ADHD Awareness Month 2026

When is ADHD Awareness Month?

It takes place throughout October each year. The calendar dates below follow that annual pattern; future campaign themes are announced separately.

Ideas for workplaces and schools

Choose an activity that leaves people with a useful resource or a clear next step. These are our planning suggestions:

• Make support easier to find. Put your existing support contacts, relevant policies and a reliable information link together in one short staff or parent notice.
• Ask what would help. Invite suggestions through an optional, private channel. People should not have to disclose a diagnosis to contribute to an awareness activity.
• Check a routine communication. Ask colleagues or pupils whether an instruction sheet, meeting agenda or homework notice could be clearer. Choose one improvement to keep after October.
• Plan a sourced discussion. Use a question from the coalition’s resources, and provide the original link so participants can read further.
• Offer ways to participate. Written contributions, a short discussion and a recording or summary can give people different ways to take part.

UK information and ways to take part

The NHS has separate guides to ADHD in adults and ADHD in children and young people, covering assessment and support. These are useful links to include in a UK awareness campaign.

For fundraising, ADHD UK’s Active4ADHDUK challenge invites participants to choose an activity and raise funds for the charity during October. Check its own page for participation details and make the beneficiary clear in any fundraising message.

Did the month start in 2004?

ADDA traces the campaign’s origins to a US Senate resolution establishing an ADHD Awareness Day in 2004. That was a day, rather than the month-long October campaign observed today.

For other dates to include in your plan, browse our health awareness calendar.

Last reviewed: 21 October 2026. Verified the October dates and 2026 theme, distinguished the original awareness day from today’s month, and checked UK campaign and NHS resource links.