Females with ADHD: An expert consensus statement taking a lifespan approach providing guidance for the identification and treatment of attention-deficit/ hyperactivity disorder in girls and women

Young, Susan; Adamo, Nicoletta; Ásgeirsdóttir, Bryndís Björk; Branney, Polly; Beckett, Michelle; Colley, William; Cubbin, Sally; Deeley, Quinton; Farrag, Emad; Gudjonsson, Gisli; Hill, Peter; Hollingdale, Jack; Kilic, Ozge; Lloyd, Tony; Mason, Peter; Paliokosta, Eleni; Perecherla, Sri; Sedgwick, Jane; Skirrow, Caroline; Tierney, Kevin; van Rensburg, Kobus; Woodhouse, Emma

doi:10.1186/s12888-020-02707-9

Table 6 Multi-agency liaison for ADHD in girls and women: key recommendations

From: Females with ADHD: An expert consensus statement taking a lifespan approach providing guidance for the identification and treatment of attention-deficit/ hyperactivity disorder in girls and women

*Educational considerations and adjustments*
• Training to improve ADHD detection and referral should be provided across teaching and non-teaching educational staff.
• Students who have or who are suspected of having specific learning difficulties should be screened for ADHD, since young people with ADHD may also present with difficulties in reading and writing.
• Reasonable adjustments to education provision should be implemented for students with ADHD (e.g. more examination time).
• Technology Enhanced Learning may support academic and psychosocial education.
• Proactive planning regarding educational transitions should be made with the student with ADHD, the school and others involved in the student’s care, as appropriate.
• Flexible learning systems and support with childcare needs may help women with ADHD return to education after having a baby.
• Career planning should consider non-linear progressions in education and employment, taking into account strengths and weaknesses rather than focusing on current performance.
*Occupational considerations and adjustments*
• Women who disclose their disability to their employer are entitled to reasonable adjustments to the workplace in relation to their needs.
• Additional psychoeducational support may be required to help women manage social and occupational demands in the workplace.
• Diaries, itineraries, lists, reminder notes and similar scaffolding techniques can be adapted to individual needs through a wide range of digital apps currently available at low or no cost.
• Returning to or starting work for the first time after children may be a challenge for young women with ADHD.
*Social care*
• Training to improve ADHD detection and referral should be provided to staff in all social, family and foster care services.
• All children at risk of entering the care system should be systematically screened for developmental disorders, including ADHD.
• Staff should understand that parenting difficulties may be attributed to undiagnosed ADHD rather than a chaotic lifestyle choice, and understand that family members may share symptoms and suffer with associated impairments.
• Social and family services will benefit from training on psychoeducational input to support young mothers of ADHD children and/or young mothers with ADHD (i.e. to develop skills and coping strategies to help them manage their own mental health and personal needs and those of their child).
*Criminal justice system*
• Training to improve ADHD detection and referral should be provided to individuals working in the criminal justice system.
• Females with ADHD who are in the criminal justice system are unlikely to have a prior diagnosis of ADHD.
• Full recommendations are provided in a previous consensus meeting [194].

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