“As students, although we have moderate insight regarding ADHD from our health classes or personal experiences we lack understanding of the sheer vastness of the condition itself and the stigmas associated with those who have the conditions and its counterpart, ADD”. She added, “It is estimated 8.4 percent of children and 2.5 percent of adults have ADHD, numbers that are only increasing. That being said, 1 in 4 people still have not been diagnosed, making the condition vastly underdiagnosed”.
According to her co-founder, Sayyad, “Project A², or project ADHD awareness, aims to combat the stigmas associated with ADHD and explore the different ways to raise awareness and speak for the millions of people who are diagnosed with the condition. The project has a target demographic of 10-15 years of age in efforts that the next generation of adults is able to grasp the concept of this misunderstood condition to avoid stigmatizing it and better diagnose and treat it in the future. She added, “Our interest in ADHD stemmed from the sheer vastness of the condition itself combined with the misconceptions and stigma associated with it”.
Sayyad said, “When the average person is prompted with the question as to what ADHD is, all too often, the answer is a behavioral disorder stemming from ‘bad parenting or other unrelated misidentified causes. Some of our own community members, when prompted, believed ADHD was simply ‘kids making trouble’”. She added, “To combat these stigmas, our group launched Project, or Project ADHD Awareness, and our journey into the depths of ADHD began”.
FDA, or Future Doctors of America, and Future Public Health Leaders (FPHL), which is an organization for student leaders focused in healthcare to create awareness and collect funds for global health challenges, are among Project A2’s community partners. Because ADHD is a neurodevelopmental illness, the group of change-makers discovered that speaking to health-related groups like the FDA and FPHL drew a large audience from their target demographic.
Krishnareddigari spoke about the Project A squared’s most significant partnership with CHADD. She said, “During our ongoing partnership and sponsorship with CHADD, we have fostered…
