Well, I'm very, very excited about the next panel, partly because it's all my my friends, colleagues from around the world. So we are multiple charities who've come together to to do this conference. There's seven charities in total, which means this is gonna be a tough gig. My job is to try and get everyone to talk together. And so we have a bunch of questions. We'll do the target is a minute each for each question. The first will be introducing ourselves. So I'm gonna quickly bring them in and then we're gonna jump straight to the first question. So welcome Suzanne, Juan, Sonja, Lisa.

Hi everyone. It's great to be here. Well, great to Hello.

Have you here. And we've got a prerecord as well from Dan from... In Singapore, who unfortunately couldn't get him to be here because it's like crazy o'clock in Singapore. Earlier we had a prerecord in our women culture group from CHADD and I think the excuse there was that she was otherwise briefing senators as part of CHADD's work. That was very, very impressive there. Right. Let's kick this off. I lost my piece of paper, it's telling me the order. So we're doing it in sunrise order. So it's going... So we're starting with Sonja. Our first question is please introduce yourself and your organisation in a sentence, and then give us one number that sums up ADHD in your country right now and tell us why it matters.

Well, from a Friday morning in New Zealand. I'm Sonja de Friez. I'm the incoming chair of ADHD New Zealand. We're the country's largest and longest standing ADHD charity, and we've been working for people with ADHD since 1979. So my number is zero point six percent. In 2022, that was the share of New Zealanders, the share of New Zealand adults being treated for ADHD. The estimate of adults who have it is two point six percent. That means fewer than one in four adults with ADHD was getting treatment. And this matters, and it matters as you all know because untreated ADHD has a cost. People carry it quietly often. It shows up, though, in their jobs and relationships. And as we heard so very.

In a heartfelt way, in the last session on mental health. And most of the people behind that number are still finding their way to help, and they're finding it on their own a lot of the time.

Thank you. And we've had Melissa who was here before, but I missed her. I've got to, like, apologize to Melissa. Welcome, Melissa. Which is very convenient because under the sunrise rules, you're next. Introduce yourself, your organization, and then give us one number that sums up ADHD in your country right now. Tell us why.

Thank you. So I... I'm Melissa Webster, so the CEO for ADHD Australia. And, for us, I feel at this moment in time, it's the first time that ADHD is being heard, in Australia and being taken seriously. So, feeling quite positive about ADHD in Australia right now.

Wonderful. Thank you. And then next up we have Daniel. And so we have our first clip from him.

Yeah. Thank you, Henry, for giving me this opportunity to share more about our work here in Singapore. Yeah. So I'm Daniel Ang, the general manager of Unlocking ADHD. It is a Singapore charity. In fact, it's the only charity in Singapore that is dedicated to focus on the issues of ADHD. And our mission is really to empower people with ADHD and their families to live life to the fullest. Yes. And the number... Okay. I will choose number 61. That was my age when I was diagnosed with ADHD. So I came to ADHD first as a father, learning through my daughter, diagnosis, and that led me to recognize similar patterns, in my younger self. And I seek a professional assessment. And... Yeah. And and.

My experience illustrate why recognitions across my experience matters. People can spend many years managing difficulties without understanding that. And earlier understanding, I believe, gives individuals and families a better opportunity to seek appropriate support.

Brilliant. And next up, we have Johan.

Go ahead. Hello, guys. I'm Jeanne Adrian. I'm the operations manager and registered counselor at the Goldilocks and The Bear Foundation all the way from South Africa. We provide free screening, early identification, and referral services for children in under resourced communities within the Western Cape, specifically focusing on ADHD and other barriers to learning. Now my number is fifteen point five percent, and it will lead to another number. But only fifteen point five percent of South Africans had had medical aid coverage in 2025. Yet even amongst those with medical aid coverage, South African research found that patients with ADHD paid forty one point one seven percent of their medical... Medication costs out of pocket.

So while the majority of South Africans rely on public health care systems, even having private medical cover does not guarantee affordable ADHD treatment.

Thank you. And Lisa?

Hi. I'm going to apologize in advance because I'm not in my regular workspace. There is a phone ringing in the background that I have no control over right at this moment, So apologies if you're hearing that. It's a real pleasure to be here. My name is Lisa McCoy. I'm the executive director for our organization, which we call CADDAC, which is short for the Center for ADHD Awareness Canada. I've just been in this role for coming up to one year, so I am still a learner myself. I'm also a late diagnosed woman with ADHD, so I'm learning even more about that. And, our organization supports Canadians with ADHD by providing education, creating awareness, providing support, and advocacy. And, my number is 1800000 because.

Well, Canada is a relatively large country. We are a very small organization with, small budgets and only about four and a half staff for the country. And there are one point eight million people in Canada who've been diagnosed with ADHD. So it's a big number for our small organization to serve and, we're doing our best to, reach as many as possible.

Thank you. And over to Suzanne.

