ADHD education petition reaches 10,000 signatures

A petition to make ADHD education in schools mandatory has reached 10,000 signatures in just two weeks.

Ryan Swain, from Malton, launched the campaign in a bid to reduce the stigma around neurodiversity and encourage earlier support.

The 36-year-old said he grew up with undiagnosed ADHD and Tourette's syndrome and was permanently excluded from mainstream education when he was 14 years old.

He believes that earlier understanding and appropriate support could have made a big difference to his childhood.

ADHD stands for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and is a condition that can affect how a person focuses.

According to the NHS, symptoms of ADHD in children and young people can include inattention, high energy levels and difficulty controlling impulses.

Swain's parliamentary petition calls for age-appropriate teaching that helps pupils, staff and parents recognise and understand neurodivergent differences.

He said: "When I was at school, I was labelled naughty, disruptive and difficult. Nobody explained ADHD to me.

"Nobody helped me understand why I struggled with things that other children seemed to manage.

"I was excluded from mainstream education at 14. It took years for me to understand myself."

As his petition has now reached 10,000 signatures, the government must issue a formal written response.

"Reaching 10,000 signatures is incredibly emotional because this campaign has never been about me," Swain said.

"It's about every child who feels misunderstood, every parent fighting to be heard and every teacher who wants to help but hasn't been given the knowledge or resources."

He added: "We teach young people about physical health, relationships, drugs and alcohol.

"Why shouldn't they receive age-appropriate education about ADHD, autism and other forms of neurodivergence?"

His next aim is to reach 100,000 signatures, which would see the petition considered by the House of Commons Petitions Committee for debate in Parliament.

Swain travels across the country to deliver free ADHD awareness talks to schools, colleges, alternative provision settings and community organisations.

During ADHD Awareness Month in October, he made more than 25 educational visits as part of his You, Me & ADHD initiative.

The BBC has contacted the Department for Education for comment.

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