ADHD Knowledge Progresses Because of Many Committed People

by Cynthia Hammer, MSW

Two years ago, during Covid isolation, I returned to my tribe, people with ADHD. I had been away for over ten years.

Many people I knew when I was actively educating people about ADHD were still in the arena of helping people with ADHD, and there are new people with a commitment to the ADHD tribe. Today I want to celebrate them and thank them.

First, a shout out for the board members of the non-profit, the Inattentive ADHD Coalition. that I founded in March, 2021.

•  Kristin Wilcox, Ph.D., wrote a book about her journey with her son, who was diagnosed with inattentive ADHD when he was seven. The title of her book is Andrew's Awesome Adventures with his ADHD Brain.

•  Courtney Edman, a strengths-based coach for neurodivergent kids and their parents, became an involved and committed board member, starting with her very first meeting. 

• Pasha Marlowe, MFT, who will be joining the board in February, has developed a TikTok following as the Neuroqueen and an ADHD and AuDHD coach.

•  Jaee Bodas, Ph.D., at every board meeting, calmly shares her insights that concisely summarize what we discussed. She is featured in our video about Critical Information about Inattentive ADHD in Children.

• Simran Deol, our youngest board member, aspires to uplift the neurodivergent community. She started The Abstract Genius and has great plans for it’s future.  She was a participant in our video Adults with Inattentive ADHD Describe Its Impact.

•  Shane Thrapp, an ADHD Coach and Operations Director for the Men's ADHD Support Group nonprofit. His knowledge of social media and skills with website development have propelled our non-profit forward. He is truly committed to raising awareness about ADHD and the struggles that come with it. 

• Greg Boretz brings a wealth of information about best business practices, as he has owned several businesses. We are fortunate to have him.

•  Alex R. Hey, PPC, an ADHD Coach, releases a video monthly on the YouTube Channel "ADHD Skills with Jess and Alex," a weekly blog, and is writing a series of three books to help people with ADHD on their journey."

• Aron Croft, an ADHD Coach with a Master's in Psychology and owner of a thriving coaching business, shares his knowledge about best practices for being effective. He also participated in our video, Adults with Inattentive ADHD Describe Its Impact.

I want to thank those who have been in the ADHD trenches for 30 years or more. (I hope I am not overstating the number of years.)

• Linda Roggli, the ADDiva, has worked tirelessly to bring knowledge about ADHD to various populations. She hosts three Paloozas a year, for parents, for adults, and for women, and now is adding a fourth for couples.

•  Terry Matlen, psychotherapist, is the author of two books, Queen of Distraction and Survival Tips for Women with AD/HD, the owner or co-owner of several ADHD Facebook groups, and a capable spokesperson to the media about ADHD.

•  Paul Jaffee started the Manhattan Adult ADD Support Group at least 30 years ago and is still involved in this group which hosts excellent monthly speakers over Zoom. For a volunteer to give freely of his time and energy is outstanding, but for someone with ADHD to maintain a commitment like this is nothing short of miraculous.

• Kathleen Nadeau, Ph.D. founded and has led for years The Chesapeake Center in Maryland. She has authored or co-authored numerous important books about ADHD, including Still Distracted After All These Years: Help and Support for Older Adults with ADHD and Understanding Girls with ADHD: How They Feel and Why They Do What They Do. She continues to add to our knowledge about ADHD and its impacts with her research.

• Sari Solden, MS is a noted psychotherapist and author of two outstanding books about ADHD: Women with Attention Deficit Disorder and A Radical Guide for Women with ADHD . I particularly like her approach as she has "no interest in fixing people; only helping them find a path to contentment, personal satisfaction, and healing."

•  Dr. William Dodson writes and speaks with depth and clarity about ADHD and what adults and parents need to know. I have learned much from his articles and webinars with ADDitude magazine.

• Dr. Edward Hallowell---has anyone not heard of Dr. Hallowell? He always found ways to create a meaningful connection with the ADHD community by providing incisive and ingenious information in his books, podcasts, and TikTok posts.

Here are my more recent influencers that I want to honor for their work.

• Dr. Rakesh Jain is an active and effective psychiatrist. His posts on LinkedIn and He seems to care about anyone troubled by ADHD, depression, anxiety, and on and one. He actively explores effective ways to help and educates us in a gentle but effective way.

•  Stephen Fararone, Ph.D.  is a professor, a researcher, the founder and author of most of the information at ADHDEvidence.org, and is President of the World Federation of ADHD.  Lofty titles, but most importantly, he cares about the people and the disorder he researches. He always responded to my emails with questions—how special is that?

• Dr. Oren Mason, a family physician, was diagnosed in his 40's with inattentive ADHD. He then made ADHD the sole focus of his medical practice and set about educating other family physicians about ADHD. He was one of the 24 men that I wrote about with inattentive ADHD and is featured in two of our videos, How Inattentive ADHD Affects Children with This Disorder and Getting Diagnosed with Inattentive ADHD Later in Life.