Hi, I'm Suzanne Sophos. I'm the President of the National Board of Directors for CHADD, which stands for Children and Adults with ADHD. It's the largest ADHD organization in The United States, and we serve individuals across the lifespan, as the name says, children and adults, through evidence based education, advocacy, and support and we have been around since 1987. I'm also a late diagnosed ADHD adult, so I have ADHD and autism, and I'm a certified peer support specialist and an ADHD and ADHD coach. And my number that I want to share for our country is nearly 9,000,000. So of the estimated fifteen point five million Americans with a current ADHD diagnosis, nearly nine million weren't diagnosed until adulthood. So that's over half.

And that's just the people that eventually made it to diagnosis. So that doesn't even include all the people that are still being missed because of cost, insurance barriers, limited access to qualified providers, or because their ADHD was just never recognized in the first place. And yet a lot of the national conversation in our country is about whether or not we're diagnosing too many people. So my feeling on that is that we need to be asking how many people we're still missing.

I think that's a brilliant way to look at it and argue the case. It's my turn now. What... I do have a number. I've realized I should choose another one, so I'm I'm gonna cheese and choose two. So my name's Henry Shelford. I'm CEO and co founder of ADHD UK. I have ADHD diagnosed when I was 42, around ten years ago. The number... My official number is 52, but I feel my real number should be 7, which is the seven charities that have come together to make the conference happen and make the conference global. Because I am so excited about that. It's absolutely wonderful. And I'm very grateful for you being involved, your organizations.

Being involved in it. It's a very, very special thing. Actually together, we're creating something very special that exists very rarely. I can't... We should be very proud of it. Then the number I was actually gonna... Before I'd had that blind inspiration, is 52. And that's the 52. So we have an NHS that's split into your regions and there are 42 of those. And if you are in Essex, fifty two is the amount of time you're going to wait as an adult for an ADHD diagnosis. As an adult, which means you can't get referred until you're 18, so 18 plus 52 is 70. Like, so you are not getting a diagnosis until you're 70.

In the same area, the wait for children is nine years. And so that means if you're anything past the age of nine, you'll age out of child services, you'll turn 18 and guess where you go in terms of the queue. And so yeah, if you're 10 or above, there's good chance you won't really seem until you're 70. So that offended. Right. So that was my second number. That's how you like... Compare's privilege to to cheat. Right. We're reversing the order next time for round two, which is: What's the loudest wrong idea about ADHD in your country right now? And what's your answer to it? Suzanne is our lead.

Sure. So one of the most damaging misconceptions in The United States right now is that more ADHD diagnoses automatically mean overdiagnosis and that people seeking stimulant medication are somehow looking for an excuse to take drugs. I think that greater recognition doesn't automatically mean over diagnosis. There are so many factors that go into the increase in diagnosis that we're seeing. We have generations of people in this country whose ADHD was overlooked, particularly women and people from historically underserved communities. So I think we have to also distinguish between the misuse of stimulant medication and the legitimate evidence based use of it to treat ADHD.

A lot of it, there's a lot of it ties into media coverage. There's a lot of media coverage about misuse and I think that sometimes that creates a distorted picture of what treatment actually looks like for people that need it. So we really need responsible diagnosis and prescribing, absolutely, but we also need to stop stigmatizing people for seeking treatment for a legitimate neurodevelopmental condition.

Very, very strong points, and thank you. Lisa, over to you.

Hi. First, I'd say ditto. I I don't know if that's not an issue everywhere, but I would say it is an issue here. And on top of that, I would say despite our our collective best efforts, there's still quite significant misconception about ADHD. I think there's still a lot of folks who think ADHD affects young boys, and it's characterized by them being disruptive or hyperactive in school and that there are medications that are available that they can take safely to treat that, and they'll likely outgrow it. So when we think about, the many faces of ADHD and, the comorbidities that can go along with it, the lifelong challenges people can face.

You know, we we face a bit of an uphill battle, I think, in really trying to create that awareness to ensure that all persons affected by ADHD have access to the treatments and supports and lifelong supports that they need to be able to, reach their full potential and live happy, fulfilling lives. And overcoming those misconceptions, I would say, is a big one still.

Yeah. That's a big deal. Thank you, Lisa. And then I'm over to Joanne.

Can I say double ditto for the previous two? But then adding on to with some nuance from from our cultural cultural perspective, I think one of the big things that we struggle with misconception wise with ADHD is that it's a behavioral problem and that it's a naughty child who needs more discipline. And that matters because if you believe the behavior is the problem, then punishment becomes the intervention. And various cultures and communities within South Africa, unfortunately, punishment still regularly looks physical. So the behavior we're seeing may be the the visible part, but underneath, we know it's it's difficult to do with attention. It's the inhibition, the working memory, the emotional regulation, and the executive function.

And that is why our answer is awareness and training. So we need to change that narrative, and the question needs to change from how do we control this child to what does this child need in order to function. And for us, that is where the support comes in, and that is how we can support the children in different communities.

