I have travelled extensively and am an avid learner of customs and techniques and I am a teacher of things that I have learned (use of tools, building designs and techniques for example).  I love it. It is killing me to be here and to be so isolated because I just have not been able to learn to speak Thai.  I am kind, generous with my smiles and the chaao-baan clearly like me; they have accepted me as I am.  I cannot accept my inability to communicate with them, however, and must learn to speak Thai.

 

All these various posts about learning to speak Thai simply do not work with me.  An inability to organize is another little problem with adhd; my notebooks are a shambles and almost useless as tools to study.  I just started writing out long paragraphs in Thai and I can read them out loud with (it seems) an acceptable tonal accent. 

 

Pom sa maat pud passat Thai dai nidnoi, dtee muua-rai pa ya yam pud, pom bpra maa le, Pom luum tuk sing. krap. (english keyboard, sorry)

 

What I am looking for is some kind of system that is well organized so I have a learning / study process that I can follow and use daily.  Including instructions to go out and speak Thai for an hour, for example.  With this Attention Disorder I am not one who could promise to sit still and just look at a page and expect information to arrive in my brain.  That I can write out paragraphs in Thai speaks for what happens when I feel a solution is at hand and I am focused (really focused) esp. when physical activity is included (in this case, writing).

 

Is anyone aware of any method of learning Thai Language (or learning anything) that has been developed, taking into account working memory problems, for those who have adhd Please? I already have many 'Teach yourself Thai' books that have failed to make it into my brain.  I am open to an immersion course if there are any that have an awareness of adhd.  [Not too expensive please as I have lost all my money. Twice!  (The first was a friend/partner-who would think?... and my ex wife took almost all of the second).😥]

 

Any comments and/or suggestions will be gratefully received.  Also, I have been learning quite a lot about this condition and would be happy to share with any who are interested.  Huberman's Lab (YT and a blog-spotify works) is a good source of information about biological, neurological functioning of our body.  He has many expert guests and there are hundreds of interesting videos and talks about the body and mind.  This Ted Talk may be of interest to some is https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=how+to+adhd+ted+talk

 

If there are any organizations here in Thailand concerned with ADHD I would be grateful to learn of them please.  These do exist in Canada and Sweden that I know of and there are international ones too.  There is training available in some countries to become an ADHD coach with the aim to help others. I am just beginning to learn about this.

 

Thanks very much for your interest🤯🙏🏼😊🤯

 

[JetsetBkk]

Wish I could help. 

I learned at Inlingua Bangkok decades ago. Forgotten most of it, except for nid noi. 😉

[IsaanExpat]

Go for one on one Thai classes. Ask the teacher to start you off with the alphabet(consanants and vowels) the way a child learns. Learning the mouth structure on the different pronunciations of the same "word" is the most stressful yet important part of Thai.

 

I'm in the same boat with the ADHD. My wife is teaching our kids, and I'm trying to learn the reading and writing first for a solid foundation.

 

I also have a solid grasp on the accent as I lived with my Thai inlaws out in the sticks of Udon Thani so I was surrounded by Passa Thai and Passa Isaan constantly.

 

Take your time, don't feel shame, persistance is key. Sit down and watch a bunch of movies in Thai with English subtitles, preferably something you have seen repeatedly and enjoyed and don't even pay attention to the action on the screen. Just read the words and let the language flow over you and through you.

 

Thai is not as hard to learn as so many claim it is, it's gatekeeping by those who think they're special because they paid big bucks to go to fancy schools . Here in America you can pick up English/Thai books for children. How can you learn if your cup is already full from the wrong tea eh? 

 

Most kids in Isaan grow up only speaking and listening to Passa Isaan then have to learn Central Thai when they start Government School. Be as a child my friend, it comes in time if you're taking the same approach as them😁

[notrub]

Thanks for your comment IsaanExpat.  I am in the northern tip of Buriram province and the patois here is the Laos/Thai variety whereas in Buriram town, 90 km south, it is Kimir/Thai.

 

I will continue and try what suggest.  I just went to France for a month and spoke bad French the whole time.  I have not spoken French for 10 years.  It has encouraged me to try a little harder with Thai even with Executive Function problems. 

 

Are you in the US now?  

 

Thanks again for your interest.🙏🏼