WEBVTT - Can we support people with ADHD better?

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<v Speaker 1>My name is Lily Madden and I'm a proud Arunda

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<v Speaker 1>Bunjelung Calcuttin woman from Gadighal Country. The Daily oz acknowledges

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<v Speaker 1>that this podcast is recorded on the lands of the

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<v Speaker 1>Gadighl people and pays respect to all Aboriginal and Torres

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<v Speaker 1>Strait Island and nations. We pay our respects to the

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<v Speaker 1>first peoples of these countries, both past and present.

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<v Speaker 2>Good morning and welcome to the Daily os. It's Wednesday,

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<v Speaker 2>the eighth of November.

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<v Speaker 3>I'm Zara.

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<v Speaker 2>A Senate committee has been looking at how to remove

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<v Speaker 2>some of the barriers to receiving an ADHD diagnosis and support.

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<v Speaker 2>We know this is something lots of people in the

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<v Speaker 2>TDA community have experienced firsthand.

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<v Speaker 4>It's something that I struggled with for a very long time.

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<v Speaker 3>Yeah, a lot of hoops have jumped through. After seven

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<v Speaker 3>years of therapy and seeing numerous different psychologists, psychiatrists and specialists,

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<v Speaker 3>it was only last week I was finally diagnosed with ADHD.

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<v Speaker 2>So what did the report find and what recommendations it

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<v Speaker 2>makes to improve the lives of people with ADHD here

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<v Speaker 2>in Australia. We'll let you know in a deep dive

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<v Speaker 2>but first sam what's making headlines this morning.

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<v Speaker 3>The death toll from ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas

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<v Speaker 3>has reportedly exceeded ten thousand in Gaza and at least

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<v Speaker 3>one thy four hundred in Israel. It comes one month

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<v Speaker 3>after Hamas launched its attack on Israel. The United Nations

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<v Speaker 3>has said one point five million people have been displaced

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<v Speaker 3>in Gaza due to the conflict. The UN has repeatedly

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<v Speaker 3>called for a ceasefire.

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<v Speaker 2>The Reserve Bank has raised the cash rate by zero

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<v Speaker 2>point two five percent to four point three five percent.

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<v Speaker 2>It's the highest the cash rate has been since twenty

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<v Speaker 2>eleven and is the first rate rise under the new governor,

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<v Speaker 2>Michelle Bullock. Continued inflation drove the RBA's decision for another rise.

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<v Speaker 3>Western Australian school students will face mandatory anti vaping programs.

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<v Speaker 3>The program will be delivered to students from years five

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<v Speaker 3>to seven and will show the dangers of vaping before

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<v Speaker 3>their be in secondary school. Under new school behavior policies,

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<v Speaker 3>students court vaping will also risk being banned from school, dancers,

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<v Speaker 3>graduations and other activities.

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<v Speaker 2>And the good news A newly approved drug in England

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<v Speaker 2>could prevent around two thousand cases of breast cancer and astrosol,

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<v Speaker 2>which is a cancer treatment drug, was approved as a

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<v Speaker 2>preventative drug this week. So, Sam, today we are talking

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<v Speaker 2>about a Senate Inquiry report that is about ADHD diagnosis

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<v Speaker 2>and support. I think something that strikes me is that

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<v Speaker 2>when we talk about something like a Senate Inquiry report, A,

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<v Speaker 2>no one entirely knows what that means, but B it

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<v Speaker 2>feels very intellectual and not really reflective of what it

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<v Speaker 2>actually is like to live with ADHD. You do live

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<v Speaker 2>with ADHD. So just to start this episode, I'd love

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<v Speaker 2>to know what it means for you to live with ADHD.

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<v Speaker 3>I honestly think the most relatable way to explain ADHD,

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<v Speaker 3>at least in my experience, is on a podcast app

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<v Speaker 3>speeding up the podcast. It's just really noisy, and I've

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<v Speaker 3>always struggled with feeling like I'm going at a different

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<v Speaker 3>pace to the rest of the world.

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<v Speaker 2>I remember you describing that to me before you were diagnosed. Yeah,

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<v Speaker 2>you were like, it feels like my brain's going two x.

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<v Speaker 2>Well everyone else's.