Thank you. And then to Daniel.

I would think the loudest wrong idea I would challenge is that someone who appears capable or successful cannot have ADHD. Now I spent more than twenty years leading social service organizations before my own diagnosis. Yet there were difficulties with attention organizations and managing demands during those years, and often I misunderstood them as personal shortcomings. My diagnosis helped me to understand my own history with less judgment and also helped me to become more understanding further. I listened more carefully and stopped assuming that my solutions would really necessarily work for my daughter. We need to look beyond familiar stereotypes, ask what the person finds difficult and what strengths.

They bring and what support would help them to move forward.

I like that he riffed... Turned directly off what he was saying. And then it's over to Mel.

Thank you, Henry. So for us at this moment in time in Australia, in Australia we have an insurance scheme that supports funding for people with a disability. And here in Australia, ADHD is still not seen for some as a significant disability. So we know ADHD is across the spectrum, spectrum, and we know it it impacts on people very differently. And and for some individuals, that might be having the ability to be able to access work, to be able to access education, and to be able to continue to do activities, every day, still with challenges and some struggles. Other people have significant impacts by their ADHD, Over individuals with particular co occurring conditions also have additional challenges with ADHD.

In Australia, at this moment in time, the National Disability Insurance Scheme does not recognize all of those challenges with ADHD, and therefore, many, many individuals, in fact, most individuals, do not get funding within the scheme.

Wow. Sonja, over to you.

So echoing what many people have said here, the loudest wrong idea in New Zealand is that everyone seems to have ADHD now, so it must be overdiagnosed. And that usually comes with a second idea that the medication is addictive. The numbers say the opposite. Adult prescribing has grown tenfold, but most adults with ADHD here are still not being treated. What people are seeing is a backlog being cleared. Many of them are adults who were missed as kids, and a lot of them are parents, especially women, who find out when their own child is diagnosed. And on the medication front, there's a really good Swedish study, which many of you, I'm sure, will know, that had nearly a 150,000 people linked to treatment. And it.

It it covered a hundred and fifty thousand people, and it linked treatment to fewer suicide attempts, less substance misuse, and fewer road accidents. So treatment lowers the very risks that people worry about. So my answer is that ADHD isn't new. What people are seeing is that there is a large number of our community that is finally being seen and supported.

Thank you. I definitely echo that as well where people think that the fact that we're having a conversation, that people are now talking about ADHD means it must be over diagnosed rather than recognizing just a complete failure to diagnose, complete failure to recognize it, failure to provide that opportunity for a conversation. That was the problem. And to echo some points on numbers, in The UK there's three million of us. So when I'm talking to journalists or battling, one of the things I'll say is if you're upset we're loud now, just you wait. It's like it's more recognition and understanding coming so we we know the numbers are increasing, which we should be celebrating, not berating. Right. I think it's my turn. So.

The worst idea, the loudest wrong idea. I'm gonna take loudest because to to to temper and to mild slightly different from others. We've had a TV show on channel four. It was called the Great ADHD Myth question mark. And where the idea was the question mark got them out. And they did a show where they took a child, they said that ADHD is not true. It's a social construct, it's not real, and actually this child doesn't need medication. Summary is they need walks and less screen time and they'll be good of their ADHD. Hurrah. And we issued an open letter to them. We think we're parties are significant. Well, we know that they edited it as a result.

And that's because they sent out a different preview document, preview show to the one they actually showed. At the end of the show, they ended up having to put up a card saying that the child actually continues to struggle with ADHD and the option was to return to medication. And the entire conceit of the show, in our strong view, was just completely wrong. It's now one of the most complained about shows of 2026, and thank you everyone who got involved with that. We did a survey because we wanted not just emotional reactions, we want to have numbers to show how many people were affected and how they're affected. And six thousand people.

Have responded to that. And that's then very helpful when you're doing the complaint because it shows it's more than just a few people getting annoyed and they'll claim that it was a social media humpf. And reality is it's actually people being very deeply affected and extremely upset. And what I am seeing is that that conversation is coming back to me. So when I've been doing interviews subsequently, the idea that ADHD is... The show itself isn't referenced, but the idea that ADHD isn't real is. And that does echo the sort of point that a lot of people have made here. And where we have a narrative that diagnosis and treatment of ADHD is in some way damaging. And it's expensive.

And it would be much less expensive and much less damaging to do nothing. And I think we all know in the room that it's the opposite. And it angers me that people making decisions are making decisions without having done the research on the cost of not doing things and not treating, not diagnosing. Instead they're just looking at the cost of diagnosis and treatment. So that's how loudest Ron did. Unfortunately, is very loud because they put it on a telly and that was unhelpful. Right, we're on to round three. What is one thing the organisation has done recently that changed something for people with ADHD and what did it take? And we're back to Sunrise audience, so it's Sonja to start again. So start us off.

