As more and more people are collaborating online, and an emphasis on lived experience is becoming the norm in both research and interventions, it is becoming abundantly clear much of our scholarship on ADHD is woefully biased and inadequate. Most of what we know about ADHD comes from a deficits or medical model that centers neurotypical experience as normal and most functional. The result of this is that most knowledge, treatments, conceptualizations, and theories of ADHD are inherently ableist; practitioners see differences in functioning as less than human or disordered/deficient. When viewing ADHD related phenomena purely through a neurotypical lens, we develop a narrative that is completely disconnected from the actual lived experience of people with ADHD. This continues a scientific tradition of centering majority experiences as normal in order to pathologize or minimize the importance of a minority experience.

In the last 15 years or so, advocates have been developing a new paradigm to understand neurological brain differences. Borrowing from other social justice movements, the neurodiversity paradigm views conditions such as autism and ADHD as stemming from naturally occurring biodiversity. If we begin to understand ADHD from this perspective, including contributions from ADHD researchers, bloggers, theoreticians, and clinicians, we begin to develop an entirely different understanding of what ADHD actually is and how societal values, standard treatments, and modern hegemonies end up hurting and disabling ADHD folks, often in unseen ways. This program weds recent research on ADHD with lived experience of ADHD people under a banner of neurodiversity to inform clinicians about how to best work with ADHD from an interdisciplinary perspective.

At the completion of this introductory-level program, participants will be able to

• Use the language of the neurodiversity paradigm, social model of disability, and the impact of ableism on the therapeutic process in order to avoid inducing shame during interventions.
• Demonstrate fundamentals of ADHD assessment and diagnosis from a neurodiversity perspective.
• Discuss the basics of neurodiversity affirming therapy with ADHD clients and how this differs from current, pathology based models.
• Explain how various medication for ADHD can be utilized in a ND affirming way.
• Apply skills in advocating for client support needs at work/school/home.
• Identify unconscious biases around gender, race, and ability in order to work more effectively with ADHD clients of all races, genders, and sexual orientations.
• Explain why omitting lived experience leads to injustice and ineffective interventions.
• Work with families with ADHD members in a manner that honors and values ADHD experiences.
• Work with couples with ADHD members in a manner that honors and values ADHD experiences.
• Be able to articulate 5 principles of neurodiversity affirmative therapy.

This program meets APA’s continuing education STANDARD 1.3: Program content focuses on topics related to psychological practice, education, or research other than application of psychological assessment and/or intervention methods that are supported by contemporary scholarship grounded in established research procedures.

This program meets APA’s continuing education GOAL 3: Program will allow psychologists to maintain, develop, and increase competencies in order to improve services to the public and enhance contributions to the profession.

General Admission: $275

Students: $175*

Group discounts available*

*Please email [email protected] for discount code or group discounts

Refund Policy: 100% of tuition is refundable up to 48 hours before the live program. Within 48 hours of the program, and at any point in Homestudy format, tuition is nonrefundable.

Joel Schwartz, PsyD – Clinical Psychologist at Total Spectrum Counseling and CEO of Neurodiversity Affirmative Practice International

Dr. Joel Schwartz is a licensed clinical psychologist (CA – PSY 29887, CO – PSY.0005190) practicing in Central California with Total Spectrum Counseling. He specializes in therapy and testing for the misunderstood. He has been an advocate of changing practice as usual toward Neurodiversity affirming care for 10 years. Dr. Schwartz works with ADHD clients in his practice and is proudly ADHD himself. Dr. Schwartz grew up in Southern California. He developed an early interest in psychology, strangely enough, from a childhood filled with science fiction stories. These stories often provided fascinating looks into human psychology and the human spirit. Dr. Schwartz attended UCLA as an undergrad where he conducted research in the field of neurolinguistics. From there, he attended Yeshiva University’s Ferkauf School of Clinical Psychology for his Master’s and Doctorate degree. He has worked in various settings including colleges, clinics, a federal prison, and residential treatment centers. Through his experience with a vast array of individuals he has stuck with one important lesson among many; as the psychoanalyst Harry Stack Sullivan said, “We are all more human than otherwise.”

Reese Ramponi, APRN, PMHNP-BC; Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner at Child Guidance Center of Southern Connecticut

Reese Ramponi (they/she) is a psychiatric APRN providing comprehensive biopsychosocial assessments, differential diagnosis, psychotherapy, and medication management services. Reese’s caseload is over 50% ADHD clients between the ages of 6 and 20. Reese has a lifetime of lived experience as an ADHD person. After moving to the East Coast from Alaska in 2009, Reese studied Religion and Psychology at Dartmouth College. After a brief foray as a wilderness adventure guide, they worked in research on depression in breast cancer survivors before completing Yale’s Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner program in 2018. Reese is dedicated to creating accessible, collaborative spaces where clients are given agency to make informed decisions about their health. They have been involved in queer advocacy for the past 10 years as a photographer, healthcare educator, and curriculum diversity representative. Reese facilitates presentations at conferences and healthcare facilities, focusing on neurodiversity affirming care and gender identity development in youth and young adults. Outside of the office, Reese performs as a jazz singer and plays roller derby. Other interests include home-brewed kombucha, living in a tiny home, and obscure 19th century Danish philosophers.

