August, 2025
The Australasian ADHD Professionals Association (AADPA) is calling upon Health Minister, Mark Butler, to ensure ADHD is included as a key driver of the Thriving Kids program and not left as an afterthought.
ADHD is the most common neurodevelopmental condition in Australia. Overlooking it risks creating new service gaps for tens of thousands of children who will be directly affected by these reforms.
Not every developmental delay or challenge is ADHD — difficulties with maths, reading, or social cues do not necessarily mean a child has ADHD.
Equally, failing to accurately recognise ADHD when it is present leads to misdiagnosis, delayed treatment and support, and poorer outcomes.
Understanding the difference is critical and by embedding ADHD expertise into Thriving Kids we can move away from the common default position that’s emerged: that every learning or behavioural challenge is “just ADHD.”
The Elephant in the room.
1. The Scale of the ADHD Challenge
While we support the goal to transition “tens of thousands of young children with mild to moderate developmental delay or autism” to mainstream services by 2027 – there must appropriate be appropriate support pathways in place.
This announcement overlooks that:
- Up to 50–70% of children with autism spectrum disorder also have ADHD as a co-occurring condition.
- Many children with developmental delay also present with ADHD.s.
Many of the challenges associated with ADHD can be alleviated if children and families are able to access support, as the recent Senate Inquiry into ADHD, and numerous state inquiries, have clearly highlighted.
These are needs that are currently not being met in either public health systems or through the NDIS. Unfortunately, ADHD received only a single, passing mention in the Minister’s Press Club speech in the context of Mental Health in Primary Schools.
2. A Critical Gap in Planning
The Minister’s $2 billion Thriving Kids program is a welcome investment, but the absence of clear pathways to support children with ADHD is a major flaw.
The Minister has said he will work with communities to “design Thriving Kids in more detail” over the coming months. That process must embed ADHD expertise from the outset.
- Opportunity: Build pathways to support children with ADHD into Thriving Kids as part of early intervention. The NHMRC endorsed Australian Clinical Guideline for ADHD has the roadmap to enable this.
- Risk: Repeat the historic pattern of those ADHD being overlooked and marginalised, leaving them and their families unsupported.
3. State Reform Momentum
Several states are already moving ahead with ADHD reforms, showing both demand and feasibility:
- New South Wales: Up to 1,000 trained GPs will be supported to provide ongoing prescriptions for ADHD medications, with a smaller number conducting assessments and initiating treatment.
- Western Australia will commence GP education in October to support initiation of care.
- South Australia and Tasmania are progressing reforms to expand GP roles in ADHD care.
- AADPA is co-developing resources with the RACGP to enable these reforms.
These changes reflect growing recognition that ADHD is a mainstream health issue requiring timely, evidence-based care. Also, important is the recognition that support for those with ADHD extends beyond medication.
Our Australian Evidence-Based Clinical Practice Guideline For ADHD, highlights the need for inclusive and integrated approaches that align perfectly with the principles of Thriving Kids.This includes support from allied health, psychology, and education. The evidence to support this work is strong and it is essential that Thriving Kids aligns with this momentum, not ignore it.
4. Accurate Diagnosis and Better Outcomes
AADPA’s mantra is clear: accurate assessment and diagnosis and evidence-based care leads to better outcomes. We need to ensure that those with ADHD are identified early in life while safeguarding against overdiagnosis and treatment.
Thriving Kids introduces bulk-billed health checks at age three and new Medicare items for allied health. These reforms could improve early identification of ADHD—but only if training and clinical pathways are explicitly built into the process.
5. Economic and System Benefits
ADHD costs Australia $20.42 billion annually. Accurate diagnosis and comprehensive and integrated approaches treatment will:
- Improve education, health, and social outcomes.
- Reduce pressure on paediatric and mental health, justice, and welfare systems.
- Strengthen the NDIS by ensuring accurate diagnostic pathways.
- Deliver significant savings to the health budget
While ADHD is not the primary driver of NDIS growth, it is a major co-occurring condition among children who will transition. Thriving Kids is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to address long-standing inequities in ADHD care—if ADHD is included as a key driver, not an afterthought.
AADPA stands ready to work with the government to ensure that children with ADHD—whether as a primary or co-occurring condition—receive accurate diagnosis and evidence-based care within the new service framework.
Prof. Dave Coghill, AADPA President
Dr Sarahn Lovett, AADPA Vice-President