I wonder how many countries, here listening to this amazing conference have roadside drug testing. It's new here in New Zealand. So when New Zealand brought in roadside drug testing, our community was really worried. People taking prescribed ADHD medication feared they'd be treated like drug drivers on the way to work or at the school gate. And so ADHD New Zealand went to the New Zealand police and stayed in the discussion while they built the operational policy, And we brought what our community was telling us, and, we worked with officials on really practical answers. The great thing, our New Zealand police listened. They chose screening devices that don't detect ADHD.

Medicines so that people taking their prescriptions aren't unfairly penalized. And what did that take? Well, persistence and a working relationship rather than a fight. It was done by a very small team and volunteers with no government funding. My colleagues led this before I joined the organization, but I am very pleased to say that that relationship with police is still there to protect our community in the future. So that was a powerful change that was really important to people with ADHD in New Zealand.

That's extremely impressive and well done. I know how hard it is working with governments and public services. It's very, very impressive. It's over to Mel.

So thank you, Henry. Look, you know, it's one of those you go, where do I start? But what I am going to talk about, that we are actually launching today at, the other side, Henry, when we've got our many, many hours of our exciting conference, is what we call ADHD assist. So in Australia, Australia, see, is is is significantly large and, quite different per state and operates significantly different per state. You can get some information in one state you can't get in another. Access is completely different. It is chalk and cheese across the board. And what we find is, ADHD community is often telling us it is really, really difficult to know where to go. There's a lot of misconceptions.

A lot of inaccurate information that's actually quite scary that's out there. When people are struggling to get access, sadly, a lot of people turn to wrong information. ADHD assist is a tool. It's an online platform that is available to individuals, with ADHD, but also as well those supporters and carers around them. And people could access ADHD Assist, and it will help people to be able to... All the way through from prediagnosis through to older age, multiple different topics, looking at neurofriendly, in a way that individuals can access it really, really easy, And it helps individuals to be able to to learn about key strategies, where to go, if there's one wait list, where do you go alternatively, evidence based information.

But also as well what it does do for individuals, it connects people very quickly to those organizations that are reputable organizations. So it's one platform that is available nationally across Australia that anyone can access and gives multiple information. And we are so proud of it because we are a 100% volunteer organization. And to build a online platform for individuals across the board and to be able to have so much information is just a massive achievement. So later on, we are doing a big launch, and this is a very, I'm going to say, early taste of that.

Wow.

That's very, very exciting. And I I very much look forward look forward to, you know, learning more into to that big launch. Right. We've got Daniel now.

One important steps that the organization has done was the establishing of a ADHD support hub beginning with ADHD informed counseling. You know, we have... We've done a lot of, advocacy in our earlier years, and we do realize that awareness can help someone recognize their difficulties. But the next question is often, so where do I go from here? So what happens after diagnosis? And we wanted to provide a clearer pathway into practical support. So by the end of August two zero two six, in fact, the thirteen months after our pilot, after we started the ADHD support hub, we have served about 61 counseling clients, and we have more than 450 of our sessions. So the monthly numbers of new clients and number of sessions, alright, roughly doubled.

With the pilot period... After the pilot period. And it took mice... And it took the support hub funding partnership, our teamwork and investment in the service procedures and professionals oversight. So our focus is now on whether the supports improve people's functioning and well-being and how we make it accessible to more families.

Cool. That's Dan from Singapore. And then to... From Singapore to South Africa.

So one initiative I'm particularly proud of is our Sea of Yellow ADHD Awareness Day. We launched it last year, and this year, participation actually grew roughly three times from what we achieved the first year. So schools, businesses, and health care organizations all got involved. And the idea is pretty simple. So you donate R10 and you wear yellow to support children with ADHD for National ADHD Awareness Day here in South Africa in September. It really showed us just how important visibility is. We can build services. We can build referral pathways. But if people can't seek help for something they don't recognize or can't name, so naming that is very, very important. And sometimes that change starts by simplifying.

And giving ADHD a name, starting the conversation and helping a parent, teacher, and an individual realize maybe this is what we've been seeing all along. Starting that conversation and creating a visual sea of support because it was literally the the one partner school we worked with sent me a video of all of the children and all of the teachers wearing yellow.

And I can just imagine, as someone who got my my ADHD diagnosis in my twenties, if I was a child in that school knowing and thinking that my brain works differently to everyone else and what was wrong with me, because that was what I thought at that stage. What's wrong with me? Because I didn't know. If I looked around me and I saw everyone's wearing yellow in support of children thinking differently, that would have been that would have been life changing. So it was really a warm thing to see and we we hope to make it grow from strength to strength every year.

That's absolutely wonderful. Well done on that. I can can imagine that feeling for those kids. Lisa, over to you.

