October 2022

We have an exciting announcement this month.

As AbleDocs continues to expand, our priority is keeping all our clients updated on events and happenings around the company and in the digital accessibility space. 

With this in mind, we are excited to announce that the ADWebKey newsletter will merge with AbleDocs' ADInsider e-newsletter starting in December 2022. 

Distributed every other month, ADInsider will be the go-to source for information about AbleDocs and the accessibility space.

ADHD Diagnoses in Australia: The Way Forward

14th of October, by Simonette Carter (Website Analyst)

Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (abbreviated as ADHD) is a developmental disorder that affects 1 in 20 Australians. Similar to other types of neurodivergence, people with ADHD experience effects on their brain’s executive functioning, leading to involuntary deficiencies in physical, mental, and emotional self-control and self-regulation. For children, ADHD is more commonly diagnosed in boys than in girls, though it has long been suspected that this gender disparity is the result of deficiencies in the diagnostic process.

Depending on the type of ADHD a person has, it can manifest in various behavioural problems and difficulties with concentration. Conversely, it is important to note that people with ADHD experience positive effects from the condition, including the ability to hyperfocus, a unique sense of creativity, and abundant physical energy.

Earlier this month, the National Health and Medical Research Council released long-awaited clinical guidelines on the identification, diagnosis and treatment of people with ADHD. In the past, for a person who suspected that they, or a person they know had ADHD, obtaining a diagnosis was a long, difficult, and expensive process. The negative effects of ADHD on a person, especially without a diagnosis, or even an awareness of the condition, can be lifelong and debilitating.

It is hoped that the release of the Guideline will provide a way forward for individuals in the community to better access diagnostic and treatment services, if they suspect they may have ADHD. Specifically, the Guideline has made some key recommendations:

• Parents and carers of children with ADHD should be offered training and support when a child is diagnosed.
• Access to the NDIS should be provided to people with ADHD.
• There should be a greater overall focus on ADHD in girls and women.
• There needs to be a greater focus on supporting students with ADHD in education settings.
• There should be greater involvement of GPs in the identification, diagnosis and treatment (including medication) of the disorder.
• In addition to the benefits of medication, there should also be a focus on non-medical interventions, such as lifestyle changes.
• Treatment and support should be continuous throughout an individual’s life, not just in childhood, or up to the point of diagnosis.

At ADWebKey, our digital accessibility auditing and consulting services include provisions for ADHD and other types of neurodivergence. We are proud to include accessibility professionals with ADHD in our Website Analyst and User Analyst teams, harnessing their unique intellectual abilities and perspectives to assist everyone in fairly and equitably accessing digital content and the Web.

A full version of the Guideline, and other resources are available at the Australian Evidence-Based Clinical Practice Guideline for Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) website.

From the VP

14th of October, by Amanda Mace (Vice President)

There is some exciting news regarding Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder in Australia this month. The Australian Evidence-Based Clinical Practice Guideline For Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) was released by the Australian ADHD Professionals Association, and approved by various medical and government bodies in Australia, including the National Heath and Medical Research Council. ADHD is given provision in WCAG and digital accessibility best practice guidelines, so we are very pleased to see this development in the diagnosis, treatment and awareness of the condition in the community.

We are also proud to be listed on the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) Web Accessibility Initiative’s (WAI) first iteration of the Course List – Digital Accessibility Education, Training, and Certification. The ADWebKey Certificate in Digital Accessibility is a certificate-level program that covers all major aspects of Digital Accessibility, over five one-day sessions on consecutive weeks. 

ADHD guidelines have finally been released in Australia. Here's why that matters

This article was originally published on The ABC website by Gemma Breen. Original article can be found here (opens in new window).

• Parents and carers of children with ADHD should be offered training and support when a child is diagnosed
• People diagnosed with ADHD should have access to the NDIS
• There needs to be a greater focus on supporting students with ADHD in school and tertiary settings
• There should be greater involvement of GPs in the identification, diagnosis and treatment of the disorder
• Children should be given clear pathways for treatment and support into adolescence and, eventually, adulthood
• ADHD medication should be monitored on an ongoing basis
• There should also be a focus on non-medical interventions, such as lifestyle changes
• More knowledge is needed to better understand and detect ADHD in girls and women.

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