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