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<v Speaker 3>I actually found I remember listening to a podcast on

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<v Speaker 3>double speed for the first time and finding that experience

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<v Speaker 3>incredibly validating, but I've had this kind of feeling since

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<v Speaker 3>I was very little, and you know, I've had very

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<v Speaker 3>jittery legs when I sit still and having really bad

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<v Speaker 3>memory and not being able to keep track of things.

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<v Speaker 3>You know, you say to me, I need you to

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<v Speaker 3>do something. I needed to answer this email, and then

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<v Speaker 3>as I literally write it down in my notes on

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<v Speaker 3>my appah straight away, I won't retain it. And sometimes

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<v Speaker 3>I even feel like I'm having a full on conversation,

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<v Speaker 3>sometimes even recording a podcast and having a whole nother

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<v Speaker 3>conversation in my head about something totally different. And I've

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<v Speaker 3>become very good at doing both at the same time.

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<v Speaker 3>And I think that's why a lot of people describe

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<v Speaker 3>ADHD as superpower.

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<v Speaker 2>Yeah, it's how you describe it.

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<v Speaker 3>Yeah, And you know, it means that I can move

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<v Speaker 3>tasks really easily and really quickly and be in a

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<v Speaker 3>million places at once.

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<v Speaker 2>Thanks for sharing that, Sam, I do think it's really beneficial,

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<v Speaker 2>I guess, to lay that foundation when we're having a

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<v Speaker 2>conversation like this.

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<v Speaker 3>Thank you.

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<v Speaker 2>Also noting though, that no two people's experience of ADHD

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<v Speaker 2>the same, you know, and how it manifests few might

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<v Speaker 2>not be the same. For anyone else, and that's one

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<v Speaker 2>of the things that actually came out of the report

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<v Speaker 2>that we're talking about today. It also found that there

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<v Speaker 2>are major flaws in how ADHD is being treated in Australia.

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<v Speaker 2>It found that people with ADHD were facing significant disadvantages

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<v Speaker 2>in schools, in workplaces, and also when seeking medical help.

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<v Speaker 3>And before we get stuck into the recommendations and findings

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<v Speaker 3>of the report, can we go over what we know

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<v Speaker 3>exactly about ADHD.

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<v Speaker 2>Yeah, So ADHD is what's called long term neurodevelopmental disorder

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<v Speaker 2>and as you described at the beginning, can make it

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<v Speaker 2>difficult to concentrate or to control impulses. As we've heard

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<v Speaker 2>from some of our audience, the spectrum of experiences of

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<v Speaker 2>those living with ADHD is incredibly broad and it varies

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<v Speaker 2>from person to person. But what we do know is

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<v Speaker 2>that one in twenty Australians will receive a diagnosis, so

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<v Speaker 2>that's around one million people.

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<v Speaker 3>But we also know it can be really hard to

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<v Speaker 3>receive a diagnosis. What's that process currently.

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<v Speaker 2>Like, Well, we've heard it can be extremely complicated and

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<v Speaker 2>extremely expensive. So in order to be diagnosed formally with ADHD,

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<v Speaker 2>it requires a thorough behavioral assessment, which some psychologists can perform,

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<v Speaker 2>but in most cases has to be carried out by

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<v Speaker 2>psychiatrists or pediatricians, so specialists in children's medicine. They're the

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<v Speaker 2>ones that can make the ADHD diagnosis. And then again

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<v Speaker 2>ADHD medication can only be prescribed by those specialists, so

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<v Speaker 2>if you do get a diagnosis and you require medication,

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<v Speaker 2>you are constantly having to go back to that specialist,

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<v Speaker 2>which of course we know to be very expensive. I

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<v Speaker 2>do think it's important to note that ADHD traditionally has

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<v Speaker 2>been more commonly diagnosed in boys, though we are hearing

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<v Speaker 2>both from our audience but definitely more generally, that a

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<v Speaker 2>lot of women are being diagnosed as adults now that

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<v Speaker 2>there's more of an understanding of how ADHD manifests and

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<v Speaker 2>certainly how it manifests in women and girls. This is

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<v Speaker 2>something that came through in the messages we got from

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<v Speaker 2>our audience.

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<v Speaker 4>I'm twenty one now, I've only just been diagnosed, despite

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<v Speaker 4>being told for years by family and friends and teachers

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<v Speaker 4>that I don't have it. That's just my personality and

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<v Speaker 4>I'm just I'm just a procrastinator and lazy, and that's

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<v Speaker 4>just who I am. And you know a teenage girl,

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<v Speaker 4>It was never really considered by any of the people

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<v Speaker 4>in my life that I could have it.

