Jeremi Didier was diagnosed with ADHD as an adult, like more and more people today. It led her to found ADHDKC, the Kansas City chapter of the national nonprofit Children and Adults with Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (CHADD).
Now as the president of CHADD, she has brought the annual international conference on ADHD to Kansas City on November 13-15. It will feature sessions about current research, everyday life with a diagnosis, and the changing ADHD landscape.
“It's like the world's biggest family reunion,” Didier said. “It truly is a phenomenal place. The energy that comes from being around so many individuals who also have ADHD, I just can't describe it. There's truly nothing like being where you're not judged by anyone else.”
Psychologist Ari Tuckman says that people with ADHD struggle with inattentiveness symptoms like distractibility, disorganization, and forgetfulness, as well as hyperactive symptoms like restlessness, impulsivity, and stimulation seeking behaviors.
While medication can usually make these symptoms manageable, Tuckman said if left undiagnosed, ADHD leads to higher rates of car accidents, substance abuse, divorce, a shorter life expectancy, and more.
With the increased understanding of ADHD, doctors have been correctly diagnosing more people in recent years. But in the last six months, lawyer Matt Cohen has seen funding cuts and attacks on the validity of psychiatric disorders from the Trump administration.
Cohen, who is a keynote speaker for the conference, will focus on the impact of funding cuts on services offered by schools. Many children diagnosed with ADHD need accommodations to stay on track with their classmates, and Cohen said the Trump administration’s effort to dismantle the U.S. Department of Education is directly impacting children with ADHD and other disabilities.
“ADHD is not a political issue. It's not a partisan issue. It doesn't respect district lines, zip codes, or economic class. It happens to anyone,” Didier said. “And most importantly, ADHD is the most treatable chronic condition that is out there.”
- Jeremi Didier, clinical social worker and board president of CHADD,
- Ari Tuckman, psychologist and co-chair of the International Conference on ADHD
- Matt Cohen, founder of Matt Cohen and Associates
