News - Australian families are facing waits of up to two years for an ADHD diagnosis.

Long Delays for Diagnosis Appearing before the Oct. 21 inquiry, Christopher Quizeman, executive director of ADHD Foundation Australia, said early diagnosis remains a major gap in Australia’s support systems. “Inability to identify, diagnose, and then treat conditions at the early stage is a major existing gap,” he said. Quizeman revealed the long waiting time for assessments and diagnosis. “We’ve had anecdotal evidence to suggest that in some communities, it can be up to 24 months to get paediatric diagnoses,” he said. “In other cases, it can be a little bit shorter, but it depends on, unfortunately, how much money you have.” He said in comparison, delays are often worse outside major cities. “In rural and remote communities, it can take considerably longer,” he said. Quizeman said the Thriving Kids program has the potential to address these gaps. “Early support can prevent long-term challenges such as school disengagement, unemployment, homelessness, and involvement with the justice system,” he said. Melissa Webster, the volunteer CEO of ADHD Australia, told the committee that families sometimes have to relocate to access services. “It’s not uncommon that they not only have to travel extensively to get a diagnosis, but they actually have to move and live in a particular area where they could get support for their children,” she said.