Hi. Well, these are great ideas. I'm madly taking notes because also I may steal with pride. But for us, because our organization really focuses on awareness building, education, and support, and as I mentioned, we're such a small organization, we really rely heavily on the people we serve to help us to identify where there may be gaps. We have thousands of people who are participating in our educational programs, coaching programs, support. They often have long waiting lists, so there's always capacity issues. But one of the things we'd certainly been hearing pretty loud and clear for a while was that although we were offering support groups for adults and, parent coaching, groups.

That there was a huge need for a women's only support group just because as we know, this can present quite differently. The challenges can be quite quite different. And sometimes they weren't always comfortable telling, you know, speaking up in front of their male counterparts or husbands or whatever about this. So, you know, because of our capacity, we really weren't for a couple of years able to create a whole new women's support group. But I'm really proud to say that over the past year, we were able to seek some, private funding to enable us to do this. So this fall, in addition to all those other support groups, we're launching our women's only support group.

And we haven't launched... It hasn't started yet, but we have a huge list of people who are very keen to participate from all provinces and territories across Canada. So, that's that's one gap that we're finally able to fill. And the other gap, because Canada actually has two official languages, English and French, and sometimes, again, as a small organization, it's challenging to reach the Francophone community, which we always strive to do. But there was a real need for youth, Francophone youth group coaching. We had been providing youth group coaching in English. It was very well attended, but we were missing the Francophone community and, again, also needed some capacity building and funding to be able to achieve that.

We were actually able to secure a government grant, last year that enabled us to build a whole new Francophone youth group coaching program, which we piloted Oh. Last spring and now are excited to be sort of adding to our regular, materials and programs that are available starting this fall. We'll have, now that we finished our pilot and done some evaluation and tweaking, we now have Frank to Phone youth group group coaching. So, I mean, that's one way that we're really trying to ensure that as a small organization.

We're meeting the needs and filling some of the gaps. And we know there's many more to fill, but we're trying our best to stay on top of that. And we're really proud of just this past year adding these two really important new services.

Fantastic. And I absolutely should be proud. They're fantastic. Right. From Canada to America.

Thank you, Henry. Well, CHADD does so much, including education and advocacy, but one of the things I'm most proud of is our national network of peer support programs in the communities that we've built around them. We have what we call our National Resource Center, and that provides evidence based education about ADHD, but our peer support programs are really where we help people take that information and make sense of what it means in their own lives. So as as someone who, by trade, is a peer support specialist, there's just something truly transformative about being in a space where you're seen, known, and understood. And for so many people with ADHD, especially those that have been diagnosed late in life.

Being seen, known, and understood is a rare gift. Hearing someone else describe an experience that can help you recognize something about yourself or with ADHD remember something that you learned works for you but then you forgot or find the words for something that they've never been able to explain are just really transformative. CHADD has groups for individuals with addiction and ADHD, which is something I'm really passionate about as a person with ADHD who's been sober for twenty one years. And we also have groups for educators, parents, adults, adults with chronic illnesses, couples. Like Lisa said, people just feel safer when they and more apt to share when they're in those smaller peer groups. And I think that that changes.

More than what you know about ADHD. It really changes how you see yourself and your identity with your ADHD. I really do believe that community is medicine. It's replacement for clinical care, but belonging is a really powerful part of living well with ADHD. So I'm really tremendously proud of the work that CHADD has done to expand both at the national level and through our chapters across states, across the country, our peer support.

That's very impressive. I'm genuinely jealous. Think the large peer groups, Peer groups was a big deal. And belongingness is something that came up in the most recent session just before this, which was the importance of it. So there's no doubt. Was wonderful. Right over to it. I get to put the spotlight on me, which is my favorite place for it. The... What's the one thing your organization has done recently is changed something for people with ADHD? And what did it take? In the process of... I think that we are having to fight a battle in The UK. A battle against reducing and removing ADHD services. And it's... The tide turned about two years ago. I do not know why and it's very sad.

On Friday, we were on the front page of The Guardian, which is a big deal newspaper for us here. And it was because we've been doing large scale FOIs, so Freedom Information Acts, to find out those wait times. And what we found out is a number of areas we're having enforced waits. So that's a two year wait is the longest one. So if you're in West Yorkshire and you go to your GP and go, I'd like a referral. In The UK, have to go see a specialist. Your GP can't provide an ADHD diagnosis or assessment.

Asterisk, unless they've done a very special training, which is currently not available by the Royal College. Well, it's been written by the Royal College, but it's not yet been undertaken by anyone. But a few people have done independent. You know how this is. You can't say everyone or you get in trouble. There's always one. It's like, what about me? But in the vast, vast majority of GP, you can't. Have to go to a specialist. And unless, frankly, your GP is trained and can act as specialist. And in West Yorkshire they've said, right, that's great, you've got a clinical need, you're clearly in need of diagnosis and support, and we'll see you in two years.

