As we celebrate the progress we’ve made as a social movement, AD/HD Awareness Week is also a time to assess how much more work we have ahead of us. Thanks to CHADD’s advocacy work, AD/HD is increasingly being caught early in people’s lives. But there are still countless children and adults who haven’t received the diagnosis and treatment they need to lead productive lives. We need your help this year to raise awareness about the importance of identifying and treating this potentially debilitating disorder early in life.

To help you in this endeavor, CHADD will hold a radio news tour during the week of September 14-20. Board president Marie Paxson will take to the airwaves to share her experience as a mother of two grown children with AD/HD, and CHADD members across the country will hold community events and share science-based information with their neighbors. You are our partner in this endeavor, and we need your help to get the word out.

Here are four steps you can take to make a difference.

1) Work with your local CHADD chapter to hold a community event; find your local chapter here.

2) Use social media to get the word out during AD/HD Awareness Week. Post information in your status update about the number one reason why you think an early diagnosis is so important. Example for Facebook or Twitter: John Doe is celebrating AD/HD Awareness Week. An early diagnosis helps people live productive lives.

3) Encourage your Twitter and Facebook friends to tweet or post status updates about AD/HD Awareness Week. Ask them to post their reasons why early diagnosis is so important. Encourage them to use the #Reasons hashtag on Twitter, so we can follow the discussion throughout the week.

4) Write a letter to the editor of your local newspaper or stage an event to raise awareness. Learn more.

Click here to read all ten selected "Reasons Why Early Diagnosis is Crucial" and to learn who submitted each reason.

Read the Survey Press Release

Click here to read the press release announcing the results of CHADD's survey on later-life diagnosis.
Click here for a printable PDF version of the press release.