Eisenberg, D., Campbell, B., Gray, P., & Sorenson, M (2008). Dopamine receptor genetic polymorphisms and body composition in undernourished pastoralists: An exploration of nutrition indices among nomadic and recently settled Ariaal men of northern Kenya. BMC Evolutionary Biology, 8, 173.

Iaboni, F. , Douglas, V. I. & Ditto, B. (1997), Psychophysiological response of ADHD children to reward and extinction. Psychophysiology, 34, 116-123.

Johnston, C., Hommersen, P., & Seipp, C. M. (2009). Maternal attributions and child oppositional behavior: A longitudinal study of boys with and without attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 77, 189-195.

Loren, R. E. A., Vaughn, A. J., Langberg, J. M., et.al. (2015). Effects of an 8-session Behavioral Parent Training Group for Parents of Children with ADHD on Child Impairment and Parenting Confidence. Journal of Attention Disorders, 19, 158–166.

Parker, J., Wales, G., Chalhoub, N., Harpin, V. (2013). The long-term outcomes of interventions for the management of attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder in children and adolescents: A systematic review of randomized controlled trials. Psychology Research and Behavior Management, 6, 87-99.

Rushton, S., Giallo, R. and Efron, D. (2020), ADHD and emotional engagement with school in the primary years: Investigating the role of student–teacher relationships. British Journal of Educational Psychology, 09, 193-209. https://doi.org/10.1111/bjep.12316

Target Audience: All mental health workers, doctors, nurses, teachers, any professional who wants to work with ADHD.

Psychologists. This program, when attended in its entirety, is available for 10.0 continuing education credits. The Chicago School of Professional Psychology is approved by the American Psychological Association to sponsor continuing education for psychologists. The Chicago School of Professional Psychology maintains responsibility for this program and its content. The Chicago School of Professional Psychology is committed to accessibility and non-discrimination in its continuing education activities. The Chicago School of Professional Psychology is also committed to conducting all activities in conformity with the American Psychological Association’s Ethical Principles for Psychologists. Participants are asked to be aware of the need for privacy and confidentiality throughout the program. If program content becomes stressful, participants are encouraged to process these feelings during discussion periods. 

Counselors/Clinical Counselors. This program, when attended in its entirety, is available 10.0 hours of continuing education. The Chicago School of Professional Psychology is licensed by the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation (IDFPR) to provide continuing education programming for counselors and clinical counselors. License Number: 197.000159

Social Workers. This program, when attended in its entirety, is available for 10.0 hours of continuing education. The Chicago School of Professional Psychology is licensed by the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation (IDFPR) to provide continuing education programming for social workers. License Number: 159.001036

MFTs, LPCCs, and LCSWs. Course meets the qualifications for 10.0 hours of continuing education credit for MFTs, LPCCs, and/or LCSWs as required by the California Board of Behavioral Sciences. If you are licensed outside of California please check with your local licensing agency to to determine if they will accept these CEUs. The Chicago School of Professional Psychology is approved by the California Board of Behavioral Sciences (BBS) to offer continuing education programming for MFTs, LPCCs, LEPs, and/or LCSWs. The Chicago School of Professional Psychology is an accredited or approved postsecondary institution that meets the requirements set forth in Sections 4980.54(f)(1), 4989.34, 4996.22(d)(1), or 4999.76(d) of the Code.

School Psychologists. This program, when attended in its entirety, is available for 10.0 hours of continuing professional development. The Chicago School of Professional Psychology’s School Psychology Program is approved by the National Association of School Psychologists to offer continuing professional development. The Chicago School of Professional Psychology  maintains responsibility for this continuing professional development activity. 

Non-Psychologists. Most licensing boards accept Continuing Education Credits sponsored by the American Psychological Association but non-psychologists are recommended to consult with their specific state-licensing board to ensure that APA-sponsored CE is acceptable.

*Participants must attend 100% of the program in order to obtain a Certificate of Attendance.

If participants have special needs, we will attempt to accommodate them. Please address questions, concerns and any complaints to [email protected]. There is no commercial support for this program nor are there any relationships between the CE Sponsor, presenting organization, presenter, program content, research, grants, or other funding that could reasonably be construed as conflicts of interest.