Submission to the Parliamentary Inquiry into the Thriving Kids Initiative

Executive Summary

Every parent wants their child to thrive. For many families, the first signs that something is different appear early – a toddler who struggles to settle at playgroup, a preschooler who cannot focus, or a child who falls behind their peers at school. Parents know their child needs support, but too often they face long waits, confusing systems, and high out-of-pocket costs. These barriers can leave families feeling isolated, frustrated, and unsure where to turn for help. Without timely support, children can miss out on critical early intervention, putting them at a disadvantage that can persist throughout their lives.

The Thriving Kids Initiative offers a rare chance to fix these gaps. By building strong mainstream supports, it can ensure children with developmental needs are recognised early and supported before problems escalate. This initiative represents a positive step toward a system where help is accessible, coordinated, and tailored to each child’s individual needs, regardless of where they live or their background. It is an opportunity to move away from a ‘wait to fail’ model, towards proactive and preventative support for families and children.

Why reform is urgent

• Prevalence: Neurodevelopmental conditions are common. ADHD alone affects more than one in twenty children – comparable to autism – and often occurs alongside autism, learning differences, or developmental delay. Many families face the complex reality of children with multiple diagnoses, navigating a system that is often siloed and difficult to understand.
• Impact: Without early intervention, these conditions affect education, mental health, relationships, and later employment. ADHD alone costs the Australian community an estimated $20.4 billion annually. The long-term impacts on individuals and their families can be profound, including increased risk of school disengagement, mental illness, and unemployment.
• Barriers: Families face long waitlists, fragmented referrals, under-trained teachers and GPs, and persistent stigma. These challenges can delay access to assessment and support, resulting in missed opportunities for early intervention.
• Equity: First Nations, culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD), rural and remote families, and children in out-of-home care face the steepest hurdles. These groups are more likely to encounter additional barriers, such as limited services, cultural misunderstandings, and reduced access to specialist care.

What works

Evidence from Australia and overseas shows that change is possible when systems are designed to be proactive, inclusive, and coordinated:

• Parent resources: Milestone checklists and red flag guides empower families to act early. When parents have access to clear, reliable information, they are better equipped to identify concerns and seek help.
• Universal developmental checks: Structured reviews at key ages ensure needs are picked up systematically. Regular, standardised checks help ensure no child falls through the cracks, and concerns are identified as early as possible.
• Integrated hubs: Co-located health, education, and community services help families navigate systems in one place. These hubs simplify access to services, reduce duplication, and foster collaboration between professionals.
• Workforce training: Teachers and health professionals equipped with developmental knowledge can act with confidence. Ongoing training ensures that those working with children have the skills and understanding to identify and respond to diverse needs.
• Seamless transitions: Information that follows the child prevents progress being lost at each change of setting. Effective information sharing between early childhood, primary, and secondary education, as well as health and community services, is essential for continuity of care.

Our call to government

For Thriving Kids to succeed, it must:

• Adopt an inclusive definition of neurodiversity, explicitly recognising ADHD alongside autism and developmental delay, and acknowledging that many children experience more than one of these conditions.
• Equip parents with trusted resources and clear referral pathways, so they know when, where, and how to access help, and can do so with confidence.
• Strengthen the workforce, embedding developmental and ADHD training in teacher education, GP practice, and allied health, so professionals are prepared to support a diverse range of children.
• Close equity gaps through culturally safe services, CALD navigators, rural telehealth, and targeted supports for children in care, ensuring every child and family can access the help they need.
• Invest in integrated hubs and seamless pathways so families no longer “fall off a cliff” when children move between services, reducing stress and improving outcomes.

In addition, we urge the government to invest in ongoing monitoring and evaluation of the Thriving Kids Initiative, to ensure that reforms are implemented effectively, and that outcomes for children and families are continuously improved. Collaboration with people with lived experience, including children and families, must be central to the design and evaluation of all programs and services.

The opportunity

Thriving Kids can reshape how Australia supports children with developmental needs. If designed inclusively, it will:

• Relieve pressure on the NDIS by providing support earlier and in mainstream settings, reducing the need for crisis-driven intervention.
• Reduce costs to health and education by intervening earlier, preventing escalation of needs that become more costly to address over time.

