Mission and History
Mission Statement
"CHADD improves the lives of people affected by AD/HD."
In working towards our mission, the behavior of the CHADD staff and
volunteer leadership is determined by the following core values:
Integrity
Respectful, open communication
Quality of our work product and productivity in our work effort, to
assure sustained customer satisfaction
Flexibility and teamwork
A demonstrated commitment to diversity in all its forms
Dedicated to fulfilling CHADD's mission with passion and
enthusiasm.
Adopted by the CHADD board of directors October 28, 2003 and
reaffirmed December 2006.
CHADD - A Non-Profit Organization
Children and Adults with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder
(CHADD), is a national non-profit, tax-exempt (Section 501 (c) (3) )
organization providing education, advocacy and support for individuals
with AD/HD. In addition to our informative Web site, CHADD also
publishes a variety of printed materials to keep members and
professionals current on research advances, medications and treatments
affecting individuals with AD/HD. These materials include Attention!
magazine, the CHADD Information and Resource Guide to AD/HD, News From
CHADD, a free electronically mailed current events newsletter, as well
as other publications of specific interest to educators, professionals
and parents.
CHADD does not endorse, recommend, or make
representations with respect to the research, services, medication,
treatments or products on the Web site.
The information on the CHADD Web site is provided with the
understanding that the organization is not engaged in rendering medical
or legal advice or recommendations. You should not rely on any
information on the Web site to replace consultations with qualified
health care or legal professionals to meet your individual needs.
References to any treatment or therapy option, or to any program,
service or treatment do not constitute an official endorsement by CHADD.
Parents and professionals are encouraged to fully investigate treatment
options and providers that may be most appropriate for a specific
individual.
Children and Adults with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder
(CHADD) was founded in 1987 in response to the frustration and sense of
isolation experienced by parents and their children with AD/HD. At that
time, one could turn very few places for support or information. Many
people seriously misunderstood AD/HD. Many clinicians and educators knew
little about the disability, and individuals with AD/HD were often
mistakenly labeled "a behavior problem," "unmotivated," or "not
intelligent enough."
Individuals and families dealing with AD/HD turn to CHADD, the
national organization representing individuals with AD/HD, for
education, advocacy and support. AD/HD is medically and legally
recognized as a treatable yet potentially serious disorder, affecting up
to three to five percent of all children, and approximately two to four
percent of adults.
Today, children with AD/HD are eligible for special education
services or accommodations within the regular classroom when needed, and
adults with AD/HD may be eligible for accommodations in the workplace
under the Americans with Disabilities Act. CHADD is a success story,
inspired by the desire of countless parents to see their children with
AD/HD succeed. From one parent support group in Florida, the
organization grew dramatically to become the leading non-profit national
organization for children and adults with AD/HD.
The organization has a small national staff, which manages the
day-to-day responsibilities, while its Board of Directors sets policy
and oversees the organization's well being. The organization is composed
of dedicated volunteers from around the country who play an integral
part in the association's success by providing support, education and
encouragement to parents, educators and professionals on a grassroots
level through CHADD chapters. Along with its growth in membership and
reputation, CHADD has retained the passion and commitment of its
founders.
CDC NCBDDD External Partners: Organizational Descriptions
Name of Organization
CHADD - Children and Adults with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity
Disorder
History of the Organization
CHADD was founded in 1987 by a small group of parents of
children with AD/HD and two treating psychologists in Plantation,
Florida (near Miami). These parents came together because they felt
frustrated and isolated, and there were few places to turn for support
and information about AD/HD.
Mission/Objectives
CHADD's primary objectives are: to provide a support network
for parents and caregivers; to provide a forum for continuing education;
to be a community resource and disseminate accurate, evidence-based
information about AD/HD to parents, educators, adults, professionals,
and the media; to promote ongoing research; and to be an advocate on
behalf of the AD/HD community.
The mission of CHADD is stated as CHADD CARES. Specifically,
CHADD works to improve the lives of people affected by AD/HD
through:
Collaborative Leadership
Advocacy
Research
Education and
Support
Membership -- Who is the organization representing?
CHADD represents 20,000 members. Most are families of children and
adults with AD/HD. About 2,000 CHADD members are professionals providing
clinical and other services to persons with AD/HD.
