During the 2019 Annual International Conference on ADHD, CHADD recognized a number of individuals and programs for their service, achievements, and dedication to improving the lives of children and adults affected by ADHD. the conference was held November 7–9, 2019, at the Philadelphia Marriott Downtown.

Lifetime Achievement Award

Harvey Parker, PhD, a licensed clinical psychologist, is a cofounder and former executive director of CHADD. He played an instrumental role in encouraging the US Department of Education to clarify the responsibility schools must assume in providing appropriate educational services to students with ADHD. Dr. Parker has authored and coauthored a number of publications on ADHD. Because of all his contributions to making the country a better place for people affected by ADHD, Dr. Parker was inducted into the CHADD Hall of Fame in 1994.

Affiliate of the Year

CHADD of San Fernando Valley provides support, education, and advocacy for children, adults, and families affected by ADHD throughout the San Fernando Valley, a service area spanning 260 square miles and home to the 1.77 million residents of the Los Angeles metropolitan area. Starting in 2017 with a monthly gathering for parents and caregivers of children with ADHD, the chapter expanded its community outreach by developing and launching additional resources as well as nurturing strong relationships with local schools, educators, and ADHD professionals.

Left to right: CHADD of San Fernando Valley’s Board of Directors: Sheila Gilbert, Treasurer & Secretary; Yulia Rafailova, Director of Executive Function Education and Child/Adolescent Programming; Suzanne Sophos, Executive Director & Chapter Coordinator; and Naomi Rodriguez, Director of Parent/Teacher Education.

The chapter’s initiatives include:

• The Supporting the ADHD Child educational speaker series, geared toward parents and caregivers, local teachers, educators, executive function coaches, therapists, and other professionals.
• A peer support group for adults with ADHD that utilizes a meeting format developed through a partnership between the chapter’s executive director Suzanne Sophos and Jessica McCabe of HowToADHD.com.
• A peer support group for parents and caregivers of children with ADHD.
• Local, private online peer support groups—one for adults with ADHD and another for parents and caregivers of children with ADHD.
• Community workshops on topics such as executive function and organization.
• Participation in community events such as education and special needs resource fairs.

Over the past year, thanks to the hard work and dedication of the chapter’s board and its local volunteers, the group achieved several exciting milestones:

• Meeting attendance tripled
• Newsletter subscribers increased by 133%
• Facebook followers increased by 700%
• MeetUp group members increased by 184%

Volunteer Leader of the Year

Larry Maltin has been an active member of CHADD at the local and national level for over 11 years, ever since his granddaughter (now 19) was diagnosed with ADHD at an early age. He joined the board of the original Elkins Park Pennsylvania CHADD (now BuxMont CHADD), and served as program coordinator for its parents group until mid-2019. He continues to serve as the chapter's treasurer.

From 2013-2015, Maltin conducted original research on the impact of ADHD on the extended family with Janette Patterson of Montgomery County, Maryland CHADD. They presented this research at the 2014 Annual International Conference on ADHD and coauthored two articles on their results for CHADD’s Attention magazine.

Maltin worked with volunteer leaders from across the country when he served on the CHADD national affiliate development and support committee. He led the collaborative effort to create a teacher card, Recognizing ADHD in the Classroom, which has been distributed to thousands of schools, parents, community organizations, and professionals across the country.

Maltin retired in 2011 after 50 years as an executive in science-based industrial sales, marketing, and management. Married, with two adult children and five grandchildren, he remains as busy as ever with support for the CHADD chapters in the Greater Philadelphia area. In 2017, he helped to create a new CHADD chapter in Philadelphia, and he continues to serve as an advisor to the group.