• Deliver fairness by ensuring no child is excluded because of their postcode, culture, or diagnosis, and by actively addressing barriers to access.
• Support children with ADHD, autism, developmental delay and overlapping conditions to reach their potential, enabling them to fully participate in family, school, and community life.
• Strengthen communities by promoting inclusion and understanding of neurodiversity, challenging stigma, and fostering environments where every child can thrive.

ADHD Australia urges the Committee to recommend a program that is inclusive, equitable, and evidence-based. We stand ready to work with government, services, and families to make this vision a reality. Together, we can create a future where every child – regardless of their diagnosis or background – is given the chance to thrive, and where families are supported every step of the way.

About ADHD Australia

ADHD Australia serves as the national peak body representing individuals with ADHD, along with their families and communities. Our organisation was established to ensure that the perspectives of those frequently excluded from policy discussions are heard and to promote recognition of ADHD as a lifelong condition necessitating comprehensive understanding and support across health, education, workplace, and community environments.

Our mission is clear: to enhance the quality of life for Australians living with ADHD. We pursue this objective by:

• Advocating for systemic reform to guarantee equitable access to diagnosis, treatment, and essential supports.
• Raising awareness to address misconceptions and foster greater community comprehension.
• Providing educational materials and resources tailored for parents, schools, clinicians, and employers.
• Offering evidence-based insights and lived experience in submissions to inquiries, policy development processes, and service design initiatives.

ADHD is among the most prevalent neurodevelopmental disorders in childhood, affecting more than one in twenty children within Australia. Its impact extends to learning, behaviour, relationships, and long-term wellbeing; however, there remains a significant gap in societal understanding, resourcing, and inclusion in reform efforts. The effects of ADHD are experienced not only by individuals, but also by the families, educators, employers, and healthcare professionals supporting them.

Our activities are informed by direct engagement with the community. In preparing previous submissions, ADHD Australia has consulted thousands of individuals through surveys, community forums, and collaborations with clinicians, educators, and researchers. This collective input consistently highlights the challenges faced by families affected by ADHD—challenges that Thriving Kids aims to address—including prolonged wait times, inadequate resources, inconsistent support, and persistent inequities.

By integrating these diverse perspectives, ADHD Australia occupies a distinctive position at the intersection of lived experience, professional expertise, and policy analysis. We are committed to partnering with government agencies, service providers, and community

organisations to help ensure that the goals of the Thriving Kids initiative are fully realised, supporting every child to thrive.

ADHD and Neurodiversity: A Case for Inclusion in Thriving Kids

Thriving Kids cannot succeed if ADHD is excluded. While the initiative has so far been framed around autism and developmental delay, ADHD affects just as many children and families, often alongside those very conditions. To leave ADHD outside the scope would create a two-tier system where some children are supported and others continue to face the same barriers that Thriving Kids is designed to address.

Why ADHD must be included

• Prevalence: ADHD is one of the most common neurodevelopmental conditions, affecting around 6–8% of Australian children - comparable to autism. More than one million Australians live with ADHD.
• Overlap: ADHD rarely occurs in isolation. Up to half of children with ADHD also experience autism, learning differences, or developmental delay. Families do not experience these conditions in silos, and neither should government programs.
• Shared barriers: Families of children with ADHD face the same systemic challenges as those with autism or developmental delay - long waits, high out-of-pocket costs, limited teacher and GP training, and persistent stigma.
• Equity: These barriers are even steeper for First Nations, CALD, rural/remote, and out-of-home care families (as explored in ToR 3).

Policy alignment

National policy is already moving towards stronger ADHD recognition. The Australian ADHD Clinical Practice Guideline (2022) provides a robust evidence base for care. In 2025, NSW reforms allowed trained GPs to initiate and continue ADHD treatment, signalling a shift to mainstream responsibility. Thriving Kids should build on this momentum, embedding ADHD into universal supports rather than leaving it at the margins.

Recommendation

Thriving Kids should adopt an inclusive definition of neurodiversity that explicitly recognises ADHD alongside autism and developmental delay. This will:

• Deliver fairness and avoid a two-tier system.
• Reflect the reality of overlapping developmental conditions.
• Align with existing policy directions and reforms.
• Ensure the program achieves its goal of reducing reliance on the NDIS by strengthening mainstream supports.

