Debunking Myths and Misperceptions of ADHD: How to Influence Naysayers

ADHD has been misunderstood since the early 1900s, when children with the condition were described as having a “defect in moral control.” Through the decades, the name for ADHD evolved, but the condition continued to be dismissed or questioned, and the treatment remained maligned. Damaging narratives about ADHD were embedded in the public consciousness and resulted in deep fears among caregivers to effectively treat their children with the condition.

Those fears linger today, reinforced by the false and misleading claims about ADHD in the Make American Healthy Again (MAHA) Commission report released earlier this year. Battling these claims, and encouraging public understanding about the complexities of ADHD, are especially important this ADHD Awareness Month.

ADDitude is kicking off ADHD Awareness Month with William Dodson, M.D., who has spent more than 25 years educating caregivers, teachers, coaches, and other adults on the real-world consequences of untreated ADHD in childhood and over a lifetime.

In this webinar, you will learn:

• • About the history of ADHD, and its long relationship with ignorance and irrational fears
  • How ADHD is much more complex than the symptoms identified in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders
  • About the lasting and harmful consequences of undiagnosed and untreated ADHD in children and adults
  • How to talk to family members, teachers, and others to improve their understanding of ADHD, and the behavioral and social struggles associated with it
  • How to ensure that you are not on the receiving end of your adult child asking you, in 15 years, You knew I had ADHD and did nothing?