Demystifying ADHD
Workshops and workplace training
For your work, school or community organisation
Hi, I'm Maddy
I'm a science journalist, media producer and educator.My specialty is taking complicated science and finding interesting, accessible ways to talk about it.
I was diagnosed with ADHD when I was an adult, which puts me in good company. Did you know hundreds of thousands of Australians have been diagnosed with ADHD since 2018?
How common is ADHD?
In 2022 more than 400,000 Australians were treated for ADHD under the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme.But that's just people currently being treated. Experts think there's 800,000 to 1.2m Australians with ADHD.
Lived experience.
Cool brain science.
Short workshops, perfect for your work or school.
Workshops and services
Workshops and workplace training in ADHD, neurodiversity and disability inclusion across metro Melbourne and regional VictoriaAre you outside Victoria? Good news - I love to travel! Shoot me an email about scheduling a workshop in your local area.
Understanding ADHD
Engaging, fact-filled workshops for your work or school.
Professional, engaging and interactive seminars suitable for people managers, HR professionals and DEI leadership.The perfect way to engage large groups. Learn the basics about ADHD through learned experience and accessibly-presented science.You can improve organisational understanding and promote DEI goals with this engaging introduction to the facts about ADHD, and myth-busting some common ADHD stereotypes.Run sessions on your schedule by booking an on-site and in-house workshop for your employees only, or join regularly scheduled open sessions.
Disability inclusion
Support for management teams, HR professionals and DEI leaders
Do you want to foster an inclusive culture? Improve service to clients with ADHD? Upskill managers of diverse teams? Add ADHD-appropriate options to an employee wellness plan?In other words, what are the real results that you actually need?Let’s talk about it. Drop me a line and schedule a (totally free) discovery call to identify how exactly Cognation can help you.
Maximising unique strengths of neurodivergent staff
Ongoing employee support resources
Policy consultation and development
One-on-one and small group coaching
Neurodiverse-appropriate performance benchmarks
Consultation for workplace accommodations
ADHD in Australia
In 2022 more than 400,000 Australians were treated for ADHD
But that only counts people getting treatment under the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme.Expert estimate the real number of Australians with ADHD is between 800,000 and 1.2m.
In 2022, Royal Australian College of General Practitioners updated their best-practice clinical guidelines for treating patients with ADHD.
The new guidelines found multiple studies showing ADHD affects 6-8% of children and 3-5% of adults in Australia, or 1 million-1.2 million Australians total.
Before GPs endorsed the new guidelines, it was reviewed by a panel of 23 independent experts. The review approved the new guidelines, and gave the conservative estimate that "more than" 800,000 Australians have ADHD.
The updated clinical guidelines better defined ADHD in girls and women (who may have less obvious symptoms than many boys and men) and included more information about ADHD in adults.
The scientific and medical understanding of ADHD has transformed over the last ten years. In 2013, Australian medical guidelines adopted a new global standard to include typically female symptoms, and criteria for adult diagnosis.Since then many Australian women have been diagnosed with ADHD, and many more adults overall.
ADHD costs the Australian economy around $20 billion every year, according to a 2019 report from Deloitte Access Economics.More than $10 billion of the annual cost of ADHD comes from productivity losses, and 39% of total costs fall on employersPeople with ADHD are far more likely encounter serious setbacks at work, more likely to be fired, and more likely to be unemployed.
In 2022, Dutch and German research found that 80% of people with ADHD struggle with symptoms like forgetfulness and distraction at work - even when those employees score well in objective performance markers.
This means that outwardly successful people with ADHD may still be privately experiencing profound stress at work.
ADHD doesn't have to cost you
About me
Hi, I'm Maddy
I'm a science journalist, media producer and educator. My specialty is talking about complicated science in interesting ways.
Over the last ten years my work's appeared across Australian and international TV, radio and print including the ABC's 7:30 program and nightly news; Nine/Fairfax print outlets The Sydney Morning Herald and The Financial Review; and digital editions of The Washington Post and the BBC. (You can check out my portfolio here.)Working with Science in Public, I also teach masterclasses in science communication to professors, PhD students, government experts and medical professionals around Australia.
Being told I have ADHD as an adult felt surprising, but nothing about me had changed. Diagnosis wasn't a label - it was a key
Understanding how my ADHD brain processed information helped me find the logic behind my own behaviour for the first time.Why could I focus intensely on a deadline, but never any other time? Why could I have a wonderful conversation with someone, and never, ever, remember their name?
I started finding ADHD-appropriate support, from diaries designed to work with my sense of time, to bluetooth tags that keep track of my car keys.All these simple things are like the cognitive equivalent of ramps, rails and benches: cumulatively, they make navigating through my day significantly easier for my ADHD brain, so I can save my energy and focus for things that matter.
After I was diagnosed with ADHD, it was shockingly hard to find simple, helpful advice
ADHD is poorly understood, despite how common it is. Most ADHD resources are largely designed for kids (or kids' parents and teachers) which is incredibly valuable - but often not that useful for adults.It took me years to translate, discover or imagine the ADHD toolkit I use in my work, social and personal life. It's absolutely still a work in progress. But Cognation started as a list: things I wish someone told me when I was first diagnosed with ADHD.
Cognation Partners
I have the privilege of working with a number of wonderful people and organisations. If you are interested in a partnerships or other form of collaboration, please send a query to contact@cognation.com.au.
OnePageCRM is an ultra-simple (but ultra-effective) contact-management program designed for small businesses, consultants and sole operators. I use OnePageCRM to keep track of who I've talked to, who I need to talk to, and what we've talked about - all those crucial details that ADHD can make it so hard to recall in the moment. Check them out.
ADHD doesn't have to cost you
Send me an email
© Cognation 2023
Cognation's home base is located on Dja Dja Warrung country, in Victoria's Macedon Ranges, which is safeguarded by the Dhelkunya Dja (Healing Country) Plan.