Response to Terms of Reference

1. Evidence-based information and resources for parents

For most families, parents are the first to notice when something isn’t quite right. A toddler who struggles to sit still at story time, a preschooler who cannot follow instructions, or a child who falls behind at school. Parents know their child needs support, but too often they are left without the knowledge or tools to act with confidence. Instead, they face a confusing maze of advice - some accurate, some misleading - and a long wait for professional help.

This is especially true for ADHD. Families regularly tell us they felt dismissed when they raised concerns or were given contradictory advice about what their child’s behaviour meant. Many report turning to online forums or social media, where information is not always evidence based. In ADHD Australia’s 2023 survey of 656 people impacted by ADHD, one in three families said they found the steps to getting a diagnosis difficult to navigate, with lack of information being a major barrier.

International models show that trusted, simple, evidence-based resources can make a profound difference:

• In the United States, the Learn the Signs. Act Early. campaign provides parents with milestone checklists and developmental red flags. Parents who use these tools are more likely to raise concerns early and get timely referrals.
• In the United Kingdom, the Healthy Child Programme builds parent engagement into universal health reviews, ensuring families leave each check-up with information on what to look for and where to seek help.

Australia has some building blocks, such as Victoria’s Key Ages & Stages visits, but resources remain fragmented and ADHD-specific information is often missing. This leaves families confused about what ADHD looks like, and uncertain when to seek help.

Why it matters

Parents who are equipped with clear, practical resources are better able to:

• Recognise developmental concerns early.
• Navigate health and education systems without becoming overwhelmed.
• Reduce stigma within their families and communities by having trusted, evidence-based information.

When parents are supported, children are more likely to access early intervention and experience positive outcomes at school, in friendships, and in their wellbeing.

Recommendation

Thriving Kids should fund the development of a national suite of evidence-based resources for parents and carers, co-designed with families and experts, that:

• Clearly explain developmental milestones, red flags, and next steps.
• Include ADHD alongside autism and developmental delay.
• Are culturally responsive, translated into multiple languages, and available in digital, print, and audio formats.

• Are distributed consistently through maternal and child health, GPs, early learning centres, and schools, so that every family has access to trusted information.

2. Effectiveness of current and previous programs

Parents and carers often tell us that they entered the system with hope — believing that maternal and child health checks, allied health referrals, or school-based supports would help them find answers. Too often, that hope turns to frustration. The reality is that while programs exist, they are fragmented, under-resourced, and inconsistent across jurisdictions. Families fall into gaps, repeat assessments, and wait months or even years for help.

Where programs fall short

• Inconsistent screening: Child health and school entry checks vary widely between states and territories. Some include structured developmental surveillance, while others rely on ad hoc observation. Families describe a “postcode lottery” in what support is offered.
• Fragmented referrals: A parent may raise concerns at preschool, be referred to a GP, then to a paediatrician, and later to allied health. Each referral adds cost, delay, and the risk of information being lost along the way.
• Workforce bottlenecks: Families report 6–12 month waits just for an assessment appointment, particularly in regional areas. Psychologists may identify ADHD, but a second referral to a psychiatrist is still required for medication access.
• Financial burden: Families of children with ADHD report annual out-of-pocket costs averaging $3,500–$6,500 — an unsustainable load for many households.

Evidence from families

In ADHD Australia’s 2023 survey, nearly one in three families said the diagnostic process was “very difficult.” Parents described being dismissed, sent in circles, or left to rely on online forums for information. Teachers told us they could recognise when a child was struggling but had no clear guidance on how to secure an assessment or what supports to recommend.

What we can learn from promising models

• Victoria’s Key Ages & Stages framework demonstrates that universal developmental checks are feasible within mainstream child health services.
• The National Child & Family Hubs Network has shown that co-located, multidisciplinary hubs can provide families with a single point of entry, reducing silos and duplication.
• A 2024 Medical Journal of Australia perspective reinforced that hubs designed with families and local communities improve engagement and outcomes for children at risk of developmental vulnerability.

