How to make an ADHD diagnosis accessible: A thread

First of all, accessibility should be for everyone. Neurodivergent/Dyslexic/autistic (accessible fonts, no figures of speech, clear language, no bright colors and sounds..) Provide subtitles and image descriptions.

The steps to get an ADHD diagnosis should be uniform for each country, and not up to a state/region. The steps should be clearly written down in an easy to find, accessible website (see: list above).

Facilitate all the information for each step of the process. Waiting list time, appointment length, type of tests, family attendance... anything relevant . Try to avoid uncertainty (a struggle for many neurodivergent people, specially if co-occurring anxiety and/or autism).

Multidisciplinary units. Having to attend different places for diagnosis/treatment can make people with ADHD not follow through. Also, mental health issues are common so a team assessing the particular struggles of each individual should be standard procedure.

Ideally, a more accessible approach would require more people trained to do so (ie. GPs in coordination with mental health professionals), since multidisciplinary units are often few and far away, thus will be less accessible.

Facilitate online appointments, specially the first one, but also follow-ups. Allow for free date/hour changes. Many people have issues with phone calls. Make it accessible! Phone calls, emails and online forms. Whatever suits each individual.

Make sure they submit enough information to potentially reach out (if they're comfortable with it). Some ADHDers might reach out in a moment of panic/hyperfocus, then lose momentum and avoid it. Checking in without being intrusive (email/text) might encourage them.

Send reminders. Between second guessing and forgetfulness, plus difficulty noting down stuff, many ADHDers might miss an appointment. Reminders should be sent and an appointment confirmation reply encouraged. Offer them to call the day of the appointment, if they require it.

Add adress and pinned location in the reminder. Consider which appointments can be telephonic for people using mobility aids, chronically ill people, immunocompromised, etc. Ensure accessibility to the appointment site for wheelchair users and notify it on the website.