You're not allowed to get anything. And why this is important is because in the NHS you're allowed to be seen out of area. So if if you're in Wex Yorkshire, if you're in Essex, that area I talked about earlier, you can be seen outside. Now obviously, the people who run those systems aren't enthusiastic about that about that because it means that they can't track people into a failed service, which is exactly why that policy was designed. And they put that rule in. So and then today, we are in the Guardian again because on Monday, we... After having done a bunch of work that didn't quite collide for Friday, We wrote a legal letter to West Yorkshire saying it is... We are looking to take this to the judicial review.

Because we think that this is wrong. We think that your legal grounds for doing it are wrong. And one thing we are... Our level of certainty, like, I'm obviously very aware that this is gonna get washed. I find myself in... I think we have significant cause for concern on the process that was done. And so I think the... There's a detailed bureaucratic process and I do not think that it was followed. And so we are looking to uncover and find out what we're currently challenging them. We're in pre legal letter... What legal lesson talking about proceeding, which is a part of our process. And that went in on Monday. It got acknowledged yesterday and in Guardian today.

They have until October 5 to reply when we should learn a lot more. So that's what we've been most recently up to. Question four. Someone watching your country thinks they or their child might have ADHD. What do you think they should do first? And what can your charity offer them? And we are starting with Sonja.

Well, I think the first thing we would say is start at our website, adhd.org.nz. There's a free self screening tool there, which is a really good first start. It won't diagnose you, but it helps you to put words to what's going on, which is sometimes really difficult. Then you can book a GP appointment and take your results with you. Since February this year, GPs and nurse practitioners can diagnose and treat adults. Not every practice office... Offers it yet, and costs vary, So ask when you book. For a child, your GP is still the best place to start. But importantly, and thinking about that connection and sense of belonging that we've heard so much about, you don't have to wait alone. So we run ask an ADHD coach sessions. We run webinars.

And there's a really strong and active online community full of parents and adults who get it. And then just a quick aside, when you do call your GP, ask three things. Does the practice offer ADHD assessment? Because not everyone does. How many appointments will it take, and what will it cost? A proper assessment takes, sometimes a couple of hours. So if you're offered fifteen minutes, keep asking because that's something that, is really, really important that people don't underestimate what it takes. But adhd.org. N z for all of the tools, for resources, and importantly, for the community because we're all there.

Wonderful. Thank you, Sonja. And then next is Mel. Oh, we can't hear you, Mel. Oh, you're muted.

Oh, sorry. That's because at 05:00 in the morning, my boy was running behind me, so I thought I didn't want to show the the the world my my son's screaming behind me, so I turned it on mute. So for us in Australia, like many, the wait lists are huge. So we always say start, come to the ADHD Australia website. Start by, first of all, having a look at your GPs. There are those GPs across different states now that can diagnose. We basically have a list of those that people can access. Also as well, trying to get in with, if you can't, pediatrician for a child, psychologist for an adult. But in the interim, it doesn't stop you actually starting some self help strategies. We have on ADHD assist when we launched it today, but also our website.

Is able to access individual strategies to help individuals that might be feeling concerned about understanding what's next. It might be helping people to be able to know what to do with their child if they're having some challenges at school, who to turn to, some simple strategies that really just start people to be able to not just understand, but practical things that people can put in place whilst they're waiting. When individuals do get to the the right treating GP, and there's only some of them at this moment in time in particular states in Australia, not in all states, the rollout is quite different.

For different states, which is causing a challenge for us. And in some states, isn't at all at this moment in time. In Victoria, where I am, is still in negotiations around what that is specifically going to look like. So for some individuals, the psychologist or the pediatrician is the particular route for those individuals. And when getting access to those individuals, really just starting to ask questions, not just about the diagnosis, but about what is next. How do I then look at my next support? So starting to think about if a particular person feels they might have ADHD.

Or there may be something happening to them, the chances are whether it's an ADHD diagnosis or not, there may be something else. So it's starting to think about what are the... Those particular types of supports I may need and start to link in and connect with those particular individuals. Getting yourself on a wait list is really, really important if you can because it's making sure... Particularly if it's therapists over in Australia, therapists are really hard to get ahold of. Some people access ADHD coaches.

Again, it can be quite difficult to get hard... Hold of. So starting to think proactively around what that could look like. But the main thing is, and probably just similar to everyone else is saying, support is here. So ADHD Australia helping with getting support, support help groups, making sure people are able to access the right people so they feel that it is a journey that isn't alone. It is a sense of being together and helping each other to be able to just feel supported. And a lot of people know other professionals that can also support.

And directing people in the right way if they feel they're not able to get the support at that given time. And it's sadly, again, it's not perfect, but in Australia, sometimes people also travel across state to also get some additional support if it means getting seen sooner. So just really knowing the right people to go to in ADHD Australia and other ADHD organizations across states are also there to help.

Amazing. Thank you. And then to Daniel.