Why these matters

When programs are fragmented, children miss the opportunity for early intervention — the stage when support makes the greatest difference. Delayed or missed identification can lead to poorer educational outcomes, behavioural difficulties, and family stress. It also increases the likelihood that families will seek crisis support later, at far higher cost to the health and education systems.

Recommendation

Thriving Kids should:

• Standardise universal developmental surveillance at key ages across all states and territories, embedded within maternal and child health, GPs, and early learning settings.
• Embed ADHD explicitly in these checks, alongside autism and developmental delay, to ensure consistent recognition of symptoms.
• Fund and expand integrated Child and Family Hubs nationwide, ensuring families can access developmental assessment, allied health, and navigation support in one place.
• Provide “glue funding” for coordination roles to connect health, education, and community services, so that no family is left to navigate the system alone.

3. Equity and intersectional issues

No child’s chances to thrive should depend on where they are born, the language spoken at home, or whether they live with stable family supports. Yet for many families, these factors determine whether developmental concerns are identified early — or missed entirely. The evidence is clear: First Nations children, culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) families, rural and remote communities, and children in out-of-home care face the steepest barriers to timely support.

First Nations children and families

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander families consistently tell us that services feel unsafe, unwelcoming, or culturally irrelevant. Too often, developmental concerns are dismissed as “behavioural issues,” or children are referred late. Research highlights higher rates of developmental delay among First Nations children, yet lower access to assessments and culturally safe treatment. Co-design with Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisations (ACCHOs) is essential to build trust, embed cultural knowledge, and support families in ways that respect community strengths.

CALD families

Families from CALD backgrounds frequently struggle to navigate complex systems that are not designed with them in mind. Parents report:

• A lack of translated resources and interpreters.

• Stigma within their communities that discourages seeking help.

• Confusion about referral pathways, particularly when health and education systems provide inconsistent advice.

Without culturally responsive resources and community navigators, many CALD families delay seeking support until problems escalate.

Rural and remote communities

For rural and remote families, the barriers are geographic as well as financial. Parents describe driving hundreds of kilometres to the nearest specialist or waiting months for a telehealth appointment — if it is available at all. Thin markets in the NDIS and private sectors mean families are often left with no realistic choices. Workforce shortages compound these challenges, leaving children without timely assessments or continuity of care.

Children in out-of-home care

Children in foster, kinship, or residential care are among the most developmentally vulnerable in Australia. Many live with trauma as well as neurodevelopmental conditions such as ADHD or autism. Yet despite their higher needs, they are often the least likely to receive timely assessment and support. Carers report being left to navigate systems alone, without guidance on how to secure help.

Why this matters

Equity is not an optional add-on. If Thriving Kids is to succeed, it must be built for the children and families who face the highest barriers. Excluding or underserving these groups will entrench disadvantage and undermine the goals of reducing reliance on the NDIS and building strong mainstream supports.

Recommendation

Thriving Kids should:

• Partner with ACCHOs and Aboriginal leaders to co-design culturally safe programs and embed Aboriginal workforce roles.
• Fund community navigators and translated resources to support CALD families.
• Expand telehealth and outreach models in rural and remote communities, supported by incentives to attract and retain skilled practitioners.
• Prioritise children in out-of-home care for proactive assessment and wrap-around supports, recognising their higher risk of developmental vulnerability.

4. Workforce support and training

Every recommendation in this inquiry depends on the workforce. Parents can have the best resources, and children can be identified early, but without trained teachers, GPs, allied health workers, and early childhood educators, families still find themselves stuck on waitlists or bounced between services. Right now, the workforce is the single biggest barrier to timely and effective support.

Teachers on the front line

Classrooms are often the first place where developmental concerns are noticed. Teachers tell us they see the signs - children who can’t sit still, can’t focus, or fall behind - but they don’t always know what to do next. In ADHD Australia’s community consultations, 9 in 10 teachers reported they were not adequately trained at university to support children with ADHD. Many said they had to rely on internet searches or colleagues rather than formal training.

This lack of preparation leaves teachers overwhelmed and students unsupported. Without confidence or skills, some teachers fall back on suspensions or exclusions instead of classroom strategies, which only compounds disadvantage.

