Grant: CIHR Café Scientifique Program - Institute of Circulatory and Respiratory Health

The Sleep Success in ADHD Café will promote knowledge mobilization between CIHR-funded researchers and people with lived/living experience of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and their families to increase health research impacts by promoting understanding of the associations between ADHD, sleep, and well-being. ADHD is associated with high rates of morbidity, increased mortality risk, marginalization, stigma and difficulties accessing treatment. The majority of individuals with ADHD and their families also face sleep problems that exacerbate ADHD symptoms. This Café will convene the two leading Canadian ADHD researchers in the field of ADHD and sleep, a family physician specializing in ADHD across the lifespan and treatment, and a parent raising children with ADHD who struggle with sleep. Family members of individuals with ADHD also suffer from poor sleep, negatively impacting their well-being and parenting capacity. The event will be hosted by CADDRA - Canadian ADHD Resource Alliance, with support from CADDAC - Centre for ADHD Awareness Canada. Both organizations have proven track records of multidisciplinary practitioner engagement and patient outreach. This engaging and accessible event will provide a critical opportunity for the audience to actively engage with panelists and for all to share, create, and exchange knowledge to ultimately improve individual and family well-being. A community audience, with a focus on individuals living in Montreal, Quebec (the event location), will be invited to participate by 1) considering current Canadian evidence and best practice, sleep promotion guidelines, 2) discussing how to implement healthy sleep practices to improve well-being, and 3) brainstorming potential barriers to sleep improvement and possible solutions. Participants will be encouraged through a highly-interactive panel format to discuss evidence gaps and possible avenues for future research.