“The transition for adolescents with ADHD to adulthood is really a perfect storm.”
– George DuPaul, PhD
On June 17 Mindful Choices hosted the first session of our Virtual Summer Summit Series, Thriving in Transition: Reimagining ADHD Care for Young Adults. Bringing together experts, clinicians, and individuals with lived experience, the conversation explored one of the most important, yet often overlooked, phases of the ADHD journey: the transition into adulthood.
As young adults move from high school into college, the workforce, trade programs, or other independent settings, many of the supports they have relied upon begin to disappear just as expectations for self-management, decision-making, and self-advocacy increase. At the same time, ADHD continues to be underdiagnosed and undertreated well into adolescence and adulthood, and many young adults are expected to navigate increasing independence while still developing essential executive functioning skills.
Panelists highlighted four key challenges shaping the transition to adulthood for young adults with ADHD:
- The transition to adulthood creates new vulnerabilities for young adults with ADHD
- Fragmented care disrupts treatment continuity
- Lack of Adult Clinical Guidance and Limited Research on ADHD in Young Adults Hamper Diagnosis & Treatment
- Executive functioning skills are often underdeveloped during the transition to independence
These challenges highlight broader gaps in how young adults with ADHD are diagnosed and supported across health care, education, and other systems, reinforcing the need for more informed policy conversations to support young adults with ADHD.
For a more detailed recap of the session and key insights shared by our panelists, visit our Resources page and watch the recording here.
This conversation is only the beginning.
Join us on July 22 for the second session of our Summer Summit Series, Successfully Transitioning: Expanding the ADHD Care Toolkit for Young Adults, where we’ll build on these themes by exploring practical strategies, emerging policy considerations, and evidence-informed approaches to strengthening ADHD care and support during the transition to adulthood.
Be sure to register for session 2 here!