ADHD Association of Greater Edmonton

Serving individuals with attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), the ADHD Association of Greater Edmonton seeks to provide education, support, and advocacy to adults, parents, young adults, and women. Through monthly support groups and guest lectures, the organization aims to empower individuals and raise ADHD awareness in the community (ADHD Association of Greater Edmonton, n.d.). Their programming creates opportunities to utilize recommended treatment approaches such as behaviour parent training, peer support groups, and psychoeducation. In their most recent guest lecture, clients engaged in breath therapy lead by an industry professional. Other guest lecture contents include tools for career management, study skills, emotional resilience, and self-actualization. Clients benefit by learning important life skills, increasing self-regulation through psychoeducation, and establishing social and emotional support networks within a safe and supportive environment. The ADHD Association of Greater Edmonton integrates the community primarily through volunteerism and guest speakers, while facilitating access to community resources such as ADHD-specialized psychologists, social skills programming, and online education through the Edmonton Public Library.

            The recommended therapeutic interventions for individuals with ADHD include behavioural interventions, such as parent training, peer interventions, and classroom management, as well as psychopharmacological interventions; providing socially inclusive opportunities for individuals with ADHD to develop life skills is also considered best practice for this population (Porter, 2015). Through support groups, the ADHD Association of Greater Edmonton provides safe spaces for individuals with ADHD to share their experiences with others, while gaining behavioural management tools through guest lectures. Considering the impact ADHD has on social development, peer support groups can offer a sense of community, address social isolation and exclusion, and offer a sense of self-mastery and control (Klein et al., 2019).

            Entirely run by volunteers, the ADHD Association of Greater Edmonton is limited in their financial resources to further develop the services offered. Despite this leisure service delivery constraint, the organization has successfully cultivated effective programming to meet the needs of their clients. However, the opportunity to provide additional programming support through recreation, without impacting financial resources, is possible. For example, the organization could facilitate regular physical activities to manage ADHD symptoms, as preliminary studies suggest aerobic activities have a positive impact on executive function and motor abilities (Hoza et al., 2016). In addition, Porter (2015) also suggests that activities such as martial arts, cooking lessons, and playing board games are beneficial for individuals with ADHD in acquiring life skills; these are additional opportunities that the ADHD Association of Greater Edmonton could incorporate into their programming to further empower their clients. The author has an invested interest in this population, as it is likely that future offspring will inherit ADHD from her husband. As more individuals are diagnosed with ADHD, the conversation around equity will be more pertinent: recreation therapy may help to fill gaps in the current care system to improve the quality of life for affected individuals. As Klein et al. (2019) indicate, solidarity as care is crucial for this demographic and effective interventions increase empowerment, reduce distress, and increase an individual’s ability to cope and problem solve.

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