Nerissa Bauer, MD and Vida Carey, MEd

Finding ADHD care is one thing, but advocating for your needs or those of your child is another. 

Does this sound familiar? You feel prepared for the appointment until you arrive but find yourself distracted or intimidated. Maybe you forget what you wanted to say. If your child’s symptoms are not apparent in a treatment setting, you may struggle to describe clearly what happens at home or in school. Or you want to change your treatment plan, but worry about being labeled “noncompliant,” “drug-seeking,” or “difficult” if you say the wrong thing. 

Learn how to better advocate for yourself or your child in medical settings by understanding why you struggle during appointments, what you can do to feel more confident and communicate clearly, and how to gauge your success. We’ll also talk about teaching children to self-advocate as they grow, so they gain the skills to manage their care as teens and adults. 

Objectives:
At the end of the session, participants will be able to: 

• Understand why advocating for themselves or their child can feel challenging
• Identify techniques to prepare and organize before meeting with a provider
• Effectively communicate needs, practice active listening, and ask questions during the appointment
• Evaluate the results of the appointment and identify areas to adjust for the future 

Speakers: 

Nerissa Bauer, MD, is a behavioral pediatrician and entrepreneur in Carmel, Indiana. She has been practicing medicine since 2000. She left academia in December 2018 after experiencing burnout and now has a part-time behavioral health private practice. She also had a late diagnosis of ADHD in her forties. Dr. Bauer is CEO of Let’s Talk Kids Health, LLC, and serves as a spokesperson for the American Academy of Pediatrics on developmental-behavioral topics. She created an online course for families in 2020 called TEACH Me ADHD, and co-hosts the ADHD Mom Docs podcast with fellow pediatrician Jennifer Dilts, MD. Dr. Bauer believes children should have opportunities to learn how to live with ADHD in a child-friendly way, so they have the life skills to advocate for themselves to turn their ADHD into a superpower. She is on a mission to help kids and parents thrive with ADHD, while rediscovering fun. 

Vida Carey, MEd, is an ADHD/AuDHD coach and educator whose work is grounded in clear, practical, neurodivergent-affirming support. She brings professional experience in education and disability support, along with lived experience as a late-diagnosed AuDHD adult and parent in a neurodivergent family. Her coaching style is warm, direct, real, and deeply respectful of the fact that neurodivergent adults do not need more shame. They need language, strategies, community, and support that fits real life. 

Register