Anne Tischlinger, B. Pharm. 1

Advocacy begins at home: establishing a support &

advocacy group for parents of children with ADHD in Austria

Anne Tischlinger, B. Pharm. 2

Verein ADAPT: a support & advocacy group for parents of children with ADHD in Austria

1998: Awareness of ADHD in Austria virtually zero - Workshop in Vienna - Dr. Marina Peña (Costa Rica)

1999: Interdisciplinary ADHD conference in Salzburg - Founding and presentation of ADAPT

- First attempts at overcoming lack of knowledge

Anne Tischlinger, B. Pharm. 3

Aims of Verein ADAPT, according to its statutes

ADAPT - non-profit-making - founded to:1) serve families, educators and therapists

confronted with ADHD and SLD 2) hold meetings and lectures 3) compile and disseminate information and

scientific material, also via Internet4) provide support for ADHD & SLD problems in educational, social & health fields

Anne Tischlinger, B. Pharm. 4

ADAPT Members

• Parents, foster parents, grandparents of children, adolescents, young adults with ADHD

• Educators• Psychologists• Child psychiatrists, paediatricians• Therapists• Adults – with ADHD diagnosis or suspected ADHD

0

50

100

150

200

250

1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004

Members

Anne Tischlinger, B. Pharm. 5

ADAPT Agenda (1)

ADAPT telephone

ADAPT website (www.adapt.at)

ADAPT newsletter

E-mail article service

ADAPT library

- books

- videos, DVDs & audiotapes

Anne Tischlinger, B. Pharm. 6

ADAPT Agenda (2)

Meetings:- Members (speaker/video/discussion + bookstall +

library)- Parent/educator- Adults

Congresses,

international

gatherings

Anne Tischlinger, B. Pharm. 7

ADAPT Agenda (3)

Education – parents, educators- Speakers – from Austria, Germany- Seminars/lectures – ADAPT members – schools,

educational authorities, specific groups of educators/MDs

Further education – need to heighten awareness of mental health professionals - Parent training - Seminars, symposia, lectures – speakers from

ADAPT, Austria, Germany, USA

Anne Tischlinger, B. Pharm. 8

ADAPT Agenda (4)

Lobbying - “Lobby4Kids” (www.lobby4kids.at) - Vienna health insurance fund – slow release medication for ADHD

International Research – ADHD Profile Study 2002 Role-model to others – initiation of further education, setting-up of meetings

Anne Tischlinger, B. Pharm. 9

ADAPT Agenda (5)

Small-scale studies by ADAPT members - ADHD Parent Questionnaire – Pilot study (Erika Pöchhacker, 2001) - Alternative Therapies (Renate Grimmlinger, 2003)

Investigations: dubious therapies, spurious qualifications, hostile attitudes to ADHD

“ADHD and blue and green algae” “Dipl. ADS-Trainer” awarded by private learning institute for “thesis” and expensive course“Indigo children”

Austrian Hippocratic Society: “Real help instead of Ritalin”

Anne Tischlinger, B. Pharm. 10

ADAPT Agenda (6)

Education system - Contact – educational authorities, schools offering flexible curricula - Protest – cuts in numbers of educators

Media (radio and TV programmes, print media) - Need to put misperceptions right, portray disorder accurately, combat stigma of being labeled “ADHD”

Theses and extended essays - Resources for universities, vocational colleges and Austrian school leaving examination

Anne Tischlinger, B. Pharm. 11

ADAPT in the future

Official umbrella organisation for ADHD in Austria

Lobbying for changes in school laws – Austria

has “Furtherance of Special Educational Needs”

for behavioural problems, but nothing regarding

how this integration is to be achieved in class.

ADHD Day or Screening Day (as in Belgium or

USA resp.)

Outdoor gatherings for families with ADHD

children

An office and paid employees!

Anne Tischlinger, B. Pharm. 12

THE ART OF ADVOCACY“Being an effective advocate for your own child or for any children with specific learning difficulties requires knowledge, skill, contact with law-makers and lobbyists, and work with one’s child’s school to address the child’s specific

needs and locate appropriate resources.”

“By empowering

your teenager to

self-advocate, you’ll

help him/her to

develop the skills

necessary for

success in learning

and life.”

www.schwablearning.org