CHADD’s National ADHD Conference

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Adult ADHD, Teens

The national ADHD advocacy group Children and Adults with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder, or CHADD, sponsors an annual international conference on ADHD. The 2022 conference will take place November 17-19 in Dallas, Texas.

The goal of the conference is to bring together anyone who is touched by ADHD, including treatment providers, those living with ADHD and their family members, educators, researchers and different types of administrators.

“This also provides an amazing opportunity for cross-pollination of wisdom as those different experiences are shared,” says Ari Tuckman, PsyD, CHADD conference co-chair.

The conference includes more than 75 standard presentations related to all aspects of ADHD from cutting edge research to practical strategies of daily living. Each presentation is led by a qualified speaker.

“We get all the best speakers and biggest names in the field of ADHD, so there is also a chance to meet that author, podcaster, blogger, YouTuber, etc., that someone has been eagerly following,” says Tuckman.

A few of the key speakers at this year’s conference include:

Russ Ramsay, PhD, co-founder and co-director of the University of Pennsylvania’s Adult ADHD Treatment and Research Program. He will discuss social capital, which looks at how ADHD impacts one’s ability to ask for what one wants in relationships.
Scott Kollins, PhD, adjunct professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Duke University. He will talk about how big data and real-world data can guide treatment development and clinical care.
Rene Brooks, ADHD advocate. Drawing from her personal experience with ADHD, she will discuss how a late-life ADHD diagnosis can evoke a mix of feelings, but ultimately empower you to rise above shame and define what the ADHD label means.

Other topics the conference will cover include ADHD and trauma, strategies for money management, reducing parental stress, dealing with “imposter syndrome” — a feeling that you’re incompetent or unqualified for your job or another endeavor — and more.

The conference also offers dozens of non-session activities, support groups and lunch-and-learns. These activies will be interactive and discussion-oriented and will give attendees strategies to make their own life better, as well as the lives of their family members, clients, patients or students.

“(For) many attendees who have felt alone in living with, treating or teaching ADHD, it can be incredibly affirming to be surrounded by others who have similar experiences, who really get it. The community is extremely friendly and supportive,” says Tuckman.

Organizers designed the conference so that throughout the entire weekend, every attendee has something relevant, interesting and important to choose from. “And of course, there are all the interesting people that you meet in the coffee line, sitting next to you in a presentation, or just randomly in the hallway,” Tuckman adds.

The conference adds some fun, too, as it ends with a talent show and a closing party on Saturday night, featuring a band. “This is definitely not a stuffy affair,” Tuckman says.

You can attend in-person, virtually or in a hybrid manner. After two pandemic-driven online conferences, Tuckman says this is CHADD’s first hybrid conference. “We will be streaming a few presentations in every time block, so attendees who can’t quite get to Dallas can still watch — and burn up the chat with fellow attendees,” he says. “This is the best of both worlds.”

Cost to attend the conference starts around $325 and increases depending on what a participant chooses. Prices increase for people who register after November 16.

For more details about the event, visit the registration page.

ADHD Online will have a booth at the conference. We invite all attendees to stopy by to say hi, to learn more about ADHD and about us.