Closing Australia’s AuDHD recognition gap
An estimated 2–3% of Australians live with co-occurring ADHD and Autism — yet there are no dedicated clinical guidelines, no Medicare item numbers, and no national data collection. AUDHD Australia exists to change that.
The problem
Australia’s healthcare, education, and disability systems treat ADHD and Autism as separate conditions. In reality, they co-occur in an estimated 50–70% of autistic individuals, creating a unique neurological profile with distinct needs that neither single-condition pathway adequately addresses.
The consequences are significant: average diagnostic delays of 12.4 years, out-of-pocket assessment costs between $4,200 and $8,600, and 78% of AuDHD adults reporting that their needs were missed or misdiagnosed as anxiety, depression, or personality disorders. Nationally, this diagnostic gap costs an estimated $4.7 billion per year in avoidable healthcare, lost productivity, and crisis interventions.
Our policy priorities
National clinical guidelines
Develop Australia’s first evidence-based clinical practice guidelines for the identification, assessment, and support of co-occurring ADHD and Autism across the lifespan.
Medicare & NDIS reform
Establish dedicated Medicare item numbers for combined AuDHD assessment and advocate for NDIS functional assessments that recognise the compounding impact of dual diagnosis.
National prevalence data
Include AuDHD as a distinct category in national health surveys and the Australian Bureau of Statistics disability data, enabling evidence-based policy and funding decisions.
Clinician education
Integrate AuDHD-specific training into medical, psychology, and allied health curricula so that the next generation of clinicians can identify and support this population.
Workplace & education standards
Develop national guidance for reasonable adjustments in workplaces and schools that address the specific executive function and sensory challenges of AuDHD individuals.
Research investment
Secure dedicated NHMRC and MRFF funding streams for AuDHD-specific research, prioritising Australian-context studies on prevalence, outcomes, and effective interventions.
What we’re doing
Parliamentary engagement
We are preparing submissions to the Senate Select Committee on Autism and engaging with crossbench senators who have shown leadership on neurodivergence issues. Our goal is to ensure AuDHD is explicitly named in any national autism strategy.
Stakeholder collaboration
We work with Autism Australia, ADHD Australia, the RANZCP, and state-based advocacy organisations to build a united position on co-occurrence recognition. We believe sector alignment is essential to driving policy change.
Public awareness
Through our educational resources, journal, and social media presence, we are building public understanding of AuDHD — creating the community demand that drives political action.
Evidence base
We maintain a curated library of peer-reviewed research on ADHD–Autism co-occurrence and commission plain-language summaries to make the evidence accessible to policymakers, clinicians, and the public.
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