A veteran nurse says people struggling to understand ADHD/ASD just want to hear a voice and to be given some time. Robin Wynne-Williams has been involved in nursing in attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder and autism spectrum disorder for more than 40 years and says the need for information is growing all the time. Her organisation ADD Information Service is offering a phone service and website service to people who may have concerns about the disorders. A long time practice nurse, based in Christchurch, she has been getting more and more requests from people and families in the South and feels people were a bit lost down here. Most people just wanted some time for people to listen what was happening, she said. “These adults and families want information, and in fact rarely ask for me by name, but “is that the ADD Information Service” because this issue is bigger than me. “Families want my voice, a real person, and real information and reassurance. Not being fobbed off with a voice mail.” Ms Wynne-Williams said the reason she has been getting so many phone calls and emails was because even the GPs did not know where to access information, except to refer to “the system” — and “the system” pretty often failed families and adults. The major issue was the lack of knowledge getting access to a medical diagnosis. “Even GPs, nurses, teachers don’t know where to either send patients to or to get info for their own family.” She said the old adage “when in doubt, check it out” holds true when people are not sure whether someone should be investigated for ADHD or ASD. She said her service gave information for free and as far as she could see there was little information available on the disorders south of Oamaru. Getting a diagnosis was only half the battle for families and the other — life-long — half of the battle was making a diagnosis work for the person and their family and community. “There is usually nothing wrong with their brains — the underlying issue usually being due to evolution and survival needs, and the issue now is environmental.” • For more information visit www.addinfo.org.nz or email addinfoservice@gmail.com with personal contact details.