Health professionals stretched thin

GPs and allied health professionals are under immense pressure. Parents frequently report being dismissed when raising concerns or shuffled between providers who lack ADHD literacy. Psychologists may conduct assessments, but cannot prescribe medication, forcing families into long waits for paediatricians or psychiatrists. In regional areas, families describe driving hundreds of kilometres for a single appointment.

The potential for change

There are promising signs. The Australian ADHD Clinical Practice Guideline (2022) sets a benchmark for what good practice looks like. In 2025, NSW reforms began allowing GPs to initiate and continue ADHD treatment under specific training and supervision arrangements. This shows what is possible when governments invest in workforce capability and trust mainstream professionals to provide care.

Why this matters

Workforce gaps don’t just delay diagnosis — they create inequity. Families with means can pay for private assessments and therapy; those without wait, struggle, or miss out altogether. Teachers without training can inadvertently stigmatise children instead of supporting them. Health professionals without knowledge of ADHD or autism can dismiss concerns and delay intervention at the very moment it is most valuable.

Recommendation

Thriving Kids should establish a national workforce development strategy that includes:

• Mandatory content on ADHD and developmental conditions in all initial teacher education degrees.

• Funded professional development programs for teachers, GPs, allied health, and early childhood educators, focused on practical classroom and clinical strategies.
• GP upskilling and prescribing pathways, aligned with NSW reforms, to expand the pool of professionals able to diagnose and manage ADHD and related conditions.
• Supervision and mentoring schemes for early-career practitioners, especially in rural and remote areas, to build sustainable expertise.
• Incentives for regional practice, including funded training and telehealth integration, to reduce workforce shortages outside metropolitan centres.

5. Domestic and international best practice

Families in Australia are not alone in facing the challenges of developmental delay, autism, and ADHD. Other countries have confronted similar issues and built models that work. The lesson is clear: when governments invest in simple, universal systems and bring services together, children are identified earlier, and families feel supported.

International examples

• United States – Learn the Signs. Act Early. campaign Parents are given simple milestone checklists, red flag guides, and easy referral tools. Evaluations show parents who use these tools are more likely to raise concerns early, leading to faster referrals and intervention.
• United Kingdom – Healthy Child Programme This program guarantees regular, structured developmental reviews from infancy through adolescence. Reviews are embedded in mainstream health and education systems, ensuring every child has touchpoints where needs can be identified without stigma or delay.
• New Zealand – Whānau Ora This holistic, whānau-centred model recognises that children’s development cannot be separated from family and community. By empowering families to lead their own solutions, it has built trust, reduced stigma, and improved outcomes across health, education, and social participation.

Domestic lessons

• Victoria’s Key Ages & Stages framework provides a template for universal developmental checks at regular intervals. This shows national consistency is achievable.
• The Child and Family Hubs Network, led by the Royal Children’s Hospital and Centre for Community Child Health, has demonstrated that co-located, multidisciplinary hubs reduce fragmentation and help families navigate complex systems.

• A 2024 Medical Journal of Australia perspective highlighted that hubs co-designed with families and local communities improve engagement, reduce duplication, and deliver better developmental outcomes.

Why this matters

Australia does not need to start from scratch. Thriving Kids can adapt proven international models while scaling successful domestic pilots. What these programs have in common is that they:

• Make support universal, not discretionary.
• Place families at the centre of design and delivery.
• Emphasise integration - health, education, and community services working together.
• Commit to evaluation and continuous improvement, so programs evolve with evidence.

Recommendation

Thriving Kids should:

• Draw explicitly on international best practice models such as Act Early, the UK Healthy Child Programme, and Whānau Ora, adapting them for Australia’s cultural and geographic context.
• Scale up domestic models like Key Ages & Stages and Child and Family Hubs as national platforms.
• Embed a national evaluation framework to measure impact, ensure accountability, and drive continuous improvement.

6. Seamless transitions

Families often describe the experience of navigating developmental supports as “falling off a cliff.” A child might receive help in preschool, only to lose it when they start school. Support may be available through a paediatrician but not flow into the classroom. Adolescents may transition out of children’s services without continuity into youth or adult care. Each change of setting forces families to retell their story, repeat assessments, and start again.

