This is cross posted to my blog Adult ADD Strengths. Canadian ADHD Awareness Week is October 14th to 20th 2013. The US has ADHD Awareness month, all of October. CADDAC, The Center for ADHD Awareness will be soon putting out more information on ADHD Awareness Week.
Many adult and children with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder in British Columbia are 3rd class citizens.
The health bureaucracy refuses to demand doctors, psychologist and psychiatrists in BC be properly trained to diagnose and treat adults and children with ADHD. At UBC, medical students only get one hour of training on ADHD.
The BC Liberal government closed the only Adult ADHD clinic in BC after a year long wait list in 2007. BC Premier Christy Clark told me at her only town hall during the May 2011 by-election on my question to her if she would re open the clinic her BC Liberals closed “I’m absolutely committed to working with you on it.” And she did? Nothing. Still closed. Adrian Dix the BC NDP leader refused to support reopening the BC ADHD Clinic.
The education bureaucracy refuses to require teacher give accommodations to students with ADHD unless they have learning disabilities or severe behaviour problems. Most do not.
Many people promote ignorance and stigma about ADHD, and a lie repeated enough and not refuted often gets believed.
There are many problems with ADHD but also many advantages of ADHD if properly managed.
That’s why raising awareness of ADHD is so important.
See what the creative and hard working volunteers of my Vancouver Adult ADD Support Group did for Metro Vancouver ADHD Awareness Week 2012
We’ll be working to create some activities for ADHD Awareness Week 2012. If you’d like to help us out, please contact me to join us.
It BREAKS my HEART to hear that BC is still behind the curve on ADD.
After ALL, they have *you* (and you’ve been an ADDvocate practically as long as I have). I’m not sure if there is anything I can do from the US, but let me know if there is.
Maybe we can cook something up for October? Perhaps a joint TeleDiscussion about the State of ADD around the World perhaps – ask some of our colleagues around the world to join us in the discussion (then we could tape and post on the sites of anyone who participates – or send to legislators?)
The studies say that “losing face” (losing anything) is more of a motivator than gaining something – maybe we need to use the studies to move ADD into the 21st century before we’re all dead and gone!
Get in touch.
xx,
mgh
~~~~~
Madelyn Griffith-Haynie, CMC, SCAC, MCC
– ADD Coach Training Field founder; ADD Coaching co-founder –
(blogs: ADDandSoMuchMore, ADDerWorld & ethosconsultancynz – dot com)
“It takes a village to transform a world!”
Thank you very much Madelyn, I appreciate it. Yes I have been at this for a long time:)
I think a joint telediscussion on the state of ADHD around the world is a great idea. BC is backwards on ADHD and so is Canada, but there are some countries even behind us. And letting the politicians know is always a good thing.
I’ve blogged a lot of studies on ADHD over the years but it’s kind of like you can give research data to a politician but you can’t make them care enough to read or act. Unless you have a lot of lobbyist money & members & sadly we adders don’t.
I did get the leaders of 2 of our 3 BC political parties, the conservatives and the greens to support reopening of the BC Adult ADHD Clinic in our last provincial election, the only public adult adhd clinic in bc the one the bcliberals shut down after a one year wait list