I think the first step, I will encourage them is to seek to understand the difficulties they are experiencing and seek an appropriate professional assessment. They can visit our website, unlockingadhd.org.sg, for free informations and resources. There are many recorded webinars and links to our online peer community. Adults can also use our free self screening tools to help them decide what to discuss with professionals. It does not provide a diagnosis. They can contact Unlocking ADHD to understand our services and possible next steps. Our counseling is a paid services but highly subsidized for eligible clients. Families often need someone to help them make sense of the options and identify a clearer next step.

Wonderful. Thank you, Paul. And now to Joanne.

So, course, I would start with a health care professional who understands ADHD. I know that's gonna be difficult to find, always or know right off the bat. Usually, your go to would be your psychologist or your psychiatrist. Some GPs can do the assessments. So, again, as mentioned, we have some of my... One of my peers that's... Ask the question first. Don't just commit. However, your GP will know who to refer to you. So we always say a safe bet if you want to figure out where to go would be your GP or ask us at Goldilocks and The Bear Foundation. So we always say we accept open arms for any type of communication and support for where to go if you fall outside of our mandate.

However, if you do fall within our mandate and you you have a child that is in primary school and within an under resourced community within our service area, we actually provide the free screening and help support families to navigate through the appropriate referral pathway. And sometimes we even offer the service ourselves if we have it, and that is also completely free of charge. So for example, if along the lines we identify.

That the child needs glasses, then they will actually go to our volunteer optometrist, and they will receive glasses free of charge as well. So that is if you fall within our mandate and within our service area. But if you don't, we always accept families with open arms to help them support the the the system and navigate and at least guide them where the best options would be within the context that they are. So our website is gbfour, like thenumberfour, adhd.co.zeda, and all of our contact details are there.

Fantastic. Lisa?

Hi. Yes. Like many of you, we would encourage people to visit our website just to gain information about ADHD, but we also have a section that speaks to diagnoses and gives some tips as to where people can go. We too would usually recommend that they start with their family physician. Generally, those are appointments that can be scheduled, you know, fairly quickly. And while not every GP is going to feel qualified or be qualified to diagnose ADHD, I think many would have a strong enough understanding that they would be able to listen and determine whether or not they should be making a referral to another health care professional, which is often a psychologist, a psycho... A psychiatrist, maybe occasionally a neurologist.

Who would be able to do the full assessment and, you know, make the diagnosis. Some of the challenges we face, though, are that, while you may be able to get in to see your family physician, usually at no cost because we have a universal health care system, which we're very grateful for, getting specialist appointments can be a whole different ballgame, for anything, including ADHD. So if you're referred to a psychiatrist, you might be waiting three months up to over a year to be able to get your appointment to see that psychiatrist. That appointment is likely covered by our health care system because that is a medical doctor. Same with a neurologist. The waiting list for a neurologist may be even longer than that.

And depending on where you are in the country, because each province and territory is slightly different. And some... If... You know, like a lot of places, if you live in a large urban area, you may have more options when it comes to seeking a psychiatrist or neurologist or even a psychologist. Whereas if you're in, a more rural space or a less densely populated space, there may be very few of them, and you may be waiting longer. So that's a problem. And then the other challenge we face is, to get a full educational, psychoeducational assessment, which we would always recommend. It's wonderful. You need to see a psychologist. Psychologists are generally not covered by our universal health care system. If, a parent is lucky enough to have.

Private health care benefits through their employer or some other source, then that could be covered. But the wait list tend to be long as well. And if they're not... If there is not coverage available, those can cost anywhere between 2,000 and $4,000, which obviously can be quite prohibitive for many. So while getting started is not typically the challenge, it's being able to actually get to the point where you have, a proper diagnosis from a proper med... Trained, medical professional and a treatment plan to go along with it. Certainly, as I've mentioned before, we can start with support.

Groups right away. We have various group coaching sessions that we can offer. We have a long list of free webinars on our website as well so people can go and look at... See everything that's available there and start to educate themselves. But it's it's not always easy to get that diagnosis. Sometimes it can take a long time, and sometimes it can cost quite a lot depending on the route you go. I can share that I went the private route begrudgingly because I was already very late diagnosed and felt like I needed to get that sooner rather than later. But if I hadn't, I would have waited almost three years to get assessed. So that's a very typical scenario.

Thank you. Thank you for sharing that about about you. Suzanne, over to you.

Well, I would, of course, encourage them to start at chad.org where we have a wealth of information and free evidence based information about ADHD, about the diagnosis process, treatment, accommodations. In The US, the path and the cost to diagnosis can look really different depending on your health care coverage, where you live in the country, and what you can afford, unfortunately. But in general, I would say for parents starting with your child's pediatrician, some pediatricians actually can conduct ADHD assessments themselves, while others will refer you to a child psychologist, a child psychiatrist, or a developmental pediatrician. And for adults, I would say your primary care physician or an ADHD informed psychiatrist.

Can be a good starting point. And of course people always say, well, where do I find a good ADHD informed psychiatrist, behavioral developmental pediatrician? CHADD's National Resource Center offers a free helpline to help people navigate questions and find resources, but we also have a professional directory that helps people find ADHD informed providers and services. And then our chapters also, if people have questions and they are suspecting ADHD, they can show up at any of our chapter meetings and ask questions. Community, again, so important. I would also say prepare for the appointment. Write down your questions, examples of the challenges, ask about the evaluation process, what your insurance covers.

And whether the person has experience assessing ADHD. As a coach, I can't tell you how many of my clients who have therapists will tell me that their therapists are not ADHD informed because sometimes with the way insurance works here, you just get assigned someone and you're not able to pick. And so that's a real challenge. And I want to just echo what Melissa and Lisa both said so eloquently that you don't have to wait for an official diagnosis to start learning about yourself and finding support. I think that's a big part of what all of our organizations are there to do is when people have those questions, you know, we're there to be that that source of information and provide them with support.

And then lastly, just always... I encourage people to not look at that as the end and think about building a care team because ADHD impacts every area of my life. So I assume that for most people, it does as well, and there might be speech and language that can be added into services or occupational therapy or other supports like that.

Thank you. We have to I have go.

It's Friday morning here in Aotearoa, New Zealand, and my first meeting has already started. Thank you so much. It was amazing to hear from all of you. I'm really grateful to have been part of the conversation.

You And very we're just gonna quickly do, know, I'll answer the question and final goodbyes. Thank you, Suzanne, for telling me about that. In The UK, our main issues around, for talking around diagnosis, around navigating the NHS, we provide detailed guidance of that. We contact all the main NHS providers every month, actually more frequently often, in contact with them for updates.

And so that we can find out where someone's options are and they differ where you are. So we maintain those lists and say that you can go to this provider and you'll be seen within x weeks. That's why the West Yorkshire thing is such a big deal because people were being able to see it in weeks and now it's obviously at least two years. And who knows what that will look like. We're slightly overrunning. And Mel will be very fierce with me if we actually do overrun. I've got to hand over to her. We're gonna say goodbye. So we're do it very quickly. So if everyone's got thirty seconds. And it's just to say goodbye. And it's... We had a one final round, which is one sentence. If your country's health minister watching.

What would you ask them to do? So if you give us that, your fastest answer of that. For us, it would be that just count us. Like we are not included in the wait lists in this country. And there's... And there are initiatives to bring down wait times. And we've just been excluded and it means that we're excluded from those initiatives and actually then our budgets get cut. We'll do it in reverse order. So Suzanne?

That's a loaded question these days here. What would I say? I would I I would say believe us when we say that it's real. Yeah. I would I would say believe us when we say it's real. Listen to the areas that we say we need support in and listen to the changes that we think need to be made with regard to policy.

I recognize your challenge. It's... Next is Lisa.

Yeah. Thanks. There are so many. This was a tough one, but I'm gonna go back to the topic we just talked about and say we really need to make sure that people have affordable and timely access to diagnoses. If you can't be diagnosed, then, know, that's the first step in being able to be treated and being able to turn the corner. And right now, it... It's a big challenge in this country, just for all the reasons I mentioned. So there could be a long list more, but I'm gonna stick with that for this.

John.

Very similar. I would say make ADHD and treatment genuinely accessible at primary health care level so that where you live and what you earn no longer determine whether you actually get help.

That's a very strong line. That's an important line. Over to whoever we won't we don't have time for Daniel. I'm very sorry, Daniel. Mel. Thirty seconds. Are you on mute?

I've got to stop doing that for later. That's not going to be good, Henry. I would echo everything that my fellow colleagues have said, but also I would say, you know, take ADHD seriously. We have many, many people not accessing support because they cannot afford it, and please consider ADHD in the NDIS, our insurance scheme to support.

This has been a delight. It's been a... To have all of you here and to talk through issues and look at our different countries. I just need to thank you. We have a little celebration which let's see if... So thank you Sonja de Friez of ADHD New Zealand, Melissa Webster of ADHD Australia, Daniel Ang of Unlocking ADHD in Singapore, Juan du Randt of Goldilocks and The Bear Foundation in South Africa, Lisa McCoy of CANAC in Canada, Sophos of CHADD in The United States. It is a testament all of us coming together. It's an absolutely wonderful thing. I have a little celebrate. There you go, look. I get a bit too Thank you very much. And we have that. You are amazing. Otherwise, you go and you just turn off and we're trying to celebrate you. So.

Yeah. Like, Australia, you gotta follow that. And... I I think we need to turn it around, Henry. I struggle every year to get better than what you're doing. So I think next year, I need to start first. Competition as a as a healthy one. I've got to go because I've got a... I need to start my next thing. So goodbye everyone. Thank you so so much. It has been an absolute pleasure. It's wonderful this conference that we're... You know, it's something we're doing together and I'm so proud and excited for it. So thank you. And that's it saying goodbye to them. So thank you very, very much. We've got...