Where transitions break down

• Between early childhood and school: Developmental histories are rarely passed on, leaving teachers unaware of prior assessments or supports. This can set children back just as they face the challenges of starting school.
• Between primary and secondary school: Families often lose adjustments or classroom strategies as children move into larger, less personalised settings.

• Between health and education: Assessments done in the health system are not always recognised by schools, forcing families into costly duplication.
• Across age thresholds: Adolescents transitioning from child health services into youth or adult care frequently experience gaps, particularly in ADHD where adult services are scarce.

Evidence from families

Parents tell us that the lack of continuity is one of the most stressful parts of their journey. They describe handing over thick files of reports at each transition, only to be told “we’ll need to do our own assessment.” This wastes scarce resources, frustrates families, and delays support for the child. Teachers also report they are often left in the dark, receiving little or no information about a child’s needs until problems escalate.

What works

• Transition-to-school resources developed in several states demonstrate the value of structured information-sharing between early childhood services and schools.
• Information-sharing guidelines in South Australia and Queensland show that lawful, safe frameworks can enable data to follow the child without breaching privacy.
• Case coordination roles within schools and community services have been shown to improve continuity and reduce duplication, particularly for vulnerable families.

Why this matters

Children with developmental needs cannot afford to lose momentum at critical life stages. Each disrupted transition risks undoing progress, increasing stress on families, and entrenching disadvantage. Seamless pathways are not just more humane — they are also more efficient, reducing duplication and ensuring resources are directed where they are most needed.

Recommendation

Thriving Kids should:

• Develop a National Care Pathway Framework that ensures developmental histories follow children across health, education, and community systems.
• Invest in shared information systems and lawful information-sharing protocols, drawing on existing state precedents.
• Fund case coordination roles in mainstream services to support families during key transitions (early childhood to school, primary to secondary, adolescence to adult care).
• Ensure schools and health providers are equipped to recognise and continue supports already in place, rather than restarting from scratch.

Conclusion

The Thriving Kids Initiative is an opportunity we cannot afford to miss. Every day, families tell us about the stress of long waits, confusing pathways, and children falling behind while they search for answers. Too many parents feel blamed instead of supported. Too many teachers feel underprepared. Too many children miss the chance to thrive simply because systems are not built to recognise and respond early.

Australia has the knowledge, the evidence, and the examples - both here and overseas - of what works. What is missing is national coordination, investment, and a clear commitment to equity.

If designed well, Thriving Kids can:

• Relieve pressure on the NDIS by building strong mainstream systems of support.
• Save costs across health and education by intervening earlier and preventing crises later.
• Deliver fairness by ensuring no child is excluded because of their postcode, culture, or diagnosis.
• Support every child to thrive, whether they live with ADHD, autism, developmental delay, or overlapping conditions.

To achieve this, Thriving Kids must:

1. Adopt an inclusive definition of neurodiversity, explicitly recognising ADHD alongside autism and developmental delay.
2. Invest in parents, workforce, and integrated hubs, so families have the tools and professionals they need.
3. Prioritise equity, embedding cultural safety, CALD navigators, rural telehealth, and targeted supports for children in care.
4. Ensure continuity, through seamless pathways and information-sharing that follow the child.

ADHD Australia stands ready to partner with government, clinicians, educators, and communities to design and deliver this vision. Together, we can make sure Thriving Kids lives up to its name - and that every child, in every community, has the chance to reach their potential.

Key contact

Melissa Webster

CEO

ADHD Australia

redacted

Case Studies: Experiences from the ADHD Community

To further illustrate the challenges and opportunities facing families and individuals impacted by ADHD, the following case studies offer real-world examples drawn from community input and consultation. These stories reflect the diversity and complexity of experiences within the ADHD community and underscore the importance of timely, coordinated, and inclusive support.

Case Study 1: Early Intervention in Regional Australia

Background: Sarah, a mother living in regional Victoria, first noticed her son Liam was struggling to sit still at story time and found it difficult to follow instructions at preschool. Concerned, she approached her local maternal and child health nurse, but was told “boys will be boys” and advised to wait and see.

Challenge: As Liam entered school, his difficulties persisted. Sarah faced a six-month wait to see a paediatrician and was referred from one service to another, repeating assessments at each step. The family had to travel over 200 kilometres for specialist appointments, incurring significant costs and time off work.

