This session provides a comprehensive overview of ADHD, covering its neurobiological foundations, DSM-5 diagnostic criteria, and developmental variations. Participants will explore how core symptoms — inattention, hyperactivity, and impulsivity — present differently across the lifespan, from childhood through to adulthood, and the real-world functional impacts on learning, employment, and relationships.

The session addresses how to approach the clinical interview for ADHD assessment, including gathering information across multiple informants — self-report, parental, partner, school, and colleague reports — and determining onset and functional impairment across settings.

Participants will also learn to differentiate between typical and pathological behaviour, conduct functional assessments, and identify high-risk groups. Throughout, the session emphasises person-centred and neurodiversity-affirming communication, and the importance of supporting the person regardless of diagnostic outcome.

This session covers the full diagnostic process, including structured interviews, validated rating scales, comorbidity screening, comprehensive developmental and medical history taking, differential diagnosis, and accurate DSM-5 application.

Participants will explore the GP role in both shared-care arrangements and GP-initiated ADHD care in NSW, with practical guidance on confirming a diagnosis, conducting a baseline assessment, obtaining informed consent, and initiating treatment in line with the Australian ADHD Clinical Guideline.

A key focus is how ADHD presents — or becomes more apparent — at points of transition across the lifespan, including starting school, adolescence, young adulthood, the workplace, parenting, and menopause. The session also addresses co-occurring conditions, differential diagnosis, and medico-legal documentation requirements.

This session focuses on developing multimodal, person-centred ADHD treatment plans that integrate both medication and non-medication approaches. Grounded in the Australian ADHD Clinical Guideline’s positioning of multimodal care as the expected standard, the session will address how medication and non-pharmacological interventions assist patients.

Participants will develop shared decision-making as a clinical competency, including providing balanced, evidence-based information, discussing benefits, risks, and uncertainties and addressing common myths and hesitation around medication.

We’ll also cover individualised treatment planning across age and developmental stage, which will also include common co-occurring conditions. Breakout groups and Miro board activities provide space for more detailed discussion and applied planning across these areas.

This session covers the safe and effective initiation of ADHD medications. Before initiating treatment, participants will learn to conduct and document a thorough pre-treatment assessment, including physical and cardiovascular assessment, growth charting for children, and consideration of relevant clinical risk factors.

Treatment goals are framed in real-world functional terms — such as smoother mornings, improved task persistence, and reduced emotional reactivity — with functional improvement as the ultimate marker of success.

The session covers stimulant medication selection, formulation differences, and pharmacokinetics, and introduces titration as a clinical reasoning process rather than a simple dose escalation. Non-stimulant medications — atomoxetine and guanfacine modified-release — are also addressed, including their different titration logic and response timelines. Participants will learn to anticipate and manage common side effects, and apply a structured, measurement-based approach to ongoing monitoring.

Detailed case studies will be reviewed and discussed in break out groups.

ADHD rarely presents in isolation. This session explores the general principles for managing co-occurring conditions: psychoeducation is the first step; the most impairing condition is treated first; and titration is slower and monitoring more frequent when comorbidities are present.

Participants will work through the clinical considerations for conditions commonly managed in primary care alongside ADHD, including anxiety disorders, oppositional defiant disorder, tic disorders, autism spectrum disorder (Levels 1 and 2), eating disorders, depression, self-harm and suicidal ideation, and epilepsy.

The session also addresses special populations — including Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and females across the lifespan — as well as the medical conditions more commonly seen in individuals with ADHD, integrated substance use disorder care, culturally safe care, and adverse effect management.

Accurate ongoing monitoring is essential for best patient outcomes. This session applies the same structured, measurement-based approach used in titration to continue care, using standardised rating scales to assess symptom response, functional outcomes, and adverse effects at each review.

Participants will learn guideline-aligned physical monitoring protocols: weight at 3 and 6 months then 6-monthly; height every 6 months for children and adolescents; and blood pressure and heart rate before and after each dose change and every 6 months.

The session covers recognition of medication red flags, when to switch or stop medication, safe deprescribing, and complex diagnostic issues. It also addresses developmental risks, effective referral communication, and the documentation required for safe and regulatory-compliant prescribing, including compliance with Schedule 8 prescribing requirements.