Celebrating ADD / ADHD Awareness Week 2009

I am delighted to be able to represent the Minister for Disability Issues, Hon Tariana Turia, in opening this important seminar to celebrate awareness of ADD / ADHD.

Tariana was extremely disappointed to miss today's event, and has asked me to present her speech on her behalf. 

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I was interested in the phrase to inspire this seminar - Knowledge is power. 

This concept, that there is nothing more powerful and liberating than knowledge, is generally attributed to Sir Francis Bacon, a philosopher and statesman of the 16th century. It appears that during his early years Sir Francis was diagnosed as in poor health, and was educated at home. I couldn't help but wonder whether his exclusion from the outside world, accounts for his relentless drive for knowledge later in life.

If knowledge is power, it is enthusiasm that turns the light on - and today's seminar is over-brimming with quantities of both.

We have the knowledge of paediatricians, education psychologists, professionals and family members; and we have the enthusiasm that has brought everyone here, provoked by the cheeky advertising, "everything you wanted to know but were afraid to ask".

And let's face it, there is a minefield of misinformation and myths out there to wade through in any discussion of Attention Deficit Disorder.

I want to really commend the commitment of the ADD New Zealand Trust, to make a difference for families as they face the challenge of a diagnosis of a neurological disorder.

ADHD as a condition has attracted more than its fair share of prejudice and ignorance.

I've heard everything from ADD stands for Absent Dad Disorder; to allegations that it's caused by bad parenting or over demanding parents; environmental poisons; head injury; or that it was invented by the drug companies to make money out of Ritalin.

The so called cures are even more peculiar - all that is needed is some good fashioned discipline; the logical corollary being that military service is the only occupational choice.

This type of misinformation might be humorous if it wasn't so commonly heard - and tragically sometimes from members of the medical fraternity as well.

One of the great disappointments for parents and families has been the reluctance of some medical professionals to really empower themselves with the knowledge about how to recognise the general symptoms of ADHD; and to invest in both early diagnosis and appropriate management of the issues that arise.

And so, I really want to acknowledge the ADD NZ Trust for the initiative they have created in the ADD Assessment and Family Support Centre.

This Centre is a fantastic expression of many of the strengths that may in fact be evident in those who face the everyday challenge of ADHD.

There is more than sufficient amounts of energy and from all that I hear, what happens here is highly creative with people willing to break out of the conventional boundaries in order to see success.

I loved a list of 25 attributes that I found on the ADDNZ website that provide a different and refreshing way at looking at the issues that arise with ADHD. 

In fact when you look at some of the ‘cause champions' who are known as having some form of ADD - Tom Cruise, Billy Connelly, Whoopi Goldberg, Will Smith, Henry Ford, Beethoven and Michael Jordan - it reminds us of the potential for all of us as a society to benefit from diversity.

A key concern has been that people with ADHD are frequently referred through to mental health services, rather than being viewed in the context of disability support, with mental health follow-up if necessary.

The truth is that ADHD is a complicated condition, ideally managed by a mixed programme, tailored to the needs of individuals and managed in partnership with them and their families. 

This may include medication; behaviour management, social skills training, family counselling or therapy, diet and other complementary treatments. It may also be gardening, music, computer programming or the right job that makes the difference for some people.

With complicated conditions, challenges are more likely to occur at many levels - and with that the potential for conflict grows.

And I think we can never underestimate the personal and social cost that has damaged so many families as they do their very best to understand how to live an ordinary life with ADHD in their midst.

Learning differences at school may be misread as laziness. Excessive activity may be considered to be defiance or disobedience. 

And before you know it, the behaviour patterns of the ADHD child are being reacted to in ways which lead to truancy; to petty offending and the involvement of the justice sector. I have read that alcohol and drug abuse is twice as common in those with ADHD compared to the average and this too may reflect the marginalisation that people with ADHD often experience.

Into this maze, the Sisters appeared, nga Whaea Tapu Puaroha.

I want to mihi to the Sisters of Compassion who have played such a crucial role in providing premises for this Centre, and helping to sponsor the costs of running it.

I have the most profound respect for the work of the Sisters, and of course a special link to the inspiration of your founder, Sister Suzanne Aubert, whose presence is still very evident amongst the communities of the Whanganui River and Hiruharama.

Sister Aubert lived by a simple truth - "let us hide our own pains in our own heart, in order to smile on others".

And so today, this seminar is a chance to think of all those modern day angels who do so much to smile on others, and particularly in supporting families as together they face ADHD.

The legacy that the ADD Family Support Centre has given in the form of their resources for family is priceless in helping children, adolescents and adults affected by ADD/ADHD to reach their educational, social and employment potential.

Such is the importance of the message that you and others working to support people with ADHD promote - for recognition, education and acceptance - that schools, GPs, practice nurses, social workers, police and others are also being influenced about ways they can provide vital support. And I know there are some champions in all these areas that do engage positively with you - including those here today.

Building a support system is an essential step in the journey; as is access to good primary health care and good education and social support services - particularly those long term relationships that allow people to learn from each other.

Finally, as you go through today's seminar, I would ask that you pay particular attention to the situation for our young people.

In my other portfolios I have come across far too many instances when young people with ADHD have slipped through the cracks of the education, health and social support systems; and end up inside a police cell or being alienated from all around them.

My greatest hope is that we can all empower ourselves with the knowledge to create what I know of as whanau ora - that is whanau who are self-sufficient, independent and interdependent, and able to fully support their whanau in all respects.

That is why this Seminar; this Centre; this Awareness Week is so important, because it helps us all to help ourselves.

We must know how to navigate the system; to learn from the research; and to manage the medication.

But most of all, we must develop strategies and techniques for our own situations, to enhance the wellbeing of our whanau. The techniques of self-control; of problem-solving; of behaviour management can make all the difference to a situation in moving from the potential for chaos to the opportunity for communication.

And through it all, be good to yourself - take time out; seek help; celebrate your successes; and surround yourself with people who believe in the power of love.

There may not be any magic cure or pill for ADHD but I have every confidence that our families can be our greatest source of happiness and strength - the power of the people may in fact be the solution we all need to live well.