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<v Speaker 3>Okay, So what did this Senate Inquiry report actually find?

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<v Speaker 2>It found that there were unnecessary barriers that were limiting

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<v Speaker 2>people with ADHD from accessing adequate care, so things like

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<v Speaker 2>out of pocket costs associated with a diagnosis and with treatment,

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<v Speaker 2>a lack of access to services including lengthy wait times,

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<v Speaker 2>and challenges in regional and remote areas. The committee also

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<v Speaker 2>heard research that the prevalent stigma associated with ADHD was

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<v Speaker 2>adding to the trauma experienced by people with ADHD. As

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<v Speaker 2>a result, it said that more work needed to be

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<v Speaker 2>done to understand the impacts of that stigma and particularly

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<v Speaker 2>when it came to healthcare and education.

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<v Speaker 3>And what did the report suggest needs to happen to

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<v Speaker 3>improve the way things work well?

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<v Speaker 2>There were fifteen recommends to overhaul ADHD services and to

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<v Speaker 2>make them more affordable and more accessible for Australians with ADHD.

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<v Speaker 2>It included recommending that the government increase Medicare subsidies for

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<v Speaker 2>ADHD support. It also suggested that the government could add

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<v Speaker 2>more ADHD medications to the PBS, the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme

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<v Speaker 2>which is a federal government scheme that basically subsidizes some medicines.

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<v Speaker 3>So those are some of the mechanical recommendations, you know,

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<v Speaker 3>how to make the medicine more accessible, how to make

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<v Speaker 3>wait times and costs associated with the diagnosis easier. What

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<v Speaker 3>more did the reports say about how we can combat

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<v Speaker 3>ADHD stigma?

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<v Speaker 2>It was definitely one of the points that was addressed

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<v Speaker 2>in the committee's final report. So, you know, one of

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<v Speaker 2>the ways that it suggested we could reduce stigma in

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<v Speaker 2>this space would be a public health campaign. For example,

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<v Speaker 2>we have public health campaigns around all sorts of things,

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<v Speaker 2>and perhaps one around ADHD would be beneficial here. It

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<v Speaker 2>also suggested that classrooms and workplaces could adopt better ways

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<v Speaker 2>to accommodate people with ADHDS. So I mean it could

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<v Speaker 2>be things like flexible learning or working options if you're

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<v Speaker 2>in the workplace, or it could be strategies to help

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<v Speaker 2>concentration or focus or memory. Another thing that was recommended

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<v Speaker 2>was minimum standards of neurodiversity training for educators and employers,

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<v Speaker 2>So that was another option that could be adopted if

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<v Speaker 2>the government goes through with it. In terms of things

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<v Speaker 2>that could be done to shift the dial longer term.

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<v Speaker 2>The report recommended that the government should work with people

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<v Speaker 2>with lived experience, as well as some advocacy groups to

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<v Speaker 2>develop a national ADHD framework. And this is something that

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<v Speaker 2>we have spoken about in the context of autism because

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<v Speaker 2>the government is currently working on an autism strategy, the

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<v Speaker 2>federal government that is, and so this report was suggesting

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<v Speaker 2>perhaps something like that that has structured recognition of what

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<v Speaker 2>the lived experience is and what can be done by

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<v Speaker 2>successive governments to address it was something that was laid out.

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<v Speaker 2>Alongside that, the committee also called for research funding so

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<v Speaker 2>that scientists and health providers could work to better understand

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<v Speaker 2>ADHD and how it affects brain function.

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<v Speaker 3>And we've got this report now, we can read it online.

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<v Speaker 3>What happens to it now? What happens to those findings.

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<v Speaker 2>So when a Senate committee hands down a report, the

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<v Speaker 2>government doesn't have to automatically accept all of the recommendations.

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<v Speaker 2>So with any matter, the government takes time to review

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<v Speaker 2>what the committee found and what the inquiry found and

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<v Speaker 2>then can go away and decide which, if any, of

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<v Speaker 2>the recommendations it will adopt. It'll be interesting to see

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<v Speaker 2>how the government decides to move forward with this because

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<v Speaker 2>it is something that lots of people are talking about.

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<v Speaker 3>Thanks for listening to this episode of The Daily Os.

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