October is ADHD Awareness Month and the theme for 2024 is “Awareness is key!”
Organisations across the world are partnering to help raise awareness and impart valuable information about ADHD and its treatments.
Organisations including ADHD Europe, the American Professional Society of ADHD and Related Disorders (APSARD), the Centre for ADHD Awareness Canada (CADDAC), ADHD Australia and Hong Kong Let’s Talk ADHD, are coming together around this shared goal of providing reliable information and resources to help people living with ADHD to thrive.
Stressing that “learning and sharing information about ADHD is beneficial all year long,” these organisations are encouraging the ADHD community to help shine a light on ADHD and improve wider understanding by sharing information and avenues of support.
Share your experiences this ADHD Awareness Month
The dedicated website from the ADHD Awareness Month Coalition provides lots of useful information about ADHD, including frequently asked questions, mythbusters, and different aspects of ADHD life. They are adding more information on a range of topics from ADHD researchers and experts for the annual awareness campaign.
The ADHD Awareness Month website also includes ADHD art, ADHD stories and ADHD memes to help inform and inspire people all over the world.
They encourage those living with ADHD to express themselves and share their personal experiences, through art, stories, memes or videos and assert: “The best way to change people’s views about ADHD is to let them know: it’s not about somebody else, it’s about somebody they know!”
To kick off ADHD Awareness Month, a Global ADHD Conference is taking place on 3rd October. It will span 24 hours across all time zones and is free to attend, although donations are welcome. Last year, 6,000 attendees registered from across 96 different countries.
The purpose of the conference is:
“Bringing together the best of ADHD experts to audiences across the regions of the world to learn the best of ADHD from each other. Raising ADHD understanding individually, locally, nationally and globally.”
You can register for free online now.
Improve understanding this ADHD Awareness Month
ADHD stands for Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). It is a condition that affects people’s behaviour.
The NHS says that people with ADHD may seem restless, have difficulty concentrating and may act impulsively. ADHD UK defines ADHD as “a persistent pattern of inattention and/or hyperactivity–impulsivity that interferes with day-to-day functioning and/or development.”
The cause of ADHD is unknown, but it has been shown to sometimes run in families.
Although the symptoms of ADHD can be picked up at an early age, and most individuals are diagnosed before the age of 12, some people are diagnosed later in childhood and, for others, ADHD is not identified in childhood and they only receive a diagnosis in adulthood.
People living with ADHD may also experience other problems, such as sleep and anxiety disorders.
What to do if you suspect you have ADHD
If you believe your child may have ADHD, NHS advice is to share your concerns with your child’s teacher or their school’s special educational needs coordinator (SENCO). The condition can be managed with effective and appropriate educational support, alongside advice and support for parents, and medicine, if necessary.
For adults who believe they have ADHD that remained undiagnosed in childhood, it is advisable to speak to your GP. They will often recommend treatment through medicine, while psychological therapies such as Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) may also help.
In the UK, data from NICE and the Lancet suggests that the prevalence of ADHD in children is around 5%, and this is also broadly true globally. In adults, the prevalence rate in the UK is estimated to be around 3-4%.
Symptoms can improve with age, although individuals diagnosed in early childhood often experience symptoms throughout their life.
Training and development for those working with children
First Response Training (FRT) is a leading national training provider delivering courses in subjects such as health and safety, first aid, fire safety, manual handling, food safety, mental health, health and social care, safeguarding and more.
They work with a large number of early years and childcare providers, as well as schools, colleges, universities and children’s services.
They have developed specialist courses such as Learning Disability Awareness, ADHD Awareness, Introduction to the Autistic Spectrum, Dyslexia Awareness, SEND Awareness and Equality, Diversity and Inclusion for Early Years and Schools.
They have also previously worked in partnership with clients to develop bespoke training for them in topics such as Adapting Learning for SEND and SEND and Barriers to Learning.
A trainer from FRT says:
“ADHD Awareness Month is a great time to improve awareness and understanding of ADHD, which is often a misunderstood condition. Children and young people need the right support to meet their needs and help them achieve their potential, and their families need appropriate support as well. Campaigns such as ADHD Awareness Month can help make this support and information more visible.
“Its equally important that anyone with ADHD and other neurodiverse individuals are empowered to believe in themselves and fight for what they want to achieve, that their diverse minds are celebrated and recognised for the strengths they hold and the different perspectives and ideas they bring.”
We have developed a free guide to supporting people with ADHD, which outlines how you can get involved during ADHD Awareness Month and beyond – download it today:
For more information on the training that FRT can provide, please call them today on freephone 0800 310 2300 or send an e-mail to info@firstresponsetraining.com.