Outcome: Eventually, with the help of a supportive teacher who recognised ADHD symptoms and advocated for Liam, Sarah accessed a diagnosis and appropriate interventions. Early intervention strategies implemented at school made a marked difference in Liam’s engagement and wellbeing. However, Sarah emphasises that the process was stressful, costly, and would have been impossible without her ability to travel and navigate complex systems.

Key Takeaway: This case highlights the need for universal developmental checks, integrated hubs, and workforce training in regional areas to ensure families do not face undue burdens in accessing help.

Case Study 2: Navigating Cultural Barriers

Background: Ahmed’s family migrated to Australia from Lebanon and spoke Arabic at home. Ahmed’s parents noticed he was struggling with focus and impulsivity in primary school but were unsure where to seek help, facing language barriers and stigma about neurodevelopmental conditions within their community.

Challenge: The family attempted to access information online but found limited resources in Arabic and conflicting advice. When they approached their GP, cultural misunderstandings

led to their concerns being dismissed as “parenting issues”. Ahmed fell further behind academically and socially.

Outcome: After connecting with a multicultural community navigator, Ahmed’s parents received translated resources and guidance through the referral process. Ahmed was eventually diagnosed with ADHD and received support through tailored interventions at school and home. The family also benefited from culturally responsive counselling, which reduced stigma and helped them advocate for Ahmed’s needs.

Key Takeaway: This case demonstrates the critical importance of translated resources, CALD navigators, and culturally safe services in ensuring families from diverse backgrounds can access timely and effective support.

Case Study 3: Transition Challenges in Out-of-Home Care

Background: Grace, age 10, had lived in foster care since she was six, following early childhood trauma and frequent moves between placements. Grace exhibited signs of ADHD and developmental delay but had never received a formal assessment.

Challenge: Each new school and carer received little information about Grace’s developmental history. Teachers noticed her difficulties but lacked resources and guidance on next steps. Carers reported being overwhelmed navigating the health and education systems and felt unsupported by local services.

Outcome: After being prioritised for assessment through a proactive wrap-around program, Grace was diagnosed with ADHD and provided with an individualised support plan. Information-sharing protocols were established between her school, carers, and health providers, ensuring continuity of care through subsequent transitions.

Key Takeaway: Grace’s experience highlights the need for seamless transitions, case coordination, and prioritised assessments for children in out-of-home care to prevent developmental vulnerability from being overlooked.

Case Study 4: Teacher Training Making a Difference

Background: Jason, a primary school teacher in metropolitan Sydney, participated in a professional development program focused on ADHD and neurodevelopmental conditions. Prior to training, Jason felt ill-equipped to support several students displaying inattention and hyperactivity.

Challenge: Without adequate training, Jason previously relied on classroom exclusions and generic behaviour management strategies, which proved ineffective and contributed to student disengagement.

Outcome: Following the training, Jason implemented evidence-based classroom adjustments, communicated effectively with families, and worked collaboratively with allied health professionals. As a result, students with ADHD in his class demonstrated improved focus, participation, and academic progress.

Key Takeaway: Jason’s story underscores the impact of workforce development and the value of mandatory ADHD training in improving outcomes for students and reducing teacher stress.

Case Study 5: Adult ADHD and Lifelong Support

Background: Emily, diagnosed with ADHD in childhood, struggled with transitions from paediatric to adult health services. As she entered university, the supports she received during schooling abruptly ended, leaving her to navigate tertiary education and employment without guidance.

Challenge: Emily experienced difficulties maintaining focus, managing time, and accessing accommodations. The lack of seamless transition between youth and adult services led to increased anxiety and academic challenges.

Outcome: After seeking help from a university disability officer and joining a peer support group, Emily accessed reasonable adjustments and mentoring, enabling her to succeed academically and later in her career.

Key Takeaway: Emily’s experience highlights the importance of continuity across life stages and the need for care pathways that support individuals with ADHD beyond childhood.

These case studies reflect the experiences of many in the ADHD community and reinforce the recommendations outlined in this submission. They demonstrate the urgent need for inclusive, equitable, and evidence-based reforms so that every child, young person, and adult affected by ADHD can access the support required to thrive.