Welcome

Welcome to the Chelmsford ADHD/AS Support group.  This support group is volunteer run group for individuals with ADHD/AS and their parents/guardians who want to have the opportunity to help each other and share information with professionals to help learn more about the condition and cope with the day to day struggles.

 Facebook

Please come and visit our FaceBook Page. Don't forget to click on "Like" at the top of the page to keep up to date via Facebook.

NEWS UPDATE - Facebook
We have setup a Facebook page which we hope you will join. We aim to release news updates, current ADHD/AS news items and provide peer-to-peer support through it. Currently it has an awful URL allocated to it as Facebook does; however as soon as we hit 25 'Likes' we can change it to something a bit kinder (e.g. we hope something like www.facebook.com/adhdsupportuk).  Stephen also hopes to soon redesign this website to bring it up to date and hopefully increase the storage of useful information.

NEWS UPDATE - Apology for Recent Past
"I would like to apologise for lack of correspondence over the past couple of years. The support group went under a great deal of issues which made life very difficult for all involved. I was personally left to run the group on my own which I had made clear was not something I could do due to personal constraints; however I attempted to struggle on.  As an explanation I would just like to share with you that the problems faced included a sudden allocation of charges from the school we used at the time (who back dated charges without notice) and I was personally left with the charges.  Additionally I had to increase my working hours in my employment to 16+ hours per day, and was left unpaid by a significant amount by clients faltering under the economic weight.  My wife was diagnosed with Arnold Chiari Malformation Type I and I struggled to help bring up our four children who also have ADHD/AS.  During this time we have also wrestled with the NHS in getting diagnosis and help for our children.  That support has not been forth coming as they view us as able to cope without the said support.  I found myself without support and expected to provide support to others.  I became overwhelmed and depressed, and got close to ending all aspects of the support group.  I hope however to have turned to a new chapter.  I hope you will join me and help re-establish this group; which I personally had previously created a fantastic reputation for."

Stephen Challen

Our Successes
In addition to support group meetings we also provide parents with help via telephone, email and in person.  Our aim is to improve the lives of parents and those with ADHD, and our advice is of a practical nature based on personal experience.  As such we cannot guarantee that all the advice can help everyone however we believe that our success shows that the advice is effective.

A week after a two hours introduction course, a mum, who has a 7 year old daughter with ADHD, informed us:

Thank you for meeting with me, so far it has been very helpful ... Good news though although not actually going to sleep until 9pm she has been staying in her room and when told 'no this is it' has finally gone to sleep and I have had to wake her for school in the morning - very unheard of!!

After a number of sessions a mum, who has a 14 year old son with ADHD, informed us:

Your information has been very helpful. You have made me rethink my approach to my son's behaviour and made me feel more positive about his future.  He was and is still a little negative about having ADHD, but was impressed with the amount of famous people who have or have had it. The most invaluable help is knowing you are at the end of a computer if I need any support, and that there can be a positive outcome with ADHD.

Let us know if you've been helped by our advice, by sending an email to steve@adhdsupport.org.uk.

Who we are
Our key worker, who is an unpaid volunteer, is Stephen Challen; however we also have help from parents with varying ages of children and/or teenagers who have ADHD/AS.

Stephen himself was diagnosed by Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children as having ADD & Hyperactivity caused by Food-Related Hypersensitivity approx 21 years ago.  The condition is now widely known as ADHD following the adoption of the phrase by the NHS is 2000.  He also has three beautiful daughters and a son who also have the same condition.  Stephen is available during our forums to obtain advice and help from both a parent's point of view as well as being someone who has grown up with the condition himself.  He currently works in the ICT industry working with high level server systems, data recovery and website design.  His father was a haematologist and immunologist, his uncle was a leading Bio-Chemist and many members of his family are involved is some form of science.  This upbringing allows Stephen to understand a wide range of medical and scientific issues which to others sound like a foreign language.  Needless to say his daughters also love science.  "It's a family thing!"

All are welcome
We welcome everyone whether you have ADHD, ADD, Hyperactivity, Hypersensitivity, AS or other related condition, you are a parent of a child or teenager who has it or are a professional or teacher looking to know more about the condition.  We also welcome anyone who lives or works in the Chelmsford area, and even welcome others from around Essex looking for a support group that will meet their needs.