Goals/Priorities
CHADD has three current priority objectives: (1) to serve as a
clearinghouse for evidence-based information on AD/HD, (2) to serve as a
local face-to-face family support group for families and individuals
affected by AD/HD, and (3) to serve as an advocate for appropriate
public policies and public recognition in response to needs faced by
families and individuals with AD/HD.
Accomplishments, Milestones, and Key Activities
In addressing CHADD's first goal, CHADD operates the National
Resource Center on AD/HD, which is funded by the Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention. CHADD is also readily able to
disseminate information through a variety of media: ATTENTION!
magazine, which is published six times a year and has a
circulation of 86,000 and a readership of almost 100,000; News From
CHADD, an e-newsletter that goes to 30,000 people on an almost weekly
basis; the CHADD Web site (www.chadd.org), which averages 3.5
million hits a month by 75,000 unique visitors; the newly created
NRC/ADHD Web site (www.help4adhd.org), which had
26,685 unique visitors in June 2003; and the 235 chapter network.
CHADD operates a National AD/HD Education Initiative, called "ASK:
AD/HD. Science. Knowledge," a multi-year campaign designed to educate
policymakers, the media, and the American public about the science
behind AD/HD while simultaneously dispelling the myths about AD/HD.
In addressing the second goal, CHADD currently has 235 chapters in 43
states and Puerto Rico. We are currently not organized through a chapter
in Alaska, Arkansas, Hawaii, New Mexico, North Dakota, Vermont, Wyoming,
and the District of Columbia. All of the chapter coordinators are
volunteers. Typically, they are mothers of school age children who run
the chapters out of their homes. While most of the chapters began as
parent support groups, the number of adult support groups is increasing.
The success of these local groups depends on the energy, skill,
dedication, and consistency of these parent volunteers. Local,
face-to-face support is available to individuals living in these 235
communities and who have the benefit of skillful and committed local
CHADD leaders.
CHADD strives to implement the Surgeon General's report,
Mental Health: Culture, Race, Ethnicity as well as the
President's New Freedom Commission on Mental Health report,
Achieving the Promise: Transforming Mental Health Care in
America. Over the past two years, CHADD has conducted
10 community forums on AD/HD and related childhood mental disorders with
an emphasis on outreach to the African-American and Hispanic/Latino
communities.
Our third area of priority "advocacy" has produced both great success
and frustration. CHADD's priority public policy issue is the Individuals
with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). CHADD serves as a co-chair of
the Consortium for Citizens with Disabilities (CCD) Task Force on
Education. Last year, CHADD organized the Children's Behavioral Alliance
(CBA), which is a coalition comprised of national organizations with a
high interest in behavioral issues and IDEA. A January 2003 report from
the CBA, In the Best Interests of All: A Position Paper of the
Children's Behavioral Alliance, can be found on the CHADD Web site (www.chadd.org). CHADD's public policy
involvement at the local level remains limited to a handful of states,
as CHADD is organized in communities by only parent volunteers and
individuals with AD/HD.
Partnerships with Federal Agencies, Other Organizations, and Medical
Groups
In addition to the CDC-funded NRC/ADHD, CHADD has a contract through
the American Institutes for Research (AIR) with the Center for Mental
Health Services to promote diversity and cultural competence. CHADD
works through the following coalitions: Campaign for Mental Health
Reform, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), National
Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities (NCBDDD) External
Partners Group (EPG), Children's Behavioral Alliance (CBA), Consortium
for Citizens with Disabilities (CCD) Education and Employment &
Training Task Forces, Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention
Coalition, Mental Health Liaison Group, National Consortium for Child
and Adolescent Mental Health Services, National Health Council, National
Prevention Coalition, Outcomes Roundtable for Children and Families, and
Public Sector Group.
CHADD has cooperative working agreements with the following sister
national associations: The REACH Foundation; The National Medical
Association section on psychiatry and behavioral science; American
Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry; American Academy of
Pediatrics; Public Policy Research Institute, Children and Psychotropic
Medication Task Force; Campaign for Mental Health Reform; Mental Health
Liaison Group; National Initiative for Children's Healthcare
Quality.
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