Client Education about ADHD

Client and Family ADHD Education

ADHD is a lifelong disorder, and continued intervention and support will be critical.  It is recommended that your client continue to educate themselves about their ADHD and how it can impact one’s life, particularly as they make the transition into adulthood.

The following suggestions can be used to help your client and their family to educate themselves on ADHD:

• Encourage your client and their parent to educate themselves around ADHD and develop a conceptual understanding of what it means and how it may be impacting your client’s life. Increasing awareness of strategies to support attention-related challenges is also recommended.

• It is recommended that your client embark on some learning (e.g. through reading or video format), regarding the impact of ADHD challenges in daily life, and strategies that may assist in personal and academic goal attainment.  It will be important to develop a good understanding of what medication can and cannot do.

ADHD Resources and Additional Information

Information and resources regarding AD/HD are available at the Can Learn Society (see website for more information on how to access resources at www.canlearnsociety.ca). Other resources that offer excellent online sources for information include:

Resources Aimed at explaining ADHD to Children

• “Totally ADD and Loving it” http://totallyadd.com/#/welcome/, which offers video-based web information
• Explaining ADHD to Your Child: https://www.additudemag.com/explaining-add-to-your-child/
• How to Explain ADHD to a Child and Build Confidence: https://www.additudemag.com/how-to-explain-adhd-to-a-child-and-build-confidence/
• Your ADHD Brain is a Ferrari: http://www.drhallowell.com/your-adhd-brain-is-a-ferrari/
• Have your client ready story books about other kids’ experiences and success stories about people with ADHD.

Resources for Educating and Supporting Adolescents with ADHD

• ADD-Friendly Ways to Organize Your Life: Strategies That Work from a Professional Organizer and Renowned ADD Clinician  (2002).  Judith Kolberg and Kathleen Nadeau.  Brunner-Routledge Publishing.  New York, NY.
• Delivered from Distraction: Getting the Most out of Life with Attention Deficit Disorder (2005).  Edward M. Hallowell and John J. Ratey.  Ballantine Books.  New York, NY.

General ADHD Resources

• CHADD (Children and Adults with Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder at http://www.chadd.org
• Centre for ADD/ADHD Advocacy Canada: https://caddac.ca/adhd/