Community Event “Parent and Community views on ADHD” (In person) - Oct 2026 (XZ000211)

The evening will be an opportunity for our community to come together with parents and professionals and connect. The format of the evening is to start with a panel discussion and then followed by an opportunity to enjoy a glass of wine or soft drink together and meet others on the ADHD journey as well as those in our wider community.

The panel will cover the topic of “Parent and Community views on ADHD.” It will explore how societal views have changed over the last two decades from being an relatively unknown condition and how views have changed with greater awareness of ADHD and neurodiversity, increased diagnoses and impact of social media. We will look at where there is greater understanding but also stigma around diagnosis and misinformation. We also will explore the views of parents around the diagnosis of their child including the private feelings of parents (ranging from denial, relief, sadness, coming to terms with their child’s diagnosis) and then also looking at informing the wider family and friends. Once diagnosed, we will also get views on what a diagnosis can mean for a young person and their family.

The panel will be moderated by Annette Wilson, our Founder and Chair, and the panel will share their different perspectives for an interesting evening. The panellists are:

• Dr Bozhena Zoritch, a Paediatrician and Diagnosing Consultant for NHS and in private practice for almost 30 years and ADHD Embrace Ambassador. Bozhena did her PhD research around societal views and the impact on parents and recently published a book on her findings titled “ADHD, Attachment Theory and Epistemic Injustice – redressing the undue blame of mothers in ADHD diagnosis”
• Dr Jo Steer, a Consultant Clinical Psychologist, heads the Emotional Health Service at Achieving for Children and ADHD Embrace Ambassador. Jo also works in private practise and is an author of a number of books focused on ADHD.
• Ayesha Walker, a teacher and one of ADHD Embrace’s alumni, where she and her family were supported by ADHD Embrace and have been part of our commmunity for many years. Ayesha was diagnosed in her teens and will share her experiences as a young person through to today where she now is a teacher working with children in the classroom. Ayesha features in the ADHD Embrace video titled “Our experiences of ADHD”, when she was a teen and where she and three other teenage girls shared their experiences of ADHD.

The panel will also welcome questions from attendees during the Q&A and then followed by some time for networking and informal conversations.

Online information

Registrants will receive further details closer to the event.

Pricing

This event is free of charge. We will welcome donations to support our work.