Reimagining the ADHD Experience: Transforming Parent Engagement in ADHD Care.

Abstract

In response to the needs of families of children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), we set out to create a carefully designed and evidence-informed parent tool (The ADHD Playbook) with the goal to increase parental knowledge and confidence around effective engagement in the care of their child with ADHD. Evidence suggests that families do better when parents are actively engaged in leading their child's care team, serving as confident and informed caregivers and advocates. To this end, the ADHD Playbook was developed to fit unmet educational needs and is based on current guidelines from The American Academy of Pediatrics, review of the literature, parent/physician feedback, and professional design to ensure a user-centered focus. As the Playbook is intended for use in the primary care setting and at the time of ADHD diagnosis, the Playbook fulfills a time-critical need for families. This Playbook holds promise for broad public health impact due to easy scalability and the potential to decrease barriers to care and increase equity via semisubspecialty